Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/257227
4 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com ally all of the key challenges data centers face today: maintaining availability, capex/ opex reduction, data center consolidation, chargebacks, asset management, efficiency, build versus outsource, risk management, capacity planning and responding to the demands of business today. However, it is less common to hear DCIM discussed in this way because many look at just one tiny aspect, which creates a lot of confusion in the market. e fact of the matter is, almost every data center in the world has some compo- nent of DCIM. All data center owners and operators are likely to have some combina- tion of a control system for a cooling plant, some level of power monitoring (even if it is very basic) and a UPS display that can output data. Right off the bat, data centers with these basic controls are further along with DCIM than a manager probably real- izes, but there are likely important gaps to fill and integration that must take place to provide a complete view of a data center's operation. the next evolution of DCiM: inteRopeRaBility anD integRation e next evolution of DCIM is understanding how each of the different components of the data center impact one another in real time, as the data center envi- ronment is a dynamic one that is constantly changing. It is important to ensure the full breadth of your data center is seamlessly in- tegrated in the system, but of equal impor- tance is that each of these tools can share information and data to inform real time actionable insights. When a data center op- erator has seven or eight disparate systems handling power, cooling, infrastructure management and asset management, they are just managing individual components separate from the total operation. By bring- ing together power, cooling, capacity, IT kit, compute utilization and network port utilization, data center managers now have a powerful and comprehensive manage- ment tool. How a data center operator plans and executes in his or her data center becomes easier when he or she has this kind of "all in system" that draws real time, actionable insights between individual systems and across all facets of the data center. Disparate systems give disparate answers, making it more difficult to identify and solve a problem. is disconnected methodology is the legacy approach to data center manage- ment; it is looking at IT and facilities as two separate organizations. is gap needs to be bridged to run a data center at optimal effectiveness and efficiency. In these kinds of legacy environments, it is not uncommon to find IT off doing one thing and facil- ity managers doing something else (while senior executives are thinking something totally different). It is important to get everyone speaking the same language with the same tools. It is impossible to generate a good DCIM ROI by wiping existing systems clean from the data center and starting from scratch, so it's important that data center managers use an open protocol system – not proprietary – that accepts and works with the systems data center manag- ers already have in the facility to leverage the existing data and maximize dollars that have already been invested. Advanced DCIM tools today take information from all kinds of previously installed controls systems, from the utility transformer down- stream all the way to the plug including IT kit and compute utilization. is allows data center managers to leverage the capital investments they've already made in their data center by integrating the systems and bridging this historical gap in a cost effec- tive way. When looking at a DCIM solution to provide the holistic view that is critical for a complete and accurate view of the data center, it must incorporate advancements and fill existing gaps while also seamlessly integrating with existing systems. With the ability to understand things from planning to execution to operation to maintenance to sustainability, a data center can be operated better. We know that DCIM includes the full spectrum of data center operation and maintenance, but a critical component of this DCIM ecosystem is risk management, because the reality is something is going to go wrong. e next reality a data center manager needs to deal with is how to get back to normal as quickly as possible aer an event. If data center managers don't have the science behind the event, they oen find themselves having to spend six or more hours investigating with meters and electri- cians what happened, how it happened and whether they are safe to put the system back online. is takes significantly longer to return to safe-ready mode and get back into business and production. e proper toolset can significantly reduce the time for a cause analysis, or at least a very thorough under- standing of what happened and why, and how data center managers need to respond to get back to normal operations. A comprehensive DCIM solution is great in theory, but it is oen difficult to implement unless data center managers can make the business case for senior execu- tives. e DCIM value proposition must consider factors such as: risk management, cost savings, cost avoidance, operational efficiency gains, space management, capital utilization, speed of implementation, speed of recovery, carbon reporting. With many advanced, holistic DCIM solutions available today, data center managers can create ROI and strategic dashboards for senior execu- tives, which help demonstrate the impact on the bottom line. For example, consider how much is spent on a circuit install that doesn't include the cost of the electrician – about $1,000. rough the power of insights provided by DCIM, imagine if data center manag- ers could bring that cost down to $300 – or even zero? When you consider how many circuits you add to a data center, it gets easier to understand the ROI potential with this kind of actionable intelligence. e reality is that most data centers are much farther along in DCIM than they think – and others give them credit for. By identifying where control gaps are, filling those gaps with an open tool that can inte- grate with existing system investments in the data center, data center managers begin to close the gap of DCIM as it is understood today, and move towards DCIM as a holistic management tool to run data centers ef- fectively, efficiently and safely. When used appropriately, a holistic DCIM solution can lower operational costs, help improve planning and expedite information delivery, allowing data center managers to proactively control their data center rather than let their data center control them. n about the author: Joe Reele is Vice President, Data Center Solutions Architects, Schneider Electric Maximize efficiency Improve energy efficiency by seeing data center energy waste and, in turn, eliminating it. Improve energy efficiency Optimize availability Achieve higher availability with full visibility across your data center physical infrastructure. The total view you need Seeing across your data center's physical infrastructure from the building level down to the server level (and vice versa) is imperative to balance availability and efficiency. Today, you need to adapt quickly to business requirements without risking availability or system efficiency. Not only does an end-to-end view protect system availability, it can enable concrete energy and operational efficiency gains as well. Achieving the right balance Schneider Electric ™ StruxureWare ™ for Data Centers software provides this total visibility by bridging facilities and IT. In fact, our advanced data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software graphically shows your IT equipment within the data center physical infrastructure layer — from rack to row to room to building — so you can monitor and protect system uptime, as well as simulate and analyze the effect of moves, adds, and changes in relation to resource capacity and energy use. The result? Facilities and IT easily can collaborate to ensure that the data center can adjust at any time to business requirements while always balancing availability and energy efficiency. ©2014 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric, APC, StruxureWare, and Business-wise, Future-driven are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. www.schneider-electric.com • 998-1187090_GMA-US_Note3 Business-wise, Future-driven. ™ Because you asked for the big picture. Introducing DCIM with visibility from building to server: StruxureWare for Data Centers software suite. End-to-end visibility of your data center: > Visualize change/capacity scenarios > View your current and historic PUE/DCiE > Maintain highest availability at all times > See and manage your energy use > Manage space and cages in multi-tenant facilities > Enhance life cycle services from planning to maintenance APC ™ by Schneider Electric products, solutions, and services are an integral part of the Schneider Electric IT portfolio. Maximize Maximize efficiency Improve energy efficiency by seeing data center energy waste and, in turn, eliminating it. The total view you need Improve data center operations and efficiency! Get our FREE DCIM white paper today and enter to win a Samsung Galaxy Note 3! Visit www.SEreply.com Key Code g445u Call 888-289-2722 Contents > Executive summary How Data Centre Management Software Improves Planning and Cuts Operational Costs" > Executive summary Data-Center-Journal_US_Feb_g445u.indd 1 1/22/2014 1:58:16 PM