What is DCIM? 4 Things You Need to Know

In the data center industry, data center infrastructure management (DCIM) can be an ambiguous concept, with partners and customers both having their unique idea of what DCIM entails for them. Essentially, DCIM works to monitor, measure, manage, or control data center utilization and energy consumption of your facility’s IT Equipment (ITE). This includes equipment such as servers, storage and network switches, as well as facility infrastructure components. To optimize your current data center infrastructure or modernize your current operations, your team should have a good understanding of why data center infrastructure management is important and how it can ultimately help your business.

Why DCIM is Important

When it comes to your data center, effective data center infrastructure management and system monitoring strategies not only ensure that your resources are utilized to the fullest potential, but can also help to mitigate various causes of downtime. Additionally, these systems can help your data center facility management team manage your ever-changing data needs more efficiently, especially during unprecedented times.

Here are a few ways DCIM can optimize the performance of your data center.

Track the use of important resources

With proper DCIM, your critical facility management and/or remote hands team has access to key data and information about the deeper aspects of your facility’s operations. This includes connectivity, power utilization, capacity thresholds, lifecycle management and more. In addition to delivering an accurate overview of your ITE health, this data can also be analyzed and used to predict future growth demands, capacity planning and cooling needs.

Increase energy efficiency

Whether you own, operate or utilize a data center for your business,  you’re probably aware of the significant amounts of energy the facility uses. DCIM allows you to track energy usage, thus pinpointing non-essential or inefficient processes or systems that consume a lot of your center’s power, allowing you to adapt your infrastructure accordingly. Given the average PUE of a typical data center being 2.5 or greater, implementing DCIM could help your facility achieve substantial reductions in overall data center efficiency, including power and cost savings by offering your team the information they need to utilize and streamline equipment and cooling processes effectively. 

Create and implement disaster prevention measures

As inclement weather and extreme temperatures can lead to system failures, and inefficient power usage can impair your IT system’s functioning, utilizing the data captured by your DCIM allows your team to spot and remedy potential concerns before they become a problem. With all the various IT infrastructure problems that can occur within your data center,  DCIM can drastically reduce the chances of downtime within your facility. In fact, according to an Uptime Institute report, more than 80% of data center experts reported that their facility outages could have been prevented, and with proper DCIM, your critical facility management team is equipped with the data they need to mitigate power outages, human error, configuration errors, third-party provider outages, or network failure on the spot.

Minimize data center costs and time

DCIM allows you a holistic view of the critical health of your IT infrastructure. From energy efficiency and optimization to lifecycle management and preventative disaster protection, DCIM positions you to improve operational costs associated with inefficient operations.  By pinpointing excessive energy consumption, power usage and increasing workload capacity, data center infrastructure management can continuously drive sustainable cost savings.   

DCIM Moving Forward

With a well thought out and implemented DCIM strategy, your IT and facility management team gains a comprehensive overview of your data center’s functioning and performance so that floor space, energy and physical infrastructure can be optimized for future growth.

With these functions in mind, efficient DCIM closes the gap of information across your organization, including data center operations and critical facility management teams to maximize utilization of the entire facility. At T5, our facility management team ensures your data center IT infrastructure operates efficiently and safely, today, tomorrow, and into the future. Ready to mitigate any risks of potential downtime for your facility? See how we can help, contact our team today.