Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/734838
16 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com avoiding the featUre-coMparison trap With this increasing focus on capabilities as the common denominators for integrated DCIM solutions, it's easy to see how customers might be lulled into the false expectation that the more features a DCIM product has, the better a fit it will be for their needs. As a result, customers oen become distracted by unneces- sary features and overcomplicate their DCIM implementations, reducing the likelihood of their success. How can you avoid this feature-comparison trap? Being aware of the main categories of capabilities and which ones are most relevant to you is a good place to start. Educating yourself on the many available DCIM products on the market can also be valuable. But perhaps the surest way is to clarify your near-term, mid- term, and long-term problem statements. Well-researched and fully developed problem statements will provide context to your team and your vendors and help you hone in on the most critical features for your DCIM project. additional tips Following these additional tips can help you stay cognizant of the feature-comparison trap and take appropriate action to avoid it: n Start small and establish success before expanding. Concentrating on only the top one or two most critical data center challenges first will ensure that you are focused on your problem statements and therefore will help you prioritize features. Trying to do too much too soon encourages scope creep, dilutes focus, and strains resources for aspects of the project that may have less impact or may introduce the risk of project failure. A phased approach also limits any negative impact of change and helps teams become accustomed to new ways of operating. n Develop RFPs and RFQs around your "must-have" DCIM requirements. A long list of requirements can bury your true needs among nice-to-have features that will not necessarily address your top challenges. A vendor invested in your success will mitigate any concern about weak or missing features in the long term by expanding product functionality as needed to address your specific requests. n Be as specific as possible in your requirements. e lack of industry-standard definitions means that feature descriptions can vary widely across vendors. In your requirements, consider documenting your use cases, current processes, existing challenges, and what you want to accomplish. Detailed explanations of not only your problems but also your desired outcomes will result in a clearer understanding of how the vendors' solutions will help you achieve your objectives. n Limit your assessment to two or three DCIM vendors at most. A drawn-out selection process involving a large number of vendors could lead to more than just diluted resources and evaluation fatigue. It also could impede decision makers' ability to differentiate between different vendors and products, delay the decision-making process, and even lead to the wrong decision (or no decision at all). A shorter list of vendors facilitates in-depth discussions with each for better overall engagement and decision quality. n Invest time in getting to know the vendors and their product offerings. Understanding how each product solves your key problems and how the vendors interact with and support their customers will help you be confident in your decision long aer the vendor selection process has been completed. In addition to product demonstrations and case studies, speaking directly with current users and even calling the technical support teams will give you a more accurate representation of the customer experience. A Note on Integration: e ability to integrate with CMDBs, BMSs and other systems in your organization may be an important consideration for your DCIM implementation. However, proper planning and, more importantly, staging—even if this means waiting until aer the initial DCIM project has been completed successfully before integrating with existing systems—can help you avoid complications and achieve a faster and smoother implementation. Ultimately, though, avoiding the feature-comparison trap is only half the battle. Whether you decide on a point tool versus a suite solution hinges understanding which option is sufficient for both your current needs and future plans. If your organization only requires one or two DCIM components and has no plans for integration, a point tool may be adequate. On the other hand, a suite solution may provide more value if you plan to evolve and mature DCIM in your organization down the road. preparing for the fUtUre Many DCIM vendors today create their own interpretations of DCIM by appropriating major industry analysts' definitions of common DCIM capabilities and identifying the features that best match in their own real-world products and applications. How closely the features align is one indicator of where the solution should be considered along the point–suite continuum. e wide variety of products that can be categorized as falling under the DCIM umbrella and the resulting lack of clarity can impede cus- tomers' efforts to choose the solution that best fits their needs. While a common language has yet to be fully established and could certainly be helpful, the lack of standard definitions, best practices, and frameworks across the DCIM industry is not an insurmountable problem for customers at this time. Organi- zations that are able to determine their top problem statements in the context of how they want to address their near-term, mid-term, and long-term DCIM considerations will be better positioned to select the best partner to accommodate their unique data center challenges and help them achieve success now and in the future. n about the author: Herman Chan is President of Sunbird Software, a global company that is changing the way data centers are managed through radically simplified DCIM software. Prior to his role at Sunbird, Herman was the DCIM General Manager at Raritan, Inc., leading product management and marketing teams for over 15 years. He can be reached at herman.chan@sunbirddcim.com.