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This year, I want to use the FieldView blog to impart some real-world insight into questions and concerns relative to data center power and cooling.

It seems that a large percentage of the time, most of the data center managers and engineers I visit with are asking for predictive modeling capabilities.  You know, create the data center “what if” scenarios to predict energy consumption trends.

The Problem Is: Software-based clairvoyance usually only presents an interesting topic for discussion.

The Reality Is: Data center managers and engineers need to validate their models with real-time power and cooling information in order to properly determine its probability.

This is usually the “ah ha!” moment in my conversations that lead to the Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software discussion.  The fact is, the DCIM market is in its infancy and there is a lot of buzz and confusion surrounding it.

Most of this confusion is centered on DCIM offerings that present a Swiss Army knife approach to solving a single data center management need i.e. real-time power and cooling analysis.  The majority of folks I sit down with are frustrated by all the various tools and gadgets packed into DCIM offerings. My advice is simple, “Don’t buy something you will never use; you don’t need another piece of shelfware.”

Instead, I tell them to buy a tool that is specifically constructed to provide real-time power and cooling data— across your entire data center portfolio, from one screen—and use it to validate predictive models.  I then apply the Maker’s Mark whiskey analogy…

• It is not about showing off;
• It is not about what other people think;
• It is definitely not about being the biggest;
• A good whiskey is, what it isn’t.

FieldView is not packed with options you will never use, nor is it offered by the biggest software companies.  FieldView provides simple, real-time power and cooling information for data center managers and engineers to make informed decisions—period.

In conclusion, predictive modeling provides the greatest value when real-time power and cooling data is used to validate its analysis. And when seeking out a tool for real-time data, to use the Maker’s Mark mantra, “A good DCIM tool is, what it isn’t.”

Thanks for reading my thoughts or rants. : )

Stay tuned for more insight as I continue to share my conversations throughout the year.