Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

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DCIM Asset Management

• The Simple Answer is Flexibility

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There are many approaches in Data Center
Infrastructure Management (DCIM) for managing
assets and many application choices.
Understanding the difference in functionality can
seem challenging, but the focus should be on
finding a flexible method that can adapt to your
needs. Some essential core functions are expected
from any asset management tool floor plans,
rack elevations, and customized fields are good
examples for minimal thresholds. But, looking at
multiple asset management solutions, what
capability makes one stand out from another? What
functionality makes asset management the most
useful? The simple answer is flexibilitythe
ability to choose an approach initially and
change it if your needs change.
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What does flexibility mean in the context of
asset management? A foresight for providing
mechanisms and options that can perform a given
task in multiple ways and allow you to select an
approach that works best with your needs. Even
the most mundane features should adapt to your
needs and simplify your tasks like a flexible
system of customized fields and multiple,
advanced data types. Not just strings, numbers,
and dates, but a rich selection of data types,
including colors, Enums (An enumerated list of
values the user chooses to ensure data
consistency), organizations, and others. And
beyond data types, the user can decide when the
fields appear. Without this rigor, every asset
you view becomes cluttered with all the custom
data fields you have created.
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Another consideration is flexibility in how you
model your assets. For example, consider a rack
server. You should be able to track it as a
simple single asset with values like RAM being a
field on the asset. However, you should also be
able to track the server as a fully detailed
asset that can see the individual RAM slots and
installed modules in each slot, with serial
numbers, install dates, and enforcement of things
like compatibility. These options and the ability
to change the modeling approach at a future point
can set a solution apart by ensuring you are
not captive to one method that cannot adapt or
scale according to your ever-developing needs.
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The most complex challenge is flexibility in how
your assets relate to your monitored devices.
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Consider that you have a circuit panel, attached
BCM monitor and CTs, an upstream PDU, and all the
contained breakers. Each of these is an asset in
your inventory. Yet to provide a clear overview
of your asset states, the data from various
communication devices must be combined across
assets. For example the circuit panel status is
a combination of the load data from the BCM
monitor, but the upstream PDU may provide the
voltage if the BCM monitor does not support a
voltage tap. You want to ensure flexibility in
defining these relationships. A well-thought-out
system is also flexible enough to provide
mathematically derived values when no monitoring
is available but that is a discussion for our
next blog on power management solutions.
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THANK YOU