Data
center managers have been challenged to maintain or increase IT
availability, server utilization and efficiency in the face of rising
costs and demands. One strategy to help address these challenges is
virtualization, which increases server utilization and enables greater
energy efficiency.
But virtualization also makes it more difficult to
predict the demand on physical systems at any given time. As a result of
the uncertainty in physical system demand, the data center manager is
compelled to reserve a resource buffer against overload at peak
capacity.
A holistic DCIM approach provides new insights into the
relationships between facilities and IT infrastructure components,
enabling data center managers to better optimize their data center
resource consumption.
These are the questions Emerson Network Power recommends data center managers ask before deploying a DCIM solution:
1. What are the critical infrastructure assets in my data center and what are their respective mission interdependencies? An inventory repository can provide the data center manager with a
“reality check” of today’s high-value assets, as well as context in the
data center plan for tomorrow. This forward-looking insight gives a
continual business-oriented view into these critical assets allowing
better return-on-investment (ROI) on assets as well as freeing up data
center budget for other compelling priorities—a top of mind concern for
data center managers.
2. If
asked by my management, could I quickly retrieve a comprehensive
monitoring and analysis report of all the assets in my data center, and
would this report identify bottlenecks? An effective
DCIM solution should monitor all space, power and cooling attributes
within the data center environment. To avoid an environmental-based
operational failure, the DCIM solution should provide reports that
enable the data center manager to take proactive action. The ability to
report these data center conditions should be available on-demand to the
data center manager.
3. Can
my data center manage day-to-day workloads with flexibility while
servicing on-demand needs as they arrive for my company? The DCIM solution should provide process workflow that can perform:
- Scenario development—the ability to model changes before they go into production,
- Nested processes that list steps that must be completed before an action is approved,
- Measurement against service level agreements (SLAs), which are standard or custom metrics for measuring success, and
- The
ability to provision into underutilized space, power and cooling
capacity. This function should recommend optimal placement for devices
based on their unique requirements and the existing load/capacity in the
infrastructure.
4. Does
this DCIM solution provide the trend analysis and intelligence needed
for my team to deliver a comprehensive capacity management plan?
To gain control of the current and future usage of data center
resources, DCIM solutions should provide data center managers with
insight into:
- Projection pipelines—what projects are in various stages of approval and what the impact will be on the infrastructure, and
- Trending
for current and projected utilization (curves based on historical
usage). For example, data center management should be able to tell when
capacity or cooling will run out, based on utilization trends.
5. What intuitive web-based executive summary and planning tools are provided in the solution?
DCIM solutions should provide configurable web-based dashboards and
analytics standard within the product. Automating the operational
intelligence gathering and reporting through a comprehensive web-based
dashboard enables an executive summary that becomes the single source of
truth into DCIM and planning.
6. Will the DCIM solution align with IT and business services?
Aligning IT service to address business objectives and needs is
paramount. Any DCIM solution must enable data center management to align
their respective resource consumption with their current ITSM, ITIL and
BSM strategies.
“Data
center managers are under more pressure than ever to achieve higher
capacities with greater efficiency and less risk of downtime,” said
Steve Hassell, president of the Avocent business of Emerson Network
Power.“
A holistic DCIM strategy is a data center manager’s best partner
in meeting the stringent business demands in a modern-day data center
environment.
To successfully implement a DCIM strategy, data center
managers must be on the lookout for the best family of hardware,
software and services that allows them to address the critical
infrastructure gap
