Following strict regulatory compliance guidelines reduce your organization's risk by ensuring that the server-based solutions you are selling meet the many global requirements for safety, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and environmental regulations for information technology equipment (ITE). Failure to comply may ultimately result in punishment including fines but may also mean that your solutions will be delayed or even blocked from entry into certain regions of the world. The changes that we’ve seen lately are in relation to the European Union (EU) and EMC standards for ITE.
Compatibility standards
Electromagnetic compatibility standards set the correct operation of electronic equipment in a common electromagnetic environment. The standards are meant to mitigate the risk of IT equipment interfering with other devices through electromagnetic emissions, as well as ensure IT equipment does not encounter interference from other devices. These standards allow a manufacturer to show compliance with the essential requirements of the EMC Directive (2004/108/EC) and are a legal requirement of the CE mark.
Specifically for the European Union (EU), EMC changes began in 2016 and will continue through 2017. Here are a few of the specifics. EN 61000-3-3 moved to the 2013 version as of June 30, 2016 and EN 61000-3-2 is changing to the 2014 version on June 30, 2017 and affects the flicker and power frequency harmonic emissions, respectively, as measured on the power cord. The new versions of the standards have superseded their predecessors and became mandatory on the dates provided. All new products shipped into the European Union from that point have to comply with the newer versions of the standards.
In addition, after decades of use, EN55032 is the new standard for multimedia equipment. It replaced EN55022, EN55013 and EN55103-1 on March 3, 2017. This standard provides limits and methods for measurement for emissions. It now provides a single, unified standard for equipment manufacturers saving invaluable time and money. Companies in the information technology industry shipping equipment to the EU should begin using these new standards for compliance testing. Companies purchasing information technology equipment for use in the EU need to ensure the equipment has been tested and is compliant with these new standards.
What this means for our customers
For the server and storage ITE technologies provided by UNICOM Engineering, these changes have already been addressed to ensure an uninterrupted flow of product for our customers. Our experts carefully reviewed the changes to the standards and we issued new Declarations of Conformity for our roadmap platforms as well as for the custom products we make for our clients.
In addition to these newly adopted EU standards, the second edition of IEC 62368-1 has also been adopted by various countries, including the EU, US, and Canada. By June 2019, this new standard will be fully required across the industry where it’s been adopted. This standard replaces IEC 60950-1, which has been a staple for the ITE industry for decades.
IEC 62368-1 was written as a direct replacement for IEC 60950-1, with the assumption that ITE products could simply change to the new standard. Unfortunately, the reality is that it will take considerable effort to obtain CB Certificates and Reports and update to various country certifications. UNICOM Engineering is preparing now for this upcoming change so that our products will be fully compliant by 2019.
As a result of these regulatory changes, UNICOM Engineering has been actively reviewing the safety certifications of our roadmap platforms and our clients’ products, along with their respective product lifecycles, to determine what certifications will require updating. Our staff is developing budgets and schedules to update all of our products during 2018, ensuring a seamless changeover for our clients.
Need help?
Need help with EMC compliance? Put UNICOM Engineering’s expertise to work for you! We can assist with all areas of compliance and testing for use in both domestic and international markets. Give us a call at 800-977-1010 or visit our website.