Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/661564
22 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com Energy usage DCIM allows data center operators to pinpoint unnecessary expenses by track- ing energy usage over time. In addition, managers can determine whether assets need consolidation, replacement or retire- ment. In a colocation environment, energy expenses are easily segregated by zones for chargeback to departments or tenants. Real-time metric Space availability, energy usage and cool- ing demands are three metrics that every data center manager must follow. Using this information, IT and facilities staff can expedite asset-placement decisions and track exactly how much capacity is le for expansion. Future planning DCIM enables insight into peak process- ing times while enabling visibility into where space or power can be used more efficiently to support these spikes. Addi- tionally, by getting the most out of assets, space and energy, an enterprise can add to the useful life of the facility, delaying or eliminating the need for physical-plant expansion. ese savings add up to mil- lions of dollars. Real-time environmental monitoring is feature eliminates downtime caused by overheating. Trending temperature data also enables higher ambient temperatures, saving on cooling costs—with no ill effects on computing time. Alarm and alert monitoring is capability gives managers ample time to fix a small problem before it becomes an irreversible risk. Alarms notify critical personnel when the facility reaches a preset threshold, such as a temperature, a capacity point and so on. What-if scenarios Simulations boost a facility's resilience by testing the results of a planned or unplanned outage so that updates and maintenance can be safely scheduled. Although the case for implement- ing DCIM in an in-house data center is a strong one, many companies find they need to go further to ensure true end- to-end visibility. at's where data center service management (DCSM) helps data centers establish a true service-based environment. DCSM starts with DCIM but goes further to manage workflows and IT integrations in the data center, giving in-house IT and facility managers added transparency for a thorough understand- ing of all expenses related to people and processes needed to deliver compute/stor- age capacity and performance. Ultimately, DCSM turns any data center into a more agile operation by reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency while providing full transpar- ency on costs, like the public-cloud providers. In turn, this capability empow- ers CIOs and CTOs to reduce costs and gain maximum productivity from their data centers. DCSM advantages include the following: Asset management Physical-asset tracking avoids idle equip- ment sitting on the loading dock. In addi- tion, the asset is tracked throughout its life cycle for warranty renewals, maintenance contracts and inventory rotation. Workflow management Tracking changes made by data center personnel ensures consistency in how they perform adds, moves and changes. It also enables granular insight into what work is being done and where, as well as what assets are involved, making cost attribu- tion simple. It keeps teams informed and identifies responsibilities using a measure- able and repeatable process. us, it allows for efficient execution of changes down to the data center floor while providing progress status. Virtualization integration is feature connects the virtualization layer to the physical and logical layers with hypervisor connectors for VMware, Microso and Citrix. It provides com- plete transparency from the application down through the application infrastruc- ture through the virtual to the physical infrastructure. is capability is useful for operations, planning and troubleshooting, and for compliance/security purposes. Change-management integration—Inte- gration of change management centralizes the workflow process management and communication with employees across IT and facilities. It also integrates with work- flow solutions for drag-and-drop adds, moves and changes. ConCLusion When it comes to improving how they account for and deliver their service to outside businesses, cloud-based data center providers don't have a "secret sauce." Using DCIM and DCSM solutions, any data center can obtain cloud-like ef- ficiency and transparency. ese tools will help all data-driven companies uncover the difficult and oen elusive information that leads to well-informed business deci- sions, so in-house data center operators can have their cake and eat it too. You can have the cost transparency that a public cloud offers along with the control that managing your own data center resources offers—all without the margins a third- party provider will want from an organiza- tion. n about the author: Robert Neave is cofounder, chief technology officer and Vice President of Product Management at Nlyte Software. As a cofounder, Robert co- developed Nlyte, the industry-leading data center infrastructure management (DCIM) suite to address a need for solutions to help data centers make informed decisions for the planning and effective management of their assets and infrastructure. As chief technology officer, he is responsible for developing new technology for Nlyte. As Vice President of Product Management, Robert is responsible for setting and driving product strategy.