Introduction to data center management

Data centers are a critical part of business technology infrastructure, whether it’s an on-premise server room, or at the "edge", virtualized, in a colocation campus. The importance of managing this key resource cannot be overstated, as issues can severely disrupt the day-to-day running of essential business services, causing huge losses in revenue and time. Management of data centers is usually undertaken by either a team or a single data center manager whose responsibility it is to keep everything running at full capacity and optimized to allow workforce to access mission-critical workloads and cloud access solutions.

What is data center management?

Data center management can be defined as the overseeing of a series of processes, services, and applications related to data centers. This includes the consideration of dealing with large volumes of equipment, software and data as well as maintenance and security.

Key responsibilities in data center management include:

Maintenance of data center hardware and software, including updates and installation
Connectivity solutions to external 3rd parties using Internet Service Providers and Network Service Providers
Managing data and application storage, flow and distribution
Planning and execution of robust backup methodology
Disaster Recovery and Continuity Planning
Day-to-day technical support (in some cases, additional out of hours emergency support)

What is DCIM (Data Center Infrastructure Management)?

Data Center Infrastructure Management is the centralization of data center management processes using specialised tools, including sensors, hardware and software. These tools allow for the streamlining of the many processes that keep data centers cages, shared space, and floors running at their desired capacity. Data center management teams can use the data collected and presented in the software to intelligently plan and monitor changes in usage and bring together multiple independent systems to give a real-time view of IT infrastructure, bandwidth scaling per server clusters, server capacity, and state of agreed SLAs, e.g., room temperature and maintenance response times.

Most DCIM software is designed with ITIL standards in mind, meaning it follows the systemic framework set out in the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), demonstrating best practices for efficient IT service management. Enterprise-level DCIM software can also enable data center managers to automate processes like checking thresholds and setting proactive alarms, replacing older tools like Excel to maximize data center capacity.

DCIM consists of specialist tools and insight from a data center manager working together to ensure a robust working environment where IT infrastructure priorities are aligned with business needs:

Maximum uptime / availability
Minimized downtime / risk
Suitability and efficiency of applications and services
Cost, contracts, and license management
Software Defined Networking management software
Virtualized Machine software management tools

Disadvantages of data center management

Management of a complex IT architecture involving data centers can come with operational difficulties, especially in fast moving agile environments. Data center managers often have to reconcile legacy equipment with evolving requirements, as well as oversee changes to systems with limited control processes.

Common problems with data center management include:

Ensuring SLAs applying to data recovery, uptime, application and network availability are adhered to, even when they differ across applications.
Overseeing the deployment of new applications, products and services internally across inconsistent architectures and policies at iteratively faster timescales.
Governing IT resource with respect to power, physical and digital capacity at ‘best cost’.
Operating an ecosystem of systems, equipment, and multiple vendors across multiple SLAs, contracts, licenses and warranties.
Maintaining legacy systems and equipment, often without up-to-date monitoring and oversight.
Advocating for best practice in build and efficiency, justifying costs for cooling and energy density.

Advantages of Data Center Management

Data center management can be an invaluable insight for many businesses looking to drive digital transformation internally. The benefits of a fully optimized management process can enable further efficiencies, preventing waste and increasing operational agility. With the tools and solutions available to enterprises today, data center managers can streamline day-to-day processes, allowing them to plan for the future.

Benefits of a data center management system include:

Definition and identification of all assets within the data center ecosystem.
Quicker rollout of new equipment and processes.
Build relationships with 3rd party users to enable new services for workforces.
Cost savings with cross connect services to internet and cloud service provider nodes.
Access communities within the data center to increase new revenue streams and partnerships.
Increased operational efficiency resulting in improved energy and cooling costs.
Revealing previously untapped capacity.
Futureproofing capacity as well as the ability to plan for growth in the future.

Data center management system

Data center management system can be defined as tools that enable managers to collect and view a wide variety of pertinent data to streamline and automate tasks. Enterprise level software for data center management allows staff to reduce waste, downtime and risk. These tools regulate across common data center infrastructure concerns: applications, power, equipment, and networks.

Common tasks enabled by data center management software include:

Data collection: Sensors and hardware, as well as software that relays information relating to capacity, power consumption and operational statuses across multiple sites and equipment.
Analysis: The data collected is used in calculations to inform usage trends and monitor set thresholds, with real-time alerting.
Tracking: Monitoring of key metrics (e.g. PUE, bandwidth usage, multiple office locations – WAN Services) across IT infrastructure to align with business goals.
Automation: Workflow policy management with integrated tracking, change logging and reporting for increased accountability.
Recovery & Continuity: Planning and setting procedures with backup server locations, UPS equipment and generators in case of critical failure.

Data center operations

Data center operations deal with the updating and maintenance of equipment, licenses, warranties and contracts. Tools specifically developed for this purpose can help to automate the updating of procedures, track documentation and schedule regular maintenance of equipment. Larger enterprises may require the management of support requests for both internal and external staff, clients and suppliers. Data centers often require the presence of on call teams onsite who deal with out of hours requests and alarms, but there is an increasing trend of ‘lights out’ data center operations. This system is based on reduced human presence onsite, instead relying on remote monitoring, automated processes and specialist software such as Software Defined Networking - SDN.

Data center monitoring

Monitoring of data centers is shifting towards a centralized, automated model integrated with advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The specialized skill sets required for running and managing data centers mean some companies are looking for ‘DCaaS’, wherein the business is not responsible for any of the maintenance or the costs associated with scaling up capacity, like the options presented in off-premise colocation. The equipment is leased to the business and the subscription includes onsite or remote monitoring.

Cloud and its impact on data center management

Hosting in public or private cloud adds complexity to data center management. Hybrid IT solutions that include on-premise servers as well as multiple connections to cloud services, require monitoring and security. Data center managers are responsible for consolidating services provided by cloud vendors to give business stakeholders risk assurance. Colocating can offer benefits in the streamlining of multiple private cloud connections and an eased ability to scale up without the complexities of managing owned assets, vendors and licenses. Other benefits include regained control over IT infrastructure assets, with a dedicated support team to manage servers. With colocation, businesses enter a communities of interest that serve to create strategic connections that benefit all parties involved.

Data center management as a discipline encapsulates a wide range of essential services to keep IT infrastructure aligned to and servicing business needs. With the development of technology and AI, more and more processes are being automated allowing the diversification and optimisation of architecture. As businesses drive toward digital transformation, it's never been more important to take stock of your assets and see how they can enable the future.

At Digital Realty, we provide core data center services based on operational excellence and efficient design, giving your business the tools to build a purposeful IT architecture. With Digital Realty colocation, we enable businesses to interconnect with communities of interest and build flexible, scalable hybrid IT infrastructure to grow for the future.

Get in touch with us to find out more!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Data Center Management

What is a Tier 1 Data Center?

Tier 1 data centers have been derisively referred to as ‘warehouses with power’, as the investment in these are usually driven by cost and time to market. They tend to be tactical choices for businesses that need support that fits in their budget or for businesses that don’t rely on real-time service outputs.

What is a Tier 2 Data Center?

A Tier 2 data center is very similar to a Tier 1 center, as they typically have one path for power and cooling. However, this tier offers better protection against disruptions, with redundancy components such as extra cooling units, engine generators, and energy storage that can be used in the event of total outage.

What is a Tier 3 Data Center?

Data centers classified as Tier 3 are the most common type used by businesses all over the world. Tier 3 data center requirements include all of the prior tiers but add a layer of reliability and long-term viability for businesses looking for year-on-year support. Businesses use Tier 3 centers as strategic assets, as the infrastructures they form part of are built beyond their current IT requirements. With rigorous uptime requirements, they are designed with multiple paths for cooling and power.

What is a Tier 4 Data Center?

Tier 4 is the highest possible classification for a data center, and typically costs twice as much to build as a Tier 3 center. This is because every piece of equipment in the facility has a backup powered independently, with a seamless transition in case of a failure. This calibre of data center is built to have no single point of failure, with multiple power and cooling paths into equipment and more than one connection to the main power grid.

What is public and private cloud?

The difference between public cloud and private cloud infrastructure is who owns, controls and maintains the physical compute resources.

Public cloud environments offer their range of computing resources over the internet. Their servers often provide resources for many different companies. They are typically hosted in large data centers and offered by prominent public cloud providers, such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) etc.

Private cloud infrastructure, on the other hand, is usually on-premises, privately hosted services used solely by one organisation. They are generally held behind company firewalls and dedicated to specific or specialist workloads.

What is colocation?

Colocation is the way forward for businesses as it provides the physical location, cooling, power and security, so that you can move to a future-proof agile IT infrastructure and expand your global footprint.

What does PUE mean?

Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is an excellent tool for benchmarking data center energy use over time, allowing companies to see the results of their changes and improvements.

What are the three key data center management activities?

The three key data center management activities are:

Monitoring and maintenance: This involves regular monitoring of the data center infrastructure and performing routine maintenance tasks.
Capacity planning: This activity involves analyzing data center resources to determine the current and future capacity requirements. It helps in identifying potential bottlenecks and planning for future expansion or optimization.
Incident management: This activity refers to the process of identifying, addressing, and resolving any issues or incidents that occur in the data center environment. It involves having proper procedures and protocols in place to quickly respond to and resolve any problems to minimize the impact on business operations.

Why do we need DCIM?

DCIM (Data Center Infrastructure Management) is needed for several reasons:

Efficiency
Optimization
Capacity planning
Cost savings
Higher ROI

What are the 3 main components of a data center infrastructure?

The three main components of a data center infrastructure are:

Hardware: This includes servers, networking equipment, storage devices, power distribution units, cooling systems, and other physical infrastructure components required to support and operate the data center.
Software: Data center infrastructure software includes operating systems, virtualization software, management tools, and monitoring and analytics applications. These software components enable efficient management and operation of the data center.
Network: The network infrastructure component includes the routers, switches, firewalls, and other networking devices that connect various components within the data center and facilitate data transfer and communication.

What is a managed data center?

A managed data center is a data center facility that is outsourced to and managed by a third-party service provider. The provider takes care of the day-to-day operations, maintenance, and management of the data center infrastructure on behalf of the organization. This includes tasks such as monitoring, capacity planning, security, and incident response. By outsourcing data center management to a specialized provider, organizations can focus on their core business activities and benefit from the expertise and resources of the service provider.

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