Data center management is the summation of tasks of individuals within a data center (data center managers) whose roles include overseeing technical and IT issues. Data center management includes oversight of computer and server operations, large quantities and varieties of data, services and applications, and the security of data.
Typical tasks in data center management include upgrading hardware and software/operating systems, managing data distribution and storage, backup processes, emergency planning, and technical support.
Examples of data center management include:
- Managing multiple vendors and associated equipment, applications and operating systems with different contracts, warranties, processes, licenses, patches, and upgrade processes
- Managing multiple data centers with diverse equipment, processes, and procedures
- Maintaining SLAs in complex environments where there are different requirements for application availability, data retention, speed of recovery, and network availability
- Monitoring change control processes and keeping infrastructure up to date
- Managing data center costs and increasing efficiency
- Deploying new services and applications with an understanding of resource availability (space, power, and cooling)
Data Center Management Software
While some of the tasks above must be directly managed, many can be automated, thereby reducing the number of on-site employees, eliminating unnecessary manual tasks, and reducing associated business costs. A common tool used to simplify data center management is Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software. DCIM software provides resiliency, improves uptime, and reduces risk across the data center infrastructure including network, power, IT equipment, and applications software and services.
DCIM software improves data center management via:
- Automation of changes to the infrastructure while providing a single source of information and a consolidated view across all facility, IT hardware, networks, and applications
- Monitoring and visualization of the data center, the associated status, and the changes within and across all systems and locations
- Collection and analysis of power, space, and capacity information to determine how to utilize the data center more efficiently to save energy and space or increase the utilization of existing equipment
- Processes to identify backup and disaster recovery plans in case of failure including failover procedures and processes and the identification of available space, power, and equipment
Want to see how Sunbird’s world-leading DCIM software makes it easy for you to centrally manage your data center infrastructure? Get your free test drive now!
