Data Center Infrastructure Management

June 1, 2012 By

Most organizations spend more than 70 percent of their IT budgets on infrastructure such as servers, operating systems, storage and networking. This is required to manage the swift yet uneven pace of growth that is essential to survive in today’s highly competitive environment. When organizations achieve the critical mass, they are often bogged down by the widely varying demands placed on their IT infrastructure.

Even as the investments for hardware and software are tracking downward, the costs of managing and supporting infrastructure are increasing. Server sprawl leads to increased operations and support costs, labor intensive legacy platforms lead to increased administration and support costs. Deployment and maintenance of IT systems is costly and consumes too much time and effort and managing system security and user identity information across enterprise systems can be complex.

Identity and Access Management:

Rapid search, identification and verification of user access rights helps guarantee information, communication and IT infrastructure protection from malicious attacks. The Activity Directory Domain Services offered help create a scalable, secure, and manageable infrastructure for user and resource management. These services provide the means to manage identities and relationships, and the out-of-the-box functionality needed to centrally configure and administer system, user, and application settings. Some of these services are:

  • Active Directory Implementation
  • Active Directory Migration from Previous Versions

Desktop, Server and Device Management

Data centers can manage desktops, mobile devices, and servers as well as deploy patches, operating systems, and applications across the network, asset inventory and proactive monitoring of systems by implementing and managing the Microsoft System Centre Suite.

  • System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) – The SCCM comprehensively assesses, deploys, and updates servers, client computers, and devices-across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments. Optimized for Windows and tightly integrated with Windows 7, it is the best choice for gaining control over IT systems.
  • System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) – SCOM uniquely enables data centers to reduce the cost of data center management across server operating systems and hypervisors through a single, familiar and easy to use interface. Through numerous views that show state, health and performance information as well as alerts generated according to some availability, performance, configuration or security situation being identified, operators can gain rapid insight into the state of the IT environment, and the IT services running across different systems and workloads.

Security and Networking

Data centers should guarantee that information and communication are protected from unauthorized access while at the same time provide a mechanism to protect the IT infrastructure from attacks and viruses while preserving access to corporate resources.

  • ForeFront Endpoint Protection (Anti-Virus) – By allowing a data center to use its existing client management infrastructure the solution helps reduce ownership costs while providing improved visibility and control over endpoint management and security.
  • ForeFront Threat Management Gateway (Firewall and Proxy) – The solution reduces the cost and complexity of Web security through multiple layers of continuously updated protections that are integrated into a unified, easy to manage gateway.
  • ForeFront Unified Access Gateway (Firewall, Proxy and SSL VPN) – The solution utilizes a combination of connectivity options, ranging from SSL VPN to Direct Access, as well as built in configurations and policies. This enables the delivery of comprehensive, secure remote access to corporate resources for employees, partners, and vendors on both managed and unmanaged PCs and mobile devices.

Data Protection and Recovery

Organizations require a structured or disciplined backup, storage and restore management solution to protect their data. Disaster Recover Planning – an in-depth analysis of current systems and creation of contingency plans in case of natural or intended disasters.

The System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) from the Microsoft System Center suit can also be implemented for data management. The SCDPM delivers unified data protection for Windows servers such as SQL Server, Exchange, SharePoint, Virtualization and file servers, as well as Windows desktops and laptops. DPM seamlessly uses disk, tape, and cloud-based repositories to deliver an easy-to-use and best-of-breed backup and recovery solution for Windows.

Virtualization

In today’s highly automated, technology-enabled economy, business capability has become inextricably linked to IT capability. However, IT infrastructure is becoming increasingly complex. The need of the hour is to leverage IT so that it becomes a more efficient and strategic asset of business.  By consolidating resources through server, client and storage virtualization, organizations can increase their resource utilization from 10%-15% to as much as 80%. Hardware requirements can also be reduced by 10:1 ratio or better. Automated system management and administration at every level in the data center allows greater focus on more strategic planning activities. Moreover, through virtualization, organizations can achieve a reduced deployment time for new IT services by 50% to 70%

Data Center Talk updates its resources every day. Visit us to know of the latest technology and standards from the data center world.Please leave your views and comments on DCT Forum

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DCIM – Yes but…

May 1, 2012 By

I am often asked about what DCIM is and what value adds it brings to the company.  My consultation mandates bring me to work with engineering firms that know a lot about BMS (Building Management System) solutions. These solutions deal mainly with data from electromechanical devices such as UPS, air conditioning units, generators.  The data center manager needs this information but a BMS is only one part of its requirements to properly maintain a data center. A DCIM solution adds new elements of visibility within the data center. The cabinet is now part of the equation. The warm / cold air flux within the data center in between cabinets, the notion of available space and the remaining electrical capability left in a cabinet are all important parameters to manage effectively a data center. But is it enough? Is this added capability really justified for the implementation of such a tool? Is the value add generated by this solution justify the effort to operationalize it? Are we to stop just before the real value add is generated for the business?

Throughout the previous articles, we analyzed the importance of having a good inventory within its data centers as well as how to collect the required information. We also discussed the reasons why companies implement data center management tools. We are now at the phase where we want to pick such a solution / tools that will allow us to better manage our assets and add value for the IT department.

The value of such a tool resides in the quality and type of the data maintained within the solution.  Human nature being what it is, it is important to keep in mind the following:

  • If I am to use it,  I need value add
  • Having no spare time, effort to maintain the data must be minimal
  • Information must be pertinent and easy to find.

Considering the above and knowing that a data center is an ecosystem in which numerous departments / individuals with different interests revolve around it, you need to pick the right tool.

The main interest for the following groups is:

  • Data center manager: Available room capacity
  • Buyer: An inventory of equipment / licenses
  • Finance: The cost of goods
  • IT architect: Equipment configuration.
  • System admin: Configuration parameters
  • Incident manager: Impact analysis
  • Clients: Visualization of their assets

All these actors need specific information whether in a read mode or in very specific conditions in writing mode. Their interests being different, the solution must supply them with specific views that will allow them to easily interpret the information in a visual manner if possible.

At this point, it seems risky to try to respond to the needs of such a large crowd with only one tool. However, these needs all relate to the same element: The IT component that is required by the customer. The parameters / attributes that define those components can be numerous, but their management is not that more difficult because of the quantity. Before going further: beware of the artifacts that do not add any real value to the information. You want to make sure that it is not a nice to have, but really of value for the service you want to deliver. Another important aspect that you need to consider is the fact that the solution can tie in nicely with applications that you currently use.  Example: Is it really necessary to add a new CAD application when you already own Microsoft Visio in your operation?

It is important to increase the maturity level of your organization in adding value. The solution must help you to minimize the risks, the costs and help you take decisions. For that, you must be able to visualize complexity, understand interdependence and accelerate the decision process. To achieve this, different views are expected by the main actors:

  • Financial and purchasing
  • Service impacts
  • Electrical impacts
  • Component configurations
  • LAN / WAN / SAN connections
  • Data center plan
  • Equipment location
  • Relationship: Customer / application / databases / virtual server / physical server

Those solutions exist. I have personally implemented in a short time span some complex installations. Early on , even during  implementation, the customer  found some ROI, at different  levels. The requirements are that your evaluation criteria’s be well thought of, that your project plan is defined and the business process in line with your vision.

 

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PTS Announces Availibility of DCMMS Version 2.0

January 21, 2012 By

PTS Data Center Solutions released Data Center Maintenance Management Software (DCMMS)  Solutions Version 2.0 earlier this week. This release includes new features to add to its successful predecessor DCMMS ver 1.0 that was released in March 2010.

DCMMS  DCMMS is a one of kind software that aims at improving efficiencies of data center infrastructure. “At the time we released DCMMS, there was a gap in available Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) tools. Today, data center operations personnel have at their disposal asset discovery tools such as No Limits Software’s RaMP solution, various real-time monitoring products, building management systems, and IT monitoring and management solutions. What’s missing, however, is maintenance-specific software for the data center,” said PTS’ president and founder, Peter Sacco. “Two years ago we decided to address this specific niche with a product capable of supporting single site and many site data center operations.”

DCMMS is an extensive solution for operational maintenance of data centers and its support infrastructure. It allows the data center staff to keep track of spare parts and service history among other things.

DCMMS provides the following features:

  • Data center asset maintenance management
  • Pre-defined Preventative Maintenance tasks per data center support infrastructure solutions manufacturers
  • Automated maintenance tracking
  • 70 pre-loaded asset and location icons for data center equipment
  • Scalable

New features of Version 2.0 include:

  • Complete audit tracking for change management control
  • Easy scheduling of service appointments
  • Automated reporting to track maintenance and costs
  • Easy creation and management of service routines. The same can be copied for similar assets
  • Crisp search routines

To know more about DCMMS V2.0, email @ptsdcs.com">sales@ptsdcs.com or visit http://www.data-center-maintenance-management.com/ or http://www.ptsdcs.com/data-center-managed-maintenance.asp.

To learn more, visit the company’s website at www.ptsdcs.com.

 

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