Can DCIM Help Optimise the Edge?

In the beginning, the data center was a centralized place where an organization’s IT assets were implemented and managed. Then came the cloud, and the distinction between on-premises and hosted IT resources. Now there’s the edge, a far-flung collection of facilities and devices that bring compute and storage capabilities closer to users and data. By Marcus Doran – VP & GM at Rahi Systems, Europe.

Monday, 7th January 2019 Posted 5 years ago in by Phil Alsop

While we still tend to think of data center as a place, that concept is no longer adequate to describe an organization’s entire IT infrastructure. Even as data centers continue to grow in both scale and density, IT resources are increasingly housed somewhere else. This is forcing us to rethink the definition of “data center” to encompass remote sites, edge facilities and the Internet of Things (IoT).

From an operational perspective, complexity is increasing asymptotically. It is difficult enough to manage and optimize IT resources housed within the confines of a single facility. When the IT environment is fragmented and decentralized, you need to collect and analyze vast amounts of data to ensure application performance while minimizing costs.

Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software has become the go-to tool for optimizing the on-premises IT infrastructure. As we know, DCIM tools enable data center operators to monitor and manage components in order to increase cooling efficiency, reduce energy consumption and enhance performance. DCIM also facilitates data center modernization initiatives by helping operators model and visualize the impact of change.

But if the physical data center is only part of the IT infrastructure, does DCIM still have value? Is it possible to apply these same concepts and capabilities to the larger IT environment?

Nlyte Software is helping organizations navigate the evolution of the data center with DCIM tools designed for edge computing. Nlyte Edge extends the capabilities of the company’s award-winning DCIM solution by enabling IT and facilities managers to visualize, manage, control and report on infrastructure across and outside the extended enterprise.

Offered as an option with Nlyte Platinum, Nlyte Edge provides drill-down visualization and reporting capabilities for operations, capacity planning, power management, and asset/change management. A detailed global map enables IT and facilities personnel to quickly view space and power usage while also managing their distributed locations:

Data rooms / data closets and their devices
Assets in remote sites and retail stores
Cooling systems, power distribution units (PDUs), energy manage systems and other devices
Office lighting, cooling, power, communications and other building systems

Nlyte Edge promotes a more efficient use of devices while automating change audit logs across the extended enterprise. IT and facilities managers can further increase productivity by improving the use of personnel time, and enhance security by identifying unplanned changes to the environment.

Nlyte Edge also includes the capabilities of Nlyte Command Center, which enables operators to remotely turn the devices on and off, reset alarms, lock and unlock doors, and control airflow set points — all from a single pane of glass. The Command Center module supports any Modbus and SNMP devices, including PDUs, UPS systems, lights, thermostats and desktops.

As computing capacity at the edge grows along with the IoT, organizations need tools that will provide visibility into remote IT assets and the ability to manage and control edge resources to ensure efficiency and performance. Contact Rahi Systems to learn how Nlyte Edge can help you reduce costs, meet service level requirements and optimize your entire IT environment.