software & applications
The cost of downtime is one of the driving factors in the hesitancies of deploying new monitoring and managing solutions . possible picture to manage the data centre intelligently . For example , temperature and energy usage patterns create data points , which can be collected and analysed to find areas of the data centre that are inefficient .
Whilst idle , servers still consume over half of their maximum possible power and so establishing a baseline level of visibility is beneficial from a planning standpoint . Monitoring software should be deployed to overlay the existing infrastructure and be used to bring together information from the breadth of the data centre operation . Using real time information , operators can take a more active approach in controlling energy efficiency as they can correlate server load against power use . This type of software is especially useful in facilities with multiple rooms and unusual layouts as individual banks of servers can be compared to counterparts in the same facility .
Through using data centre infrastructure management ( DCIM ) software , it is possible to identify the hardware in the data centre which is not performing up to the required energy efficiency standards – power hungry hardware can then be swapped out for replacements which meet efficiency requirements .
Without real time data , IT managers must rely on the manufacturer supplied ratings for power consumption which cannot be used to accurately calculate consumption , considering that data centre environments are so diverse . Monitoring software gives readings that are specific to location and built environment , which means that not only is server status information more accurate , the impact of changes to facilities can be measured when they are made . The added bonus of this real time approach is that it allows IT managers to be in tune with the performance of their data centre and , as a result , they become more confident in planning future changes to facilities with energy efficiency factors in mind .
Slow DCIM adoption
Unfortunately , a confluence of factors is slowing DCIM adoption – the software is only used in approximately 15-40 per cent of data centres in the US today . IT managers demand very high reliability for power and cooling systems . Thus , they may be wary of products that could affect that be automatically poured into costly ‘ hard ’ solutions , which can themselves increase consumption and reduce the total energy saving improvement .
Providing the clearest picture
This means putting the correct monitoring and control tools in place that can provide the clearest
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