Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) represents any set of tools (including software programs and hardware devices in the form of computer parts, drives, cables, etc.) that help organize and manage information stored in a data center. The energy required to organize and store large amounts of data can be used in the context of data management (DCIM represents a class of products and services “) designed to assist the growing global demand for the electronic storage of information, Whether it is becoming more efficient and more secure and more secure and more secure and more secure (http://www.youtube.com/wfp Full DCIM “deployments” may involve specialized software, hardware and sensors, but most do not. The rapid evolution of the DCIM marketplace has helped set up metrics such as metrics like power usage effectiveness, CUE, and data center energy productivity as well as sales-driven metrics such as PAR4 (server power usage) and Data center predictive modeling. Since its identification as a missing component for optimized data center management, the broad DCIM category has been in a range of point-solutions and hardware-vendor offerings intended to address this void. The analyst firm Gartner Research has started with a more comprehensive set of capabilities. DCIM Suite vendors number less than two dozen in 2014, and consist of software that is widely available and integrated in nature. The existing suites may be affected by one or more of the following: 1) IT asset lifecycle management or 2) facilities monitoring and access. It is likely that for an extended period of time, the DCIM Suites that will continue to have their core strength in one discipline or the other, but not the same. Important to note that there are dozens of other vendors whose technologies directly support or enhance the DCIM suites. In general, these specialists’ offerings can also be used as a stand-alone solution to a specific set of data center management needs. In the fourth quarter of 2014, Gartner released their Magic Quadrant and Critical Capabilities Report which are the first tangible approach to a quantitative comparison of the values of each vendor has to offer. The Magic Quadrant focused on 17 vendors, while the Critical Capabilities Report discussed just 7 that they considered broad enough to compare. DCIM alliances and partnerships with various other DCIM vendors to complete their own management picture. The inefficiencies seen previously in the world of energy and energy are simply too expensive for end-users and vendors alike in the energy-conscious world we live in. These multibillion-dollar broad framework providers include Hewlett-Packard, BMC, IBM and IBM / Tivoli and have promised DCIM will be part of their overall management structure. Today, each is defining their approach in doing so through organic and collaborative efforts. DCIM Suite and DCIM Specialist software vendors who offer varied DCIM capabilities including one or more of the following; Capacity Planning, 3D Visualization, Real-Time Monitoring, Cable / Connectivity Management, Environmental / Energy sensors, business analytics (including financial modeling), Process / Change Management and integration with various types of external management systems and data sources. In 2011 some predicted data center management domains would converge across the logical and physical layers. This type of converged management environment will be eliminated.
According to an IT analyst at Gartner and presented in December 2013, “By 2017, DCIM tools will be significantly deployed in over 60% of larger data centers (> 3,000 sq ft) in North America.” Hence, DCIM can be viewed as a high growth adoption since the last decade of the world. These drivers include:
At a high level, DCIM can be used for many purposes. DCIM can support data center availability and reliability requirements, it can identify and eliminate IT systems, it can be used to identify interdependencies between facilities and IT infrastructures to alert the facility manager to gaps in system redundancy, and it can assist in modeling the costs of building and maintaining the huge accumulation of assets of the data center, over long periods of time. Worth noting is a tiny bit of segmentation is beginning to occur now (2013). The roster of DCIM suppliers is becoming a group of companies in a minimum of two buckets, or segments in an attempt to reduce the customer confusion when researching DCIM solutions. The first bucket is the integrated software suites, where a comprehensive set of lifecycle asset management features are brought together and share a common view of the data center. Integrated repositories, reporting, and connectivity are all expected to exist within these suites. Suites share a common look and feel. A single source of truth exists across the entire suite for any given attribute. The second group of DCIM suppliers includes all of the remaining 100+ vendors. These vendors enhance the DCIM suites and can exist as stand-alone solutions as well. These solutions are also referred to as ‘specialists’ or ‘DCIM-ready’ components. These include sensor systems, power management solutions, analytics packages, and monitoring. One of more of these enhancement solutions will be implemented with a single selected DCIM suite. There will be additional segmentation as vendors self-align their values to customer needs. One popular initiative that some DCIM solution can address is the reduction of energy use and energy efficiency. In these cases, DCIM solutions enables data center managers to measure energy use, enabling safe operation at higher densities. According to Gartner Research, DCIM can lead to energy savings that reduce the data center’s total operating expenses by up to 20 percent. In addition to measuring energy use, other DCIM components such as CFD can be used to maximize the cost of airflow and eliminate stranded resources. DCIM solutions foster efficient change management by providing all details of changes, including special instructions and timelines, in one place. The complexity of data center operations has been dramatically reduced and is being generated and consumed by varied devices and the requirement for constant addition, removal, and reassignment of devices. In such situations, DCIM software can provide ease of operation and greater clarity. Moreover, real-time notifications ensure important updates are not missed. Such software also helps with compliance. DCIM software is used to benchmark current space, network and power consumption then model the effects of “green” initiatives on the data center’s power usage effectiveness (PUE) and data center On the IT side of DCIM, some vendor implementations of DCIM Suites will allow optimal placement with the view to power, network, and cooling requirements. one or more existing data center conditions.
Traditional approaches to resource provisioning and service requests for virtualization and cloud computing. The manual handoffs between technology teams were also highly inefficient and poorly documented. This is a small business that costs a lot of time on activities that provided little business value. In order to be able to manage data and cloud computing environments, it is necessary to standardize and automate virtual resources. Moving with the need of the times, nowadays, there are efficient software to tackle specific needs of a data center. The management systems while replacing the manual energy invested, also provides services like auditing, data compiling and records. These specialized services include the following: In addition to enabling comprehensive real-time monitoring, these tools have been equipped with modeling and management functionality to facilitate long-term capacity planning; dynamic optimization of critical systems performance and efficiency; and efficient asset utilization. In the field of rapid growth of business-critical IT applications, server virtualization has become a popular method for increasing data center applications. Server virtualization also enabled rapid provisioning cycles, as multiple applications could be supported by a single provisioned server. Modern data centers are challenged by the infrastructure infrastructure and processes. These challenges have become more important as virtualization creates a dynamic environment within a stable environment. If unanticipated, rapid increases in heat densities can result in greater stress on the data center’s physical infrastructure, resulting in a lack of efficiency, and increased risk for overloading and outages. In addition to increasing risks to inefficient allocation of virtualized applications in the form of densities, causes unanticipated “hot spots” in server racks and areas. These intrinsic risks, have resulted in an increase in market demand for integrated monitoring and management solutions capable of bridging the gap between IT and facilities systems. In 2010, analyst firm Gartner. DCIM approach to the state of the DCIM approach. According to the report, widespread adoption of DCIM over time will lead to the development of “intelligent capacity planning” solutions that support synchronized monitoring and management of both physical and virtual infrastructures. Intelligent capacity planning is a tool to enable the aggregation and correlation of real-time data from heterogeneous infrastructures to provide data center managers with a common repository of performance and resource utilization information. It is also promised to enable data center managers to automate the management of IT applications based on a physical infrastructure-optimizing performance, reliability and efficiency of the entire data center infrastructure.