The data centre is a sensitive environment. Aberrations like power issues, high temperatures and humidity can all cause system failures and downtime. Not to mention threats like fire, water and vandalism. What’s required is a centralised management solution that can provide the information necessary to make effective decisions on managing infrastructure, allocating resources and responding to events.
Data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) software enables the management of all aspects of the data centre across multiple sites. This includes monitoring the environment, the uninterruptible power supply (UPS), generators, cooling, the server and the amount of power being consumed by each component in the racks. “The benefit of having a DCIM is you have everything on a single interface, you can view the entire data centre and its various consumptions, and be able to troubleshoot from that interface instead of physically going and checking the data centre,” explains Denver Pillay, Account Manager at Rittal.
This is particularly beneficial if you have multiple sites as you can manage all of them from a single platform. As a data centre manager or a hosting facility with sites around the world, this means one platform with one person in one location managing multiple data centres. Not only is this more cost-efficient, it also means less resources are required if you have a good DCIM in place. It also means you can also troubleshoot faster and identify any potential problems at an earlier stage by setting warnings and alarms. For instance, you can set temperature parameters to create a warning if the data centre reaches a certain temperature, then when it goes to a higher temperature, an alarm is sounded. You can take the relevant measures at the warning stage before it becomes an alarm and potentially a bigger problem.
What differentiates a good DCIM?
The primary characteristic of a good DCIM is that you should be able to incorporate third-party applications onto the platform. “Some DCIM software is only compatible with certain companies’ monitoring system and components and can’t integrate with third-party infrastructure, which can range from servers to network switches to power distribution. All of these components need to be incorporated into the DCIM so they can be monitored,” says Pillay.
A good DCIM should also be able to accommodate multiple data centres and multiple sites, providing a global view of all of the data centres at all locations on a single platform. Some products can only manage a single site. While each site will have its own monitoring system, a DCIM is required if you have racks in multiple locations that you want to monitor from a centralised view. A DCIM means that you can have locations all over the world, yet drill down to location, building and rack to find an error should a warning or alarm be triggered. “Should the temperature increase in a rack, for example, it’s possible to pinpoint exactly where it’s coming from, which saves the technician’s time spent locating the problem. Having a DCIM and someone managing it properly enables proactive maintenance rather than waiting for a problem to arise and trying to fix it after the fact.”
He goes on to clarify the difference between a DCIM and a monitoring system. “The majority of companies have a monitoring system to manage the data centre environment that racks are housed in. A monitoring system can tell whether the doors are opened, the temperature and humidity within the data centre, and even the power consumption of the equipment inside. A DCIM comes into play when businesses have multiple areas or locations to manage and want a centralised view of all their sites. It removes the challenge posed by needing to manage several different sites each using an assortment of platforms. A good DCIM integrates all of that data and allows it to drill down into each location to pinpoint potential issues.”
One thing to consider, according to Pillay, is the number of different IP nodes that can be allocated onto a DCIM – in other words, what it can monitor and whether this is restricted.
“You need to ask yourself whether you need to monitor absolutely everything within the data centre or do you have the freedom to choose what to monitor? Different customers attach importance to different things when it comes to monitoring. Each customer needs to be able to choose exactly what they want to monitor and not be forced to monitor absolutely everything. A licence-based DCIM means that the customer only pays to monitor the stuff that matters to them, offering the scalability to monitor as much or as little as they want to – and to grow with future requirements.”
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