Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/886554
28 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com managers to make better decisions on the basis of real data. Accurately documenting all physical, logical and virtual relation- ships between IT services and service assets (CIs) in their current and planned states will enable a detailed analysis of capacities utilized as well as complete transparency into IT costs throughout your organization. By identifying ghost servers and assets that should have been removed years ago owing to lack of use or outdated IT, data center managers can organize and consolidate inventory and resources. is process requires documentation to fully understand whether various technologies and performance levels continue to meet your business needs. us, the ability to view all infor- mation in an integrated data model enables managers to cater more effec- tively to specific business needs when deploying business applications and soware installations. Managers can also use this information to deliver the legal certainty required by IT managers during license audits and certification processes. 2. Use monitoring data to ensure fault- free operations and deliver reliable services. Based on documentation of the IT infrastructure, devices and network, a unified monitoring system across all IT assets and systems allows data center operators to be more proactive. By monitoring all physical assets in the data center using one centrally controllable system, con- sumption levels, performance and ca- pacities of each asset can be analyzed in real time to effectively manage and control facilities. Monitoring can also boost the reliability of all infrastruc- ture components, ensuring error-free operation of data centers. As important as monitoring data is for daily operations, it's also valu- able to perform long-term analysis of workloads and power usage effective- ness (PUE). Analyzing data center performance in context with all relevant aspects is a powerful way to identify underutilized resources. But the high complexity of a data center requires a shi in focus to a combined device level, and it requires taking all aspects in consideration. at's why a holistic system is crucial to reclaiming lost capacities and thereby maximiz- ing overall efficiency. 3. Keep analyzing your data center to drive efficiency optimizations. By analyzing IT infrastructure and identifying unused resources, data center and operations managers can make better-informed decisions and create planning scenarios based on accurate, up-to-date information. In summary, a DCIM solu- tion can provide full transparency into your data center from design to operations and technology. Detailed insights into all relationships among IT assets, facilities and the network enables data center and operations managers to accurately predict the impact of planned changes and de- velop effective optimization measures. Implementing a comprehensive sys- tem also enables managers to prepare and validate planning scenarios on the basis of historical values and in- depth analytics, increasing the long- term efficiency of your data center. Investing in a DCIM solution is fundamental to reclaiming lost capac- ities and increasing ROI. By gaining greater visibility into IT performance and maximizing utilization of space, power and cooling resources for racks and servers, data center managers can effectively safeguard availability and improve sustainability. Boosting efficient utilization of data center re- sources is also a vital option to delay capex by postponing the construction of a new data center in the green field. n About the author: Oliver Lindner serves as senior consultant for server management at FNT Software. Having over 20 years of industry experience as a system analyst, he oversees FNT's business-line data center infrastructure management. As important as monitoring data is for daily operations, it's also valuable to perform long-term analysis of workloads and power usage effectiveness (PUE). Analyzing data center performance in context with all relevant aspects is a powerful way to identify underutilized resources. But the high complexity of a data center requires a shift in focus to a combined device level, and it requires taking all aspects in consideration.