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The data center infrastructure management (DCIM) market will mature further in 2013, end users becoming more sophisticated with their DCIM requirements and competition in the growing market imposing certain standard features expected from DCIM solutions.
 
That is according to Mark Harris, VP of marketing and data center strategy at nlyte, a DCIM software firm. He says the industry has reached a point where DCIM is a must-have, as opposed to a luxury. “It is essential that [chief executives] see the strategic value of running a data center like a business unit, as it is now one of the largest line items in a company’s budget.”
 
Here are Harris’ predictions in detail:
 
  1. DCIM will continue to build momentum, well past the curiosity stage previously seen. Funding for DCIM projects has already begun to appear and will increase rapidly in 2013 as data center managers become increasingly sophisticated about their operations, and CxOs begin to demand business acumen from their IT leaders.
  2. The DCIM market will see segmentation of vendors, those with suites and those with enhancements.  DCIM providers will become more articulate about their specific value and capabilities and customer confusion will begin to subside.
  3. Ecosystems of vendors will continue to form with purpose-built integrations of deliverable 'out of the box' value. Demonstrable capabilities will be paramount when selecting vendors and clear leverage of existing resources demonstrated.
  4. DCIM software pricing models will continue to be widely varied across vendors, but with well-defined capabilities being articulated, the pricing for each will be seen commensurate to the specific delivered value.
  5. Visually stunning graphics of rack elevations will be expected from all mature DCIM vendors, but actual vendor selection will be based upon business management capabilities over long periods of time.
  6. Impact Analysis, capacity planning and forecasting will be the catalysts to drive comprehensive views of all assets in mature DCIM suites.
  7. Real-Time data collection and monitoring will become a requirement for all new purchases of DCIM suites resulting from the increased usage of real-time analytics. Asset performance over time will become a critical factor in determining ongoing value.
  8. The ability to discover physical asset location (at the U level) will continue to be sought after, and new approaches will be seen using mechanical, logical and RF technologies. Complete “Smart-Racks” will appear with embedded location technology built-in which are intended to feed into existing DCIM suites.
  9. The ability to address the specific and diverse needs of IT, Facilities, Finance and Corporate Responsibility groups will become part of the buying criteria as DCIM deployments have become more strategic. Each group will stand up and be counted to assure overall alignment of the organization.
  10. DCIM solutions will be judged on their ability to be tooled into the existing business management frameworks, best practices, etc. These DCIM solutions will become instrumental in allowing data centers to become more responsive, with a self-service attitude, and an accountability like never seen before.