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APC by Schneider Electric Joins FREEtheMIBS, Releases MIBs for Battery Backup System
Company joins Q-Free in actively endorsing open MIBs
January 7, 2019
We couldn’t be more excited that APC by Schneider Electric has joined the #FreetheMIBS movement.
As soon as we went public with the campaign, they contacted us asking how they could participate. They immediately released the MIBs to their battery backup systems (BBS) and as we talked with them, we realized APC’s world perfectly defines a major problem with closed MIBs, a perspective we hadn’t even considered.
APC is in the battery backup business.
They’re the people who prevent dark traffic signals at intersections during power outages and keep the lights on during snowstorms and natural disasters. By definition, their equipment has to work with technology from other companies. Proprietary MIBs are, at best, an impediment to success and at worst, a barrier to a crucial solution. As the traffic management landscape becomes more complex and vehicles connect to the transportation infrastructure, battery backup systems will be an even more critical element within signal systems. Traffic engineers will need battery backup solutions that can communicate through MIBs about their health and readiness to save lives.
APC parent company, Schneider Electric is not just in battery backups, they’re a big player in intelligent transportation. They carry substantial influence and as a Fortune Global 500 company, they’re heavily invested in Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and by extension, Smart Cities. They have a big picture view of the future of transportation, and like us, they believe in open standards. Also like us, and Q-Free, the first company to publicly release MIBs in this campaign, they’re willing to take a public stand, because it’s the right thing to do.
The #FREEtheMIBS campaign is already generating a lot of attention. In the next few weeks and beyond, we’ll share information on other major private and public organizations who have signed on and are just as enthusiastic as our friends at APC by Schneider Electric.
Subtlety rarely makes history and many of those we’ve been in contact with agree the time is right, and necessary for a change, and to APC by Schneider Electric, we say thanks for recognizing the importance of freeing the MIBs, and more importantly, thanks for acting!
About FREEtheMIBS
#FREEtheMIBS is a collaborative campaign to encourage traffic signal controller and ITS device manufacturers, and public sector agencies to unite behind opening and sharing device NTCIP protocols – specifically, management information bases (MIBs). To learn more about the freeing the MIBs or to join the movement, visit FREEtheMIBS.org.
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