Demystifying Data Center Infrastructure Management Tools to Lower Downtime Risk, Improve Efficiency

From eSociety, July 2019

Because of the complexity of data center processes, data center infrastructure management (DCIM) has been adopted to provide an efficient approach to supporting data centers’ assets and resources, according to Dustin W. Demetriou, Ph.D., Member ASHRAE, and Andrew Calder, Associate Member ASHRAE.

Many DCIM software tools are on the market that vary in scope, functions and features, and there is often overlap between tool sets, said Demetriou and Calder. 

A new resource aims to demystify and extend the implementation of data center infrastructure management tools.

Advancing DCIM with IT Equipment Integration depicts how a well-implemented and maintained DCIM system helps safely maximize the efficient use of power, cooling and space resources through a comprehensive connective framework. The framework proposes data sets, naming conventions, monitoring and integration points and key metrics required for judging the DCIM system’s effectiveness in order to simplify and speed up deployment.

The book focuses on how DCIM can help data center owners and operators lower the risk of downtime and improve the efficiency of the data center’s mechanical cooling systems, according to Demetriou and Calder, who wrote a technical feature exploring this new resource in the June 2018 ASHRAE Journal. 

The book is the fourteenth in the ASHRAE Datacom Series, authored by ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.9, Mission Critical Facilities, Data Centers, Technology Spaces and Electronic Equipment. The series provides comprehensive treatment of Datacom cooling and related subjects.