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DCIM
DCIM:
the end, or
the beginning…
By Stephen O’Connell
Managing Director, Secom
Networks Ltd.
www.secomnetworksltd.co.uk
Are mini DCIM systems enough to
provide the network warnings you
need for smaller networks?
When DCIM became a must-have for data centres a few years
ago, it was first considered a black art with high costs for
the design and implementation. There are now a number of
systems available in the market, but these still have high costs
to implement, the reporting can be complex and with ongoing
support and licenses, it’s a costly item to maintain which can’t
usually be passed on to the client. Businesses with smaller
computer rooms would still like to have their own DCIM,
however, its back to the same thing .
Enter the Internet of Things (IoT) into the arena. By
utilising intelligent edge monitoring and reporting systems,
the new kid on the block will be a mini DCIM. So, do we really
need all the complex information a full-blown DCIM system
offers with the same high costs to maintain and support and
ongoing costs?
Working with a mini DCIM
I don’t believe that we need all the information of a full
DCIM system; talking with some IoT specialists, a mini DCIM
providing high-level warnings and alarms would fill the gap
for most smaller sites of up to say 50 racks. For colocation
sites, this can be even more relevant. Should things go
wrong at your colocation site, how long would it take to get
any information? With a mini DCIM you could inform your
colocation provider of rising temperature and humidity.
With a clear plan of the requirement, for example, rack
power, temperature and humidity, utilising a dashboard
to visually indicate status, thresholds can be set to alert by
email and SMS. A trending page should also be possible to
show all three.
Rack electronic access control (EAC) for controlled access
and audit process information could also be displayed
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