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Let’s cut to the chase. It’s no secret that the driving force behind Data Center Information Management (DCIM) is the need for complete visibility into a data center to better manage costs and capacity. But what does DCIM really mean?  Far too many throw around the term without a full grasp of the acronym’s definition. It’s time to set the record straight.

Let’s Start at the Beginning
To understand DCIM, we must see what’s behind the demand. The answer is pretty straightforward: The need for real-time information.  The unprecedented rate of digital universe growth is impacting the data center, and IDC’s new 2011 report indicates the volume of information will more than double every two years.  This translates to information growing nearly 50 times by 2020.

This clearly puts a strain on data centers as they are squeezed to securely house more information. In addition, IT failures have proven to be one of the most costly challenges companies face. By now, I’m sure you’ve seen my references to the industry report by Roger Sessions.  The report is so dramatic, it bears repeating here:  Sessions calculates the total annual cost of worldwide IT failures at $6.2 trillion.  Additionally, when Amazon suffered a major outage in 2008, many reports attempted to calculate their cost of downtime as well.

Rising energy prices are further compounding this issue.   The data center expansion to handle this growth translates into a major revenue hit for companies.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), data centers consume as much as 20 times more energy per square foot than a typical office building.  But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  It’s reported that the total electric bill to effectively operate a typical infrastructure worldwide in 2005 was $7.2 billion.

So how do you power these infrastructures without breaking the bank? For many, the answer is DCIM.

Setting the Record Straight
For different companies, DCIM has different meanings.  But which one is correct?  At FieldView Solutions, DCIM enables centralized monitoring, management, and intelligent capacity planning of critical systems.  This enterprise data center process helps data center operators address difficult challenges, including:  Escalating energy costs, tight budgets, dwindling network capacity, limited floor space, and pressure for more uptime.  Leveraging DCIM, companies are finding new ways to maximize data center ROI and achieve greater levels of data center efficiency and power efficiency.

Furthermore, while Building Management Systems (BMS) offer valuable function for the organization, they are not viable data center planning tools.  Deploying a DCIM tool is not an option for data centers – it’s a “must have” tool with high ROIs that enables data center operators to efficiently use all the resources.  The next-generation data centers cannot be starved of DCIM tools but should consider it the norm to deploy.  The decision to implement a DCIM strategy calls for a collaboration of IT, Facilities and C-Level management. Choosing the right tool starts with defining the goals of the organization and committing to a plan of action that supports those goals.

FieldView Solutions’ client-driven technology was built from the ground up to meet the needs of our customers including C-Level executives. You could compare the DCIM solution to forensic technology that surveys an area to uncover obscured information and bring hidden data light to make informed and accurate decisions.

But it’s important to note there’s no single solution that can handle all data center needs– from utility power to inventory to asset management.  At FieldView Solutions, our focus is on real time Branch Circuit Monitoring (BCM), with the ability to monitor and manage hundreds of thousands of circuits.  Our BCM provides information right down to the individual circuit, helping to prevent power overload.  It digs deep into the data center and enables real-time tracking of energy use by the rack, row or cabinet – making calculating PUE for specific systems simple.

In a co-location facility, BCM makes billing for individual users extremely accurate, supplying the information necessary to generate up-to-the-minute reports.  Based on unprecedented access to real-time information, users can improve energy efficiency and capacity planning, figure carbon emissions, and ease phase and load balancing.

FieldView:  The Power of Information
Now let’s not underestimate the power of information.  Far too often, companies are in the dark about power utilization — and when they’ll reach capacity.  Multiple “buffers” built in to calculating power usage lead many data center teams to think they are running out of power and cooling long before they actually are.

With FieldView, our forensic technologists have taken the uncertainty out of calculating energy usage, empowering customers with accurate, real-time energy monitoring. To our customers this crucial information is the difference between success and failure.

Whether managing daily equipment deployments, ensuring that power and cooling infrastructures are operating reliably or managing complex metrics to validate operational performance and energy efficiency, FieldView’s DCIM solution offers operations and management teams’ meticulous access to real-time information to better manage their data centers.

Since 2003, FieldView technology has been used in some of the largest data centers across the US, Europe and Asia.  We currently monitor millions of square feet of physical data center space, representing hundreds of MW and millions of points worldwide.  The scalability of our product allows our Web-based solution to optimize data center operations for a wide spectrum of organizations – from top financial institutions to small retail clients.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
So what is DCIM?  Each solution has different strengths, but the key is to identify your unique pain points and work with a proven solution provider to solve them.  For many, FieldView’s proven ability acts as the foundation for a viable DCIM strategy.

But the buck doesn’t stop here.  I’d really like to hear your thoughts on DCIM:  What it is, what it’s not, and what it means to you.  Jump in to comment – let’s keep the conversation going!