Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/734838
THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL | 15 www.datacenterjournal.com i t might be more accurate to say that different people's perspectives of what DCIM is (and is not) are colored by the aspects most relevant to their roles. Industry analysts define DCIM solutions based on completeness of vision (point tools versus suite solutions), what the tools are meant for (monitoring versus operational efficiency, energy manage- ment versus asset management), and what the next big trend will be (DCIM versus DCSO (Data Center Service Optimization)). Meanwhile, customers view DCIM through their experiences with the tools they use to manage their data centers, their respon- sibilities and KPIs within their own organizations, what they hear from their peers as well as from influencers, and what they've learned over the course of their DCIM implementations. ese varying interpretations of DCIM underscore the lack of clarity running rampant across the industry, hindering customers on their quest for the right solution for their needs. However, although there currently are no concerted efforts to create an industry standard of what DCIM encompasses, these seemingly disparate definitions appear to be converging around a common set of key capabilities. Cognizant of both what analysts say and what customers want, product vendors develop their own definitions of DCIM based on how closely their product offerings and features align with these common capabilities. foUndations of a coMMon langUage When you have a young industry composed of a variety of players, the closest thing to standardization oen is what the ana- lysts say. In the case of DCIM, analyst definitions tend to focus on the main capabilities that integrated DCIM solutions should in- clude. e table below provides a sampling of some of the major capabilities from three of the major analysts in the industry. Despite some slight variations, most of these DCIM capabil- ities can be organized into the following overarching categories: • Asset management • Capacity management • Change management • Energy management • Power management • Environmental management Although there is no official industry-standard language at present, these capabilities are forming its foundation. As a result, they also represent the main categories across which DCIM ven- dors align their products. froM capaBility to featUre Few, if any, DCIM solutions provide all of the capabilities outlined by major analysts. Rather, in order to be categorized as DCIM solution providers, vendors typically interpret what the analysts say in practical terms that are conducive to fitting their product features to specific capabilities. For example, features mapped to asset management might include inventory reports and the ability to track adds, moves, and changes in your data center. Forecast charts and failover reports typically fit under power or capacity management. With so many competing definitions, vendors frequently need to reinforce this alignment and their own interpretations of DCIM with customers. ey oen do so through educational materials, speaking engagements, product training, and other resources. the point–sUite continUUM e degree to which vendors align their products with these common capabilities determines whether they are catego- rized as point tools or suite solutions. Imagine a continuum: On one end of the continuum are point tools, with modules or features that align to one or two (or a small percentage only) of DCIM capabilities. On the other end of the continuum, you have suite solutions, which are more comprehensive and mature products with features that align with many or the majority of these capabilities. is alignment has created a plethora of product offerings, all of which appear to fit comfortably under the DCIM um- brella. Unfortunately, the resulting variety of products and lack of transparency around the degree of alignment oen confuse customers to the point where they believe that all DCIM products are created equal. Without a clear explanation of which products and features align with different capabilities, how can customers assess and decide which solution is best for them? Key Capabilities of Integrated DCIM Solutions by Analyst Gartner 1 451 Research 2 IDC 3 • Power monitoring • Environmental monitoring • Reporting • Visualization • Resource management • Predictive analysis • Modeling and simulation • Airflow and pressure monitoring • Workflow management • IT physical asset monitoring and management • Cooling optimization/ • environmental management • Asset and capacity management • Monitoring and data aggregation (including power/energy monitoring) • Data collection • Asset management • Data aggregation and analysis • IT automation • Capacity planning • Workflow/moves/adds/changes support • IT service management • Adaptive cooling • Power load management • Energy resource management 1 Gartner 2016 Critical Capabilities for Data Center Infrastructure Management Tools. 2 451 Research. Next-Generation Datacenter Management: From DCIM to DCSO. 3 IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Datacenter Infrastructure Management 2015 Vendor Assessment.