Since it started really generating buzz about a decade ago, DCIM has developed two distinct reputations: the first is that DCIM is poised to completely revolutionize your data center and the way in which you work. The second reputation DCIM has? It’s an expensive piece of shelfware. Clearly, there’s a Grand Canyon-sized gap between the two. What’s the reason behind these two very different takes on the same type of software?
Where DCIM Fails: Vendors Sell the Wrong Things
In the past, we’ve written about the dangers of DCIM providing too many features and not enough results (you can click here to read that). At GN, we are so results-driven that we don’t even jump into a demo with a prospect before we’ve had a discovery call to discuss what you really need and will benefit from our software. Why? We’re not here to sell you software you don’t need: it’s a lose-lose proposition.
DCIM vendors tend to overhype their solutions…and, too often, their overhyped solutions are overly complicated. As we’ve said in the past, DCIM software shouldn’t be everything and the kitchen sink…and DCIM was never meant to boil the ocean. If you don’t need the function, you don’t need it….end of story!
The more complicated a solution gets, the less likely it is to perform well. As our DCIM eBook mentions, you need to pick and choose the features that will help solve your pains. Don’t need to measure power using BACNet or ModBus? That is fine. Just need to document your data center racks, assets, and connections? That is a great first step! Again, it really depends on your needs and requirements, not the other way around.
Beyond that, you need your DCIM solution to integrate well with your existing tools and data sources. If DCIM is going to serve as a single plane of truth, it needs to be able to give you that truth wherever it happens to be. Vendors who create feature-heavy solutions and don’t invest in integrations and APIs are selling DCIM that, fundamentally, is not positioned to serve its key purpose as a single source of truth. When organizations end up buying a feature-heavy, integration-light DCIM solution is where you hear the nightmare stories about why their DCIM system hasn’t been working for them. You don’t want to be stuck paying an arm and a leg for professional services for any type of DCIM custom integrations that will take forever, if at all.
Where DCIM Wins: Cutting Costs
When implemented well (see our recent DCIM case study), and when the right ingredients are present, DCIM cuts costs. From greening your data center and reducing soaring power costs, to optimizing rack capacity, to identifying devices (and cables) that are drawing power and space but not serving any function, and with the information to optimize capacity planning, DCIM helps you cut the fat out of your data center. Beyond all of that, it enables your team’s expertise to be put to better use.
Though there have been past reports that DCIM’s market saturation did not meet the forecasts set forth by analysts, from my end, as a vendor, I can tell you that companies of all sizes, and across all verticals, are employing DCIM to plan for capacity, lower data center PUE, and reduce ever-increasing data center costs of operations. If you are considering DCIM, avoid getting wow’ed by the vendor parade of features and remember that you’re buying enterprise software, not a Tesla! Focus on what you need DCIM to do and how well you’ll be able to do that with the product at hand.
If you want to try netTerrain DCIM to see if it will meet your needs, feel free to schedule a discovery call and take the first step to achieve your DCIM goals.