In December, 2011, Gartner held its annual Gartner Data Center Conference in Las Vegas for data center owners, operators, investors, and decision-makers. And during the show, the analyst firm polled show attendees about the likelihood of using Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) and what kinds of dynamics might drive which DCIM vendors they choose.

The results, as you might suspect, were fascinating.  Here’s what Gartner learned, according to the March 15, 2012 research note, More Than Half of Data Center Managers Polled Will Likely Be Using DCIM Tools in 2013:

• More than 60% of the executives polled will have implemented DCIM sometime during 2013
• Smaller vendors will be significant players in DCIM – 72% of data center managers said that they would consider them versus larger, established vendors, especially if very innovative solutions were offered
• 22% of the executives polled said the most decisive factor in choosing a smaller vendor was innovation – the more innovative the solution, the better

Having surveyed the impact the DCIM is having and will continue to have on how physical infrastructure is seen, managed, and optimized, Gartner pulled no punches in its recommendation to IT executives:

“Make DCIM a mandatory requirement for all major data center builds and refurbishments.”

Gartner goes on to list today’s Mainstream DCIM Vendors, of which iTRACS is a proud member.

For Gartner clients, the research is available at gartner.com.

Interactive 3D Visualization is a great way to present instantly understandable and meaningful information about what’s going on in the data center, where, and why. The physical assets are managed visually, in context, and in spatial relationship to each other. As Gary Bunyan, Global DCIM Solutions Specialist at iTRACS, writes in his monthly column for Data Center Knowledge, “DCIM puts control of the entire data center ecosystem at your fingertips… Tools that include 3D visuals help users see the information in context, creating a level of meaning that is unachievable through spreadsheets or static imagery. Rather than being mystified by interconnectivity, users are able to see, understand, and manage it.”

But what does this really mean – and why should you care?

What it means is that you can proactively manage your assets based on an accurate model of the data center and all its interdependencies using deep-dive business analytics and a robust DCIM toolset. You can use this toolset to take action based on knowledge, not guesswork, to drive the efficiency and positive business outcomes you seek.

Why should you care? If you cannot understand and productively manage the complex web of interconnectivity at the heart of the data center, then you will never achieve the efficiency you seek. You will make mistakes that jeopardize performance, availability, and business output.

Some mistakes may appear relatively small but are, in fact, very painful, creating endless cycles of delays, rework, cost overruns, and technical headaches in endless circles of organizational inefficiency.

Other missteps may be catastrophic because you did not have the intuitive insight to understand how a change in one set of assets might ripple across the entire infrastructure, setting off chain reactions that threaten availability, revenue, profitability, time-to-market, market share, and/or customer loyalty.

Ouch.

In his Data Center Knowledge column, Gary gives a scenario of how DCIM with Interactive 3D Visualization provides business analytics that can be used to manage your way out of tricky situations. He describes how if a PDU goes down at 3:07 p.m., you can instantly see all assets affected by the failure, navigate through the infrastructure to analyze at a granular level, and confirm the exact steps needed to resolve the incident before the LOBs are affected. He suggests that by 4:05 p.m., you’re back on line with no impact to the business. Check it out here.

In its January 2012 report, IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Datacenter Infrastructure Management (DCIM) 2011 Vendor Analysis, IDC named iTRACS a Major Player Worldwide in Data Center Infrastructure Management.

“According to IDC analysis and buyer perception, iTRACS is an IDC MarketScape Major Player worldwide. The company performed well in criteria regarding business strategy and capabilities – in particular, its innovation, funding, and employee management scored high,” IDC stated.

Among its many important insights, the analyst firm also made this recommendation:

“Even as IDC was formulating this MarketScape, the landscape was changing. New partnerships, product capabilities, and even the players themselves continue to take shape. However, this is no reason to wait to adopt DCIM because a lack of knowledge and orchestration in the datacenter is a threat to efficiency and availability daily.”

IDC was saying, essentially, don’t delay on DCIM simply because the marketplace is evolving.  The stakes are too high to sit on the sidelines.

And what are the stakes IDC referred to?

Efficiency and availability.

We couldn’t agree more.

As iTRACS VP of Converged Solutions Dan Fry wrote in his recent Green Data Center: Myth vs. Reality article, “efficiency is all about doing the most with what you already have – or making do with less.”

This means using DCIM to acquire meaningful, actionable information about where data center inefficiencies exist and how to correct them without putting your operation at risk. DCIM with Interactive 3D Visualization creates a centralized, single-pane view of the entire physical infrastructure so you can see and understand the complex interrelationships between all of your assets across IT, Facilities, and Business Management Systems.

The bottom line is this: You need to manage this infrastructure with brains, not brawn. You cannot afford to make changes haphazardly or, in the pursuit of efficiency, put your service levels at risk or create other unforeseen issues. You need comprehensive insight and knowledge that drive informed decsision-making and eliminate guesswork from the equation.

This is the kind of knowledge that DCIM with Interactive 3D Visualization puts at your fingertips. Knowledge that can help protect and nurture both your efficiency and your availability.