Hi! Thanks for the question.
DCIM stands for Data Center Infrastructure Management. Aperture.com
builds systems for DCIM and has a good discussion about it.
?Data Center Infrastructure Management is the process of managing the
overall physical environment of the data center including the areas of
equipment, space, power, environmentals and network connectivity. It
is a critical component of IT management with relation to providing
optimal service levels to customers, increasing operational efficiency
and reducing risks to the organization. Organizations that effectively
manage the data center infrastructure are able to better align the IT
organization with business objectives, deliver maximum value to
customers and make better business decisions with a higher level of
precision.?
?Effectively managing the data center infrastructure requires fully
documenting the configuration of the data center physical
infrastructure in a single repository and integrating that repository
with an automated process (change) management system. The aggregation
of the data center configuration information into a visual, central
repository1 is the basis for all operational decisions impacting the
data center infrastructure. It enables organizations to provide the
required availability by reducing the time to resolve problems and
minimizing the risks associated with change.?
?DEVELOPING RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS CASE SUPPORT
FOR DATA CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT? by Steven Yellen
http://www.mcg-software.dk/pdf/aperture_roiandbcsfordcim.pdf
Cisco meanwhile also provides some background on DCIM and would be a
good read as well.
?Management services, also discussed in this SRND, refer to the
ability to manage the network infrastructure that provides the support
of all other services in the Data Center. The management of services
in the Data Center include service provisioning, which depending on
the specific service, requires its own set of management
considerations. Each service is also likely supported by different
organizational entities or even by distinct functional groups whose
expertise is in the provisioning, monitoring, and troubleshooting of
such service.?
?Cisco recommends that you have a network management policy in place
that follows a consistent and comprehensive approach to managing Data
Center services.?
?Data Center Networking: Optimizing Server and Application Environments?
http://www.cisco.com/application/pdf/en/us/guest/netsol/ns304/c649/ccmigration_09186a008014edf2.pdf
Going back to Aperture, the company even has a maturity model for
DCIM. Our next link takes a look at this model so as to enhance your
knowledge about this concept.
?Data Center Infrastructure Maturity Model?
http://www.aperture.com/solutions/dc_maturity_model.php
Networkworld.com also has an article about DCIM and what tools can be
used to manage such a complex system.
?Specifically, in the old data center model, every application would
have a set of dedicated servers, an infrastructure designed to the
required tolerances for the delivery of the application. In the new
data center model, the infrastructure acts as a blank slate:
Commoditized servers are loaded with operating system images and
applications and provisioned in real time. Management tools now are
the key to provisioning tailored infrastructures (composites of
servers, storage, networking and security) in real time and in
response to demand fluctuations. This new model is far more efficient
in terms of utilization and can create cost savings by postponing
purchases of servers and disks. But it dramatically increases the
demands on management systems. An effective management solution must
be able to translate application requirements into a set of
configuration directives that can be applied during provisioning of
resources. It also must be able to monitor the individual elements,
such as servers and disks, and be able to relate an equipment failure
to the business processes that are supported by that resource.?
It also shows different products for this task and mentions the
following as possible tools.
- IBM Tivoli Provisioning Manager
- HP OpenView Management Suite for Servers
- BladeLogic Operations Manager
?Tooling up for the new data center? by Andreas M. Antonopoulos
http://www.networkworld.com/supp/2005/ndc6/102405-data-center-tools.html
Search terms used:
DCIM ?data center?
"Data Center Infrastructure Management?
"Data Center Infrastructure" Management
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
