Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) represents any set of tools (including software
programs as well as hardware devices in the form of computer parts, drives, cables, etc.) that
help organize and manage the information stored in a data center (for example, the Equinix data
storage facility for all of Wikipedia, located in Ashburn, Virginia, in the United States). The
energy required to organize and store large amounts of data can be used with greater efficiency
if the infrastructure of that data is carefully and appropriately managed - DCIM represents a
class of products and services (referred to in the information technology or IT business as
"solutions") designed to assist the growing global demand for the electronic storage of
information, whether that is devising more efficient ways to store and access electronic data
(an IT concern) or turning the air conditioners of a data center on or off as needed to prevent
servers from overheating and failing (a facilities management area).
Full DCIM "deployments" may involve specialized software, hardware and sensors, but most do not.
The rapid evolution of the DCIM marketplace has helped create several associated data center
performance management and measurement metrics, including industry standard metrics like Power
usage effectiveness, CUE and Data Center Energy Productivity as well as vendor-driven metrics
such as PAR4 (server power usage) and Data center predictive modeling.
Since its identification as a missing component for optimized data center management, the broad
DCIM category has been flooded with a wide range of point-solutions and hardware-vendor
offerings intended to address this void. The analyst firm Gartner Research has started using a
term to try and focus on DCIM vendors with a more comprehensive set of capabilities. DCIM
Suitevendors number less than two dozen in 2014, and consist of software offering which are
wide-ranging and integrated in nature. The existing suites touch upon both IT and Facilities and
depending upon the vendor's heritage, may have a bias towards either 1) IT asset lifecycle
management or 2) facilities monitoring and access. It is likely that for an extended period of
time, the DCIM Suites that exist will continue to have their core strength in one discipline or
the other, but not equally addressing both. Important to note is that there are dozens of other
vendors whose technologies directly support or enhance the DCIM suites. In general, these
specialists' offerings can also be used as viable stand-lone solution to a specific set of data
center management needs. In the fourth quarter of 2014, Gartner released their Magic Quadrant
and Critical Capabilities reports which are the first tangible approach to a quantitative
comparison of the values each vendor has to offer. The Magic Quadrant focused on 17 vendors,
while the Critical Capabilities report examined just 7 that they considered broad enough to
compare.
The large framework providers are re-tooling their own wares and creating DCIM alliances and
partnerships with various other DCIM vendors to complete their own management picture. The
inefficiencies seen previously by having limited visibility and control at the physical layer of
the data center is simply too costly for end-users and vendors alike in the energy-conscious
world we live in. These multibillion-dollar large framework providers include Hewlett-Packard,
BMC, CA and IBM/Tivoli and have promised DCIM will be part of their overall management
structure. Today, each is defining their approach in doing so through organic and partnership
efforts.
While the physical layer of the data center has historically been viewed as a hardware exercise,
there are a number of DCIM Suite and DCIM Specialist software vendors who offer varied DCIM
capabilities including one or more of the following; Capacity Planning, 3D visualization,
Real-Time Monitoring, Cable/Connectivity management, Environmental/Energy sensors, business
analytics (including financial modeling), Process/Change Management and integration well with
various types of external management systems and data sources.
In 2011 some predicted data center management domains would converge across the logical and
physical layers. This type of converged management environment will allow enterprises to use
fewer resources, eliminate stranded capacity, and manage the coordinated operations of these
otherwise independent components.
Data center services encompass all of the and facility-related components or activities that support the projects and operation of a data center, which is an environment that provides processing, storage, networking, management and the distribution of data within an enterprise. Generally, data center services fall into two categories: services provided to a data center or services provided from a data center.
Support services for the data center can be generally defined as technical support, which provides assistance to help solve problems related to technology products. Technical support services for data centers help to address challenges with the servers, storage, software and networking equipment that constitute a data center, or the related processes involved in managing data center equipment. Data center support services can also include installing and configuring technical equipment.
Consulting and integration services provide expertise and input to help organizations make strategic decisions and systems integrations. Technical consulting services are one specific type of service that falls under the overall consulting services umbrella. Technical consulting services provide guidance and expertise on the application of technology. This can include selecting or designing new technology, redesigning existing technology, migrating existing technology to a new environment, or integrating new technology into existing technology. Examples of technical consulting services specific to data center services might include selecting a new data center location, consolidation, virtualization, automation, redesigning data centers for cloud computing, implementing storage arrays, or incorporating offsite storage services into an existing network.
Financing and leasing services provide a means for individuals or companies to acquire goods without any initial capital outlay. Financing is the act of acquiring capital for a purchase or some other activity. Financing services are offered by lenders (a bank or other institution) that provide capital to other individuals or companies in the form of a loan, which is then paid back within a predetermined time period for a set fee or interest rate. Leasing is the act of entering into a contractual arrangement (i.e. a lease) to obtain temporary possession of an asset (land, equipment, etc.) in exchange for a fixed compensation (for example, a monthly payment). Leasing services are provided by organizations that either manage the lease and payment transactions, furnish the assets or land that is being leased, or both.
The definition of application services varies depending on the type of company offering the services. An application service provider is a large segment within application services that provides software-based services to other companies that access those services over a network. Examples of ASP services include Web hosting and e-mail hosting. Application services can also include any service that helps companies develop, integrate or manage applications for their own networks. Services in this category can include applications for mobile environments and devices.
IT outsourcing occurs when one company (the outsourcing customer) contracts with an outsourcing vendor to provide IT services that the customer would otherwise deliver in-house. Such IT services could be disaster recovery, data storage or other IT functions. Outsourcing services for the data center can range from hosting, managing and maintaining an entire data center to more discrete data center tasks such as upgrading servers or backing up data.
The specific definition of technical training varies depending on the industry and the job. The word technical simply indicates that something (a task, duty or job skill) is peculiar to a specific art, science, profession, trade or the like. Technical training services, therefore, provide knowledge, skills and competencies that apply to a specific job, trade or profession. Within the umbrella of data center services, technical training services can provide skills relevant to any of the hardware, software or processes related to managing a data center, or fixing, updating, integrating or managing any of the equipment within a data center.