Modern data centers are facing major challenges. External influences such as a shortage of skilled workers and political mandates [TK1] to achieve climate neutrality are having a global impact on the sector. While these challenges must be mastered, they must also be reconciled with the constantly growing demand for data and capacities and the resulting need to expand data centers. And thanks to hybrid infrastructures, data center management is becoming increasingly complex.
Not an easy situation for operators. And certainly, a situation that requires a fundamental mindset change in some operational processes.
Thankfully, new developments and innovations in the data center sector have the potential to fundamentally change and revolutionize the operation and management of infrastructures. One such innovative development is the powerful combination of augmented reality (AR) and data center infrastructure management (DCIM).
What can this synergy achieve? To illustrate the benefits, let’s take a look at two major pain points of today’s data centers and how and where this combined solution of DCIM and AR comes into play.
Pain Point: Operational Inefficiency
Conventional DCIM
- Lack of real-time insight into resource utilization and system performance
- Delayed response to problems
- Downtime, data loss and service interruptions
- Negative impact on customer satisfaction
DCIM + AR
- Real-time data access and inventory management
- Proactive approach to error prevention
- Intuitive, user-friendly interface to reduce the likelihood of faults
- Reduction of downtime through quick identification and localization of issues
Pain Point: Energy Consumption
Conventional DCIM
- Inefficient use of devices and ports
- Orphaned devices
- Hotspots
- Outdated, energy-inefficient networks and devices
à DCIM + AR
- Optimization of resource usage
- Prevention of hotspots through a holistic overview of infrastructure capacities
- Avoidance of premature device replacement through optimized lifecycle management
- Identification of obsolete connections and orphaned devices
The Future of Data Centers
The integration of AR and DCIM is a building block of an exciting future for data centers. Through the continuous development of these and other technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, we will be able to create even more efficient and powerful data centers. To reap the benefits of future technologies, it is important for data center operators and managers to lay the foundations today.
Together with our partner DC Smarter, we share our combined knowledge of the benefits of DCIM and AR, how the integration of both systems works and how this combination is already showing remarkable changes in the operation and management of data center infrastructures in the field.
Find out more about “Augmented DCIM” and the use of the joint solution in one of the most powerful scientific data centers in the world. Partner Solution Paper: The Augmentation of Data Center Infrastructure Management
