Benefits of Integrating ITSM and DCIM

Information Technology has become the backbone of modern business. Just like any central structure, it needs to be robust and reliable over a period of time. It should continually be in correct alignment with the need to support the entire lifecycle of a product or service. Collectively, these processes are termed as IT Service Management (ITSM).

ITSM Growing in Importance

Generally, an ITSM consists of a data storage repository and various processes defined by the overall IT status function. These processes will have clearly defined steps and rules that govern workflow across the lifecycle of the product or services. ITSM is usually automated and controlled by software, and so is Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM). While ITSM and DCIM software can co-exist side-by-side, some organizations opt to connect the physical management of the data center to their existing IT management framework, thereby making it a subset of the existing ITSM software. An ITSM usually follows a well-known model such as ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) or a set of internally-developed best practices.

It was about two decades back when the British government first introduced Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), creating the ITSM market. Until today, skeptics have been predicting the end of this market. However, according to Open PR, the market shows no signs of going extinct in the foreseeable future. Quite the opposite, the global IT Operations and Service Management (ITOSM) market was valued at $17.40 billion in 2015 and it is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2016 to 2024 to reach $30.96 billion at the end of that period.

How are ITSM and DCIM Connected

In most ITSM software implementations, the central repository is called the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and it usually has the same information one may find in a DCIM database. According to research published in the Business Solutions online magazine, an overwhelming 85% of IT professionals say that self-service analytics would enhance IT security delivery.

Both ITSM and DCIM share a common “ticketing” process and a workflow engine that manages change requests. This automatically leads to a similarity in their implementation for:

• Accurate definition of the current status of system elements
• Formal processes to request and implement changes to the current status
• Single point of control for change request initiation/incident logging (ticketing)
• Automated tracking of process steps

To leverage the strengths of a DCIM into an existing ITSM, it must use the existing ITSM change management tools and incorporate the DCIM's large amount of information into a single ITSM repository. Once integrated in this way, all change requests can be handled consistently. Additionally, a single repository of all IT assets can then be used in real-time to recall historical data gathered by the DCIM monitoring functions and consolidated to gain even greater operational efficiencies.

At Sunbird DCIM, we advise using information obtained from the DCIM-CMDB solution to better understand the down-the-line impact and make restoring service to the clients the priority, while enabling efficient and positive decision-making and resource allocation to have the most positive impact for the business.