Data Centers today are complex systems that are more critical than ever before. This creates a need for a sophisticated, automated, and intelligent infrastructure management system. This need to manage this complex environment effectively is done by a set of tools referred to as Data Center Infrastructure Management.
As the name suggests, Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solutions help data center managers to accurately manage data center infrastructure and equipment to ensure their smooth functioning. DCIM is a set of tools that monitor, manage, and measure the functions and energy consumption of all IT equipment (servers and storage equipment) in a data center and enables all infrastructure components (cooling systems and power equipment).
Albeit DCIM solutions are similar in many respects, their exact application will vary based on an individual data center’s need. With this blog, Prasa wants to assist you in choosing the right DCIM solution for your data center.
DCIM does not actually replace the data center management team but facilitates the process by managing and monitoring mission critical equipment in real-time and alerting the concerned team during any mishap. It is a part of the comprehensive management solutions.
Before we discuss points that will aid you in choosing a DCIM solution let us first see why DCIM is important for your data center.
The Importance of DCIM
Data Centers are constantly evolving to integrate various upcoming technologies as well as the systems that have been a part of conventional data centers for many years. Today apart from conventional data centers there are data centers that use new technology entirely or partially. There are modular data centers or equipments, which can be scaled without any downtime; there are edge data centers, which are located at remote locations; then there are data centers with high rack density, which need precision maintenance. Apart from these new-generation data centers, conventional data centers are also being deployed with different technologies like liquid immersion cooling, hot-swappable technology, smart cabinets, etc to suit their individual needs. As data center managers keep working to seamlessly accommodate everything in their data centers, they largely depend on DCIM solutions to attain efficiency.
Apart from providing insights and facilitating data center management, DCIM is also instrumental in preventing costly outages and downtime.
Define Your Requirements
Before you pick a DCIM solution, it is important to know what you want out of that solution. You can start with basic management goals like furnishing upper-level management reports, increasing the efficiency of your data center, managing all equipment to attain the best results, etc. These goals will help you determine the information that you need to accomplish your goals. The questions which will further your understanding of your requirements can be like – which data will measure my data center’s efficiency?, which data will help me forecast the capacity of critical resources?, which data do I need for upper-level management reports?, and so on.
Selecting a DCIM Solution
Each data center is unique and different facilities with different outcome requirements will obviously have different requirements from their DCIM solutions. But, after you have laid down your requirements, there are a few standard considerations you should keep in mind while selecting DCIM solutions.
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Does the DCIM solution provide remote access?
The DCIM solution you choose should allow access from outside the data center. Additionally, it should be compatible with various devices, so that it displays information properly on smartphones and tablets. For the required number of parameters being monitored, it should provide the user with various alerting options and escalation features.
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What will the DCIM solution manage and monitor?
Choose the solutions that tailor fits your data center’s needs and include monitoring of all your equipment in the DCIM solution. Ensure that your solution provides reporting and graphical tools to suit specific parameters. A data center consists of servers, power, cooling, and safety features; and various technologies and systems are installed for the same. A DCIM that manages and monitors all these features in line with the deployed equipment will be a good choice.
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Is the DCIM solution scalable?
Data centers today allow the flexibility to grow as per the organization’s need, so should the DCIM. Each time a piece of new equipment is added or the infrastructure expands, the DCIM tool should grow to include these additions.
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Is the DCIM solution safe?
In the IT era, data centers house very valuable information and it is imperative that the DCIM solutions that manage them maintain a high level of security. It should allow access to only approved users, with apt protection measures in place including authentication credentials.
If you are looking for DCIM services and need a case-specific assistance in finding the right DCIM for your data center, you should contact experts at Prasa for a free consultation.
GET A FREE DCIM CONSULTATION HERE!
References
https://datacenterfrontier.com/tips-for-choosing-a-dcim-solution
