Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) generally refers to the management of the human resources and tools required to handle all physical assets and resources in the data center to obtain a single pane view of the entire infrastructure.
DCIM Benefits
Data center infrastructure management enables mangers to capture real time and detailed information about the data center to increase efficiency, reduce costs and maintain availability. DCIM is considered to be a business process that helps visualize and align power, space, cooling and capacity of the environment to meet business objectives.
For example, a data center that experiences downtime can leverage DCIM to obtain a real time view of power consumption to help reduce energy use and prevent unplanned outages by planning the DCIM functions to address the biggest problems first. DCIM basically provides the means to manage data and energy resources as the data center infrastructure changes over time.
DCIM Tools
DCIM tools are typically available as integrated systems and provide the following capabilities: planning, forecasting and management of real-time decision-making. Organizations benefit from DCIM as these tools can simplify operational processes, cut costs and improve information delivery.
Today, many DCIM tools include predictive modeling to help the enterprise run the infrastructure they currently have in addition to providing a guide as to what is needed in the future.
See related term data center management.
