DCIM is a hot topic and a lot of what people are trying to do is get control over their data center assets. One of my data center friends heard that the current count is up to 59 companies provide some form of DCIM solution.
The people who have been the early adopters of DCIM have learned that no one tool does it all, and they need to put together multiple products to solve their DCIM problem. What is lacking is an architecture for the DCIM that meets the needs of their enterprise.
What is an architecture? Merriam-Webster definition. #1-4 is what most people think about. I am referring to #5 for computer systems.
Definition of ARCHITECTURE
1: the art or science of building; specifically : the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones2a : formation or construction resulting from or as if from a conscious act <the architecture of the garden>b : a unifying or coherent form or structure <the novel lacks architecture>3: architectural product or work4: a method or style of building5: the manner in which the components of a computer or computer system are organized and integrated
Great architecture solves problems
So what problem are you trying to solve?
The problem is most don't even know what problems they have that need to be solved. For example, what knobs and dials exist in the data center to control the energy consumption in the data center? Who gets to turn the knobs and dials?
If you think you want to control the energy consumption of your IT assets you need to know all your assets and be able to talk to them, to control them. One approach is JouleX's latest product.
Other highlights of JEM’s expanded capabilities include:
- New device control features allowing for integrated power capping, central processing unit (CPU) performance leveling (for Windows, VMware, Linux), and support for VMware vCenter, and Distributed Power Management (DPM).
- More granular control using power, temperature and utilization metrics to migrate virtual machines and optimize server performance and energy consumption using VMware vMotion.
- Detailed analytics and reporting for sustainable procurement (analysis of device models for energy efficiency, for device replacement planning, and for measuring energy and carbon savings from virtualization projects)
- Virtualization and utilization reporting to identify under- and over-utilized devices. This identifies candidates for upgrading, retiring, and virtualizing.
- Additional device support for rack and floor power distribution units (PDUs) as well as computer room air conditioning (CRAC) and uninterruptable power supply (UPSs).
JouleX CEO Tom Noonan explains the latest version.
“We continue to accelerate our technology development in terms of creating actionable energy intelligence for our customers to make quicker decisions, optimize their existing infrastructure, and reduce their operating expenses,” said Tom Noonan, president and CEO at JouleX.
But, I think of it as Real-time Energy Control system. Your energy thermostat for the data center.
One approach is JouleX and there are many others. The hardest question that almost no one asks is what is the architecture of your DCIM solution? What problems are you trying to solve?
We have a long ways to go in DCIM.