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Data center management traditionally requires a lot of manual effort, and the same data often must be entered into multiple disparate systems. Not only does this waste time, but it leads to inaccurate data due to human error.
To simplify data center management, data center experts are driving “automation via integration” by deploying and integrating modern Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software solutions with out-of-the-box connectors that automatically populate data in the appropriate systems.
Data center automation provides many benefits and a dramatic return on investment. The top eight benefits of automating your data center operations are:
Enable a single source of tru...
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We’re proud to announce the general availability of dcTrack® 9.0, the latest version of Sunbird’s DCIM Operations software. This release includes exciting new features including XYZ.
dcTrack 9.0 Availability
This dcTrack 9.0 update is available worldwide on a subscription or perpetual license basis to all customers with valid maintenance contracts. Download the update file from Sunbird’s support portal to upgrade today.
If you would like to try a full-featured test drive of dcTrack, get your login credentials to the free online demo system now.
What’s New in dcTrack 9.0
The following features are new or enhanced in dcTrack 9.0 for an easy, fast, and complete second-generation DCIM soluti...
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The Sunbird team extends our congratulations to The University of Chicago for receiving a Gold Certification in Informa’s Data Center Efficiency Program (DEEP). The Gold Certification is the highest certification level that the program awards for achievements in data center sustainability and efficiency.
After learning that the University’s data centers’ had shot up from being the campus’ twelfth- to fourth-largest consumer of energy, Raymond Parpart, Director of Data Center Strategy & Operations, sought out a DEEP certification and auditing process to answer the question, “Are we as good as we think we are?” and to help them improve efficiency and support the University’s sustainability...
-
Managing a data center traditionally requires entering the same information multiple times into disparate tools. This is a manual effort that is time-consuming and error-prone.
Leading data center professionals don’t waste time swiveling between different tools. Instead, they implement “automation via integration” that saves time and increases the accuracy of data.
In a recent Sunbird customer workshop, data center experts from eBay and NBCUniversal shared how they planned and implemented their integration between Sunbird’s Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software and ServiceNow.
How eBay Used APIs to Integrate ServiceNow and dcTrack
eBay is using dcTrack to remotely manage 41...
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Main Distribution Frames (MDF) and Intermediate Distribution Frames (IDF) are integral components of modern data communication networks.
Buildings or campus facilities have one or more MDFs which are the demarcation points where public or private telecommunication networks interconnect with the internal network. The MDF then connects to any number of IDFs in the building, and the devices in those IDFs connect to end devices such as workstations.
As data centers become more decentralized, MDF/IDF closets are now elevated to mission-critical status. However, they are often overlooked and mismanaged when compared to more traditional data center sites.
Common challenges of managing remote sites...
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Data centers account for more than 2% of total global energy consumption. If action is not taken, it is estimated that data centers will be responsible for 8% of global energy consumption by 2030.
Data center managers are under increased pressure to comply with corporate sustainability initiatives and dramatically increase their efficiency. To support their efforts, many data center professionals are turning to Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software.
DCIM software helps you improve data center sustainability by enabling you to:
1. Stop wasting energy by overcooling equipment.
One of the biggest roadblocks to data center sustainability is the overcooling of equipment. The ave...
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As we reflect on 2022, it’s important to identify the latest data center trends that will continue to impact how data centers are managed in 2023 and beyond.
You must stay up to date on new industry trends in order to better support your organization and customers while staying competitive in your field.
Here are five data center management trends that you should know about going into the new year.
1. Sustainability
Data centers in the US are responsible for 2% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions and global data centers consume 3% of the world’s electricity. Many organizations now have corporate sustainability objectives to improve these figures. As such, reporting on and reducing...
-
Managing a data center is not easy.
Today’s data center professionals must maintain uptime, increase the efficiency of capacity utilization, and boost the productivity of people in more complex and more distributed environments than ever before.
Legacy management tools like Excel, Visio, and homegrown systems no longer get the job done for the modern data center. They are hard to use, difficult to maintain, time-consuming, and error-prone.
First-generation Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software vendors marketed their products as a panacea to all data center problems, but their overhyped products did not deliver as promised. Because of the failures of these legacy DCIM products...
-
As we wrap up another year, it’s time to reflect on how data center management has evolved over the last 12 months.
The data center industry is known for rapidly changing. New challenges, best practices, and technologies are always appearing that need to be noted and addressed. By staying on top of the latest trends, you can put yourself in the best position to have a successful 2023.
Here are the top 10 data center management trends that we saw in 2022 that all data center professionals should be aware of. If you are falling behind on some of these, consider putting them in your plan for next year to start 2023 off right.
Sustainability became a top priority. Data center managers are und...
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We are proud to share that Sunbird was recognized by CIO Insights as one of their 10 Most Innovative Data Center Companies to Watch.
"We will present the leading data center companies in the world and their contribution to making the world more digital-friendly," said Richard Thomas, Editor, CIO Insights. "They are constantly innovating and disrupting the data center space with their ability to look at the future. From going green to focusing on security, managing small data, big data, AI, and distributed enterprise models, every organization has adapted to the new normal and is here to make a difference."
In an interview with Sunbird's President, Herman Chan, CIO Insights detailed why Sunbi...
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In a data center, the power chain is the sequence of infrastructure equipment that distributes power from its source all the way to the IT devices.
Most data centers use alternating current (AC) power, though telecommunications companies typically use direct current (DC) power. There are pros and cons to each, and they require different equipment.
Understanding your data center power chain is important because it helps you ensure redundancy and uptime, intelligently perform capacity planning, and simplify troubleshooting.
What is the Difference Between AC and DC Power Data Centers?
The key differences between data centers that utilize AC or DC power are:
Current direction. With AC power...
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A single-line diagram (also known as an SLD or one-line diagram) is a simplified representation of an electrical system. Symbols and lines are used to represent the nodes and connections in the system, and electrical characteristics may be included as well.
In a data center, a single-line diagram is used to visualize the power distribution system to improve planning and troubleshooting, ensure redundancy, and reduce potential outages.
What Does a Single-Line Diagram Look Like?
Single-line diagrams use standard symbols for the different nodes of power systems. The power source is displayed at the top of the diagram so that the power path can easily be followed downstream from node to node a...
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It's almost Halloween, and we have a spooky and scary story for you.
Don’t jump out of your seat, but did you know that most data centers are haunted and overrun by the undead?
That’s right. Ghost servers (also known as zombie servers) are everywhere. In fact, up to 30% of servers in any data center may be ghost servers.
Ghost servers are servers that are deployed in cabinets and powered on but are sitting idle without performing any useful function. They’re so scary because they drain you of space, energy, and money like a vampire.
How Much Energy Does a Ghost Server Waste?
Let’s say that, hypothetically, you have a data center with 100 racks and 25 servers in each rack for a total of 2,5...
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Modern data centers are complex environments that often contain many thousands of individual cabling and port components. When the physical connectivity infrastructure is not properly organized, tracked, and managed, you can quickly run into serious problems.
Poor cable management and using the wrong management tools lead to cable spaghetti that prolongs maintenance and troubleshooting, extended downtime due to not being able to quickly identify issues, and inefficiency caused by uninformed planning decisions.
However, data center cable management software can simplify how you document and track your cable infrastructure to greatly improve data center operations.
Why is Data Center Cable M...
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Data center capacity planning is one of the biggest challenges for today’s data center professionals. According to a recent survey by Sunbird Software, 72% of respondents said that capacity planning was one of their top objectives.
Proper capacity planning results in the right-sized data centers, efficient utilization of resources, and reduced costs, but it is easier said than done. The reality is that many data center professionals struggle to accurately plan capacity and instead have rampant stranded capacity.
What Is Stranded Capacity?
Stranded capacity refers to data center resources that are not known to be available for use. Most of the time, you don’t even know if you have stranded...
Data center management traditionally requires a lot of manual effort, and the same data often must be entered into multiple disparate systems. Not only does this waste time, but it leads to inaccurate data due to human error. To simplify data center management, data center experts are driving “automation via integration” by deploying and integrating modern Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software solutions with out-of-the-box connectors that automatically populate data in the appropriate systems. Data center automation provides many benefits and a dramatic return on investment. The top eight benefits of automating your data center operations are: Enable a single source of tru...
We’re proud to announce the general availability of dcTrack® 9.0, the latest version of Sunbird’s DCIM Operations software. This release includes exciting new features including XYZ. dcTrack 9.0 Availability This dcTrack 9.0 update is available worldwide on a subscription or perpetual license basis to all customers with valid maintenance contracts. Download the update file from Sunbird’s support portal to upgrade today. If you would like to try a full-featured test drive of dcTrack, get your login credentials to the free online demo system now. What’s New in dcTrack 9.0 The following features are new or enhanced in dcTrack 9.0 for an easy, fast, and complete second-generation DCIM soluti...
The Sunbird team extends our congratulations to The University of Chicago for receiving a Gold Certification in Informa’s Data Center Efficiency Program (DEEP). The Gold Certification is the highest certification level that the program awards for achievements in data center sustainability and efficiency. After learning that the University’s data centers’ had shot up from being the campus’ twelfth- to fourth-largest consumer of energy, Raymond Parpart, Director of Data Center Strategy & Operations, sought out a DEEP certification and auditing process to answer the question, “Are we as good as we think we are?” and to help them improve efficiency and support the University’s sustainability...
Managing a data center traditionally requires entering the same information multiple times into disparate tools. This is a manual effort that is time-consuming and error-prone. Leading data center professionals don’t waste time swiveling between different tools. Instead, they implement “automation via integration” that saves time and increases the accuracy of data. In a recent Sunbird customer workshop, data center experts from eBay and NBCUniversal shared how they planned and implemented their integration between Sunbird’s Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software and ServiceNow. How eBay Used APIs to Integrate ServiceNow and dcTrack eBay is using dcTrack to remotely manage 41...
Main Distribution Frames (MDF) and Intermediate Distribution Frames (IDF) are integral components of modern data communication networks. Buildings or campus facilities have one or more MDFs which are the demarcation points where public or private telecommunication networks interconnect with the internal network. The MDF then connects to any number of IDFs in the building, and the devices in those IDFs connect to end devices such as workstations. As data centers become more decentralized, MDF/IDF closets are now elevated to mission-critical status. However, they are often overlooked and mismanaged when compared to more traditional data center sites. Common challenges of managing remote sites...
Data centers account for more than 2% of total global energy consumption. If action is not taken, it is estimated that data centers will be responsible for 8% of global energy consumption by 2030. Data center managers are under increased pressure to comply with corporate sustainability initiatives and dramatically increase their efficiency. To support their efforts, many data center professionals are turning to Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software. DCIM software helps you improve data center sustainability by enabling you to: 1. Stop wasting energy by overcooling equipment. One of the biggest roadblocks to data center sustainability is the overcooling of equipment. The ave...
As we reflect on 2022, it’s important to identify the latest data center trends that will continue to impact how data centers are managed in 2023 and beyond. You must stay up to date on new industry trends in order to better support your organization and customers while staying competitive in your field. Here are five data center management trends that you should know about going into the new year. 1. Sustainability Data centers in the US are responsible for 2% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions and global data centers consume 3% of the world’s electricity. Many organizations now have corporate sustainability objectives to improve these figures. As such, reporting on and reducing...
Managing a data center is not easy. Today’s data center professionals must maintain uptime, increase the efficiency of capacity utilization, and boost the productivity of people in more complex and more distributed environments than ever before. Legacy management tools like Excel, Visio, and homegrown systems no longer get the job done for the modern data center. They are hard to use, difficult to maintain, time-consuming, and error-prone. First-generation Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software vendors marketed their products as a panacea to all data center problems, but their overhyped products did not deliver as promised. Because of the failures of these legacy DCIM products...
As we wrap up another year, it’s time to reflect on how data center management has evolved over the last 12 months. The data center industry is known for rapidly changing. New challenges, best practices, and technologies are always appearing that need to be noted and addressed. By staying on top of the latest trends, you can put yourself in the best position to have a successful 2023. Here are the top 10 data center management trends that we saw in 2022 that all data center professionals should be aware of. If you are falling behind on some of these, consider putting them in your plan for next year to start 2023 off right. Sustainability became a top priority. Data center managers are und...
We are proud to share that Sunbird was recognized by CIO Insights as one of their 10 Most Innovative Data Center Companies to Watch. "We will present the leading data center companies in the world and their contribution to making the world more digital-friendly," said Richard Thomas, Editor, CIO Insights. "They are constantly innovating and disrupting the data center space with their ability to look at the future. From going green to focusing on security, managing small data, big data, AI, and distributed enterprise models, every organization has adapted to the new normal and is here to make a difference." In an interview with Sunbird's President, Herman Chan, CIO Insights detailed why Sunbi...
In a data center, the power chain is the sequence of infrastructure equipment that distributes power from its source all the way to the IT devices. Most data centers use alternating current (AC) power, though telecommunications companies typically use direct current (DC) power. There are pros and cons to each, and they require different equipment. Understanding your data center power chain is important because it helps you ensure redundancy and uptime, intelligently perform capacity planning, and simplify troubleshooting. What is the Difference Between AC and DC Power Data Centers? The key differences between data centers that utilize AC or DC power are: Current direction. With AC power...
A single-line diagram (also known as an SLD or one-line diagram) is a simplified representation of an electrical system. Symbols and lines are used to represent the nodes and connections in the system, and electrical characteristics may be included as well. In a data center, a single-line diagram is used to visualize the power distribution system to improve planning and troubleshooting, ensure redundancy, and reduce potential outages. What Does a Single-Line Diagram Look Like? Single-line diagrams use standard symbols for the different nodes of power systems. The power source is displayed at the top of the diagram so that the power path can easily be followed downstream from node to node a...
It's almost Halloween, and we have a spooky and scary story for you. Don’t jump out of your seat, but did you know that most data centers are haunted and overrun by the undead? That’s right. Ghost servers (also known as zombie servers) are everywhere. In fact, up to 30% of servers in any data center may be ghost servers. Ghost servers are servers that are deployed in cabinets and powered on but are sitting idle without performing any useful function. They’re so scary because they drain you of space, energy, and money like a vampire. How Much Energy Does a Ghost Server Waste? Let’s say that, hypothetically, you have a data center with 100 racks and 25 servers in each rack for a total of 2,5...
Modern data centers are complex environments that often contain many thousands of individual cabling and port components. When the physical connectivity infrastructure is not properly organized, tracked, and managed, you can quickly run into serious problems. Poor cable management and using the wrong management tools lead to cable spaghetti that prolongs maintenance and troubleshooting, extended downtime due to not being able to quickly identify issues, and inefficiency caused by uninformed planning decisions. However, data center cable management software can simplify how you document and track your cable infrastructure to greatly improve data center operations. Why is Data Center Cable M...
Data center capacity planning is one of the biggest challenges for today’s data center professionals. According to a recent survey by Sunbird Software, 72% of respondents said that capacity planning was one of their top objectives. Proper capacity planning results in the right-sized data centers, efficient utilization of resources, and reduced costs, but it is easier said than done. The reality is that many data center professionals struggle to accurately plan capacity and instead have rampant stranded capacity. What Is Stranded Capacity? Stranded capacity refers to data center resources that are not known to be available for use. Most of the time, you don’t even know if you have stranded...