If traditional cars need gas and oil, millennials need avocado and toast, and Teslas need electricity and a battery, it follows that data centers need the following to run: availability and efficiency. The problem? Have too much availability and efficiency is going to suffer and visa versa.

The modern data center swings on something a pendulum between availability and efficiency. Swing one way and the other side gets knocked out — and vice versa. What stops a pendulum from swinging from one side to the other? Friction slows the pendulum down and eventually brings it to an even stop.

Like friction to a pendulum, good DCIM software (one that you select and test for your data center’s specific and often unique needs) can slow down that swing between availability and efficiency (and help you put an end to purchasing too much IT junk or running so ‘efficiently’ that when something goes down, chaos ensues).

Here are three ways DCIM helps balance availability and efficiency:

1. Know What You Have & Where It Is

With a DCIM solution, you can also achieve an IT Asset Management (ITAM) solution too. ITAM should be an important part of your documentation project, as it seems that more and more DCIM vendors are branching out to do ITAM. Why? Because it has the information or the means to get the information into its repository through network discovery or connectors to other data sources. The need to find accurate and up-to-date asset information is need by asset managers to:

  • Know what IT assets you have and where they are located.
  • Purchase date of each asset.
  • Keep track of all spare parts.
  • Check to see if the asset has warranty coverage or service contract.

ITAM is especially important for other departments aside from just IT: finance, purchasing, compliance, and security, will need to know these types of data in each IT asset. With netTerrain DCIM, for example, you can add as many data fields and run reports on any data fields, such as what assets are under warranty or not under warranty.

2. Control Power and Kick Out Zombie Devices

A feature set in a DCIM solution, should have the ability to find underutilized servers, or what we call zombie servers. They sit and remain idle and hog up valuable space in your data center. They consume energy and rack space, power, and cooling. As an asset manager, it’s up to you to see if you want to re-purpose the zombie server or pull the plug on the zombie server.

This is also helpful in improving your ITAM by helping to reduce an unnecessary costs in buying a new server, for example, or re-use one of the zombie servers or when decommissioning an asset this will save costs on power for Data Center Managers. I recently wrote an article about kicking zombies out of your data center: for more information, please read my article here.

3. Fully Decommission Assets Such as Cables

As I just mentioned, you can use DCIM to decommission devices that you were able to find by locating these zombie servers. Keep track by using a Work Order for decommissioning a device; make sure to pull the cables out, and document them, or it will lead to zombie cables! Cables that are plugged on one side but not to another terminating port. DCIM with cable management, can help you keep track of all your cabling, from copper, power, and fiber and its strands. I recently wrote an article about three useful cable management reports. To review this, please click here.

The above are just three examples on how DCIM helps balance availability and efficiency. If you have questions or would like to see netTerrain DCIM in action, please continue to read our blog, email, call (1-240-912-6223), or schedule a demo. We’re here to help you transform your data center with an affordable, powerful, and easy-to-use platform.

About Fred Koh

As a seasoned sales executive, Fred Koh serves as Director of Sales and is responsible for Graphical Networks sales and channel partner program, marketing strategy, and operations.