How to Effectively

Implement DCIM
and Bridge the Gap
Between IT and
Facilities

Click below to get started

1. Introduction
2. DCIM 101 – Making DCIM Benefits Easy To Understand
3. Outlining the Elements of a Complete DCIM Solution
4. For Success with DCIM, Take a Lifecycle Approach
5. Case Study: University of Massachusetts Medical Center
StruxureWare for Data Centers
6. Learn More About What DCIM Can Do For You
SE
TV
 Introduction

Forces are coming together to put pressure on data In this guide, we provide a number of resources to help
center owners and operators like never before. For one, data center Facility and IT managers learn more about
Click below to data centers have never been more crucial to the organi- the attributes of an effective DCIM solution, what it takes
get started zations they serve, often-times representing no less than to properly implement and the benefits you can expect.
the lifeblood of the company. At the same time, they are
becoming increasingly complex, with huge numbers of It starts with a simple infographic that’s useful for ex-
1. Introduction high-powered, typically virtualized servers running a vast plaining DCIM to non-technical professionals, such as
array of applications. All the while, companies are under upper management. You’ll also find a piece outlining
2. DCIM 101 – Making pressure to cut energy costs and foster sustainability. what Schneider Electric considers to be a complete
DCIM Benefits Easy DCIM solution – which may differ significantly from what
To Understand What companies need to deal with these trends is a tool you hear from others who don’t have a solution with the
that gives them a clear picture of their entire data center depth of StruxureWare.
3. Outlining the Elements operation, from the IT racks and equipment to the facili-
ties infrastructure like power and cooling that supports IT We’re also including a piece that discusses an effective
of a Complete DCIM requirements. “lifecycle” approach to implementing DCIM and a case
Solution study about one of our many success stories.
That’s where data center infrastructure management
4. For Success with DCIM, (DCIM) software comes in. An effective DCIM tool, such What DCIM is All About. Watch this short video
Take a Lifecycle as Schneider Electric’s StruxureWare, helps to bridge the to find out:
Approach gap that often exists between Facilities and IT. It gives
Facilities what they need to more efficiently and effective-
ly manage security, cooling, power and space require-
5. Case Study: University of ments. And it gives IT what it needs to manage availabil-
Massachusetts Medical ity, keep up with demand amid ever-increasing growth,
Center StruxureWare and more effectively manage day-to-day operations.
for Data Centers
In short, DCIM enables Facilities and IT to more effec-
6. Learn More About What tively communicate requirements to one another and
ultimately:
DCIM Can Do For You
• Save energy
• Ensure availability Read on to learn more about DCIM then visit
• Achieve asset visibility the StruxureWare site for details on what it can
• Provide better capacity planning do for you.
• Improve operational capabilities

2
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 DCIM 101 – Making DCIM Benefits Easy To Understand
Have you ever had to explain a technical concept
to someone who was decidedly non-technical? 
Click below to It can be a difficult chore, but that’s exactly
get started the task Schneider Electric has tackled in this
infographic about data center infrastructure
1. Introduction management (DCIM). It may come in handy
should you need to explain DCIM to upper
2. DCIM 101 – Making management or convince the CFO why it’s a
DCIM Benefits Easy good investment.
To Understand

3. Outlining the Elements

of a Complete DCIM
Solution

4. For Success with DCIM,

Take a Lifecycle
Approach

5. Case Study: University of

Massachusetts Medical
Center StruxureWare
for Data Centers

6. Learn More About What

DCIM Can Do For You

3
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 DCIM 101 – Making DCIM Benefits Easy To Understand (cont.)

To build a business case for DCIM, focus on its

ability to:
Click below to
get started 1. Balance Availability with efficiency
Increasing IT complexities and higher densities
threaten uptime, yet ensuring redundancy reuires
1. Introduction extra power. DCIM monitors our data center 24/7 for
availability threats and efficiency opportunities
2. DCIM 101 – Making
DCIM Benefits Easy 2. Bridge the gap between IT and Facilities
To Understand In traditional data centers the IT guys know all about
their servers, facility folks understand how munch
3. Outlining the Elements energy is needed to run them, but there is little
coordination between the two. DCIM allows a holistic
of a Complete DCIM view of the entire data center.
Solution
3. Keep Pace with Ever-Changing IT Demands
4. For Success with DCIM, The world of IT is changing, and keeping up means
Take a Lifecycle staying competitive. New technologies and trends
Approach are going to put your data center to the test in terms
of both availability and efficiency.
5. Case Study: University of
Massachusetts Medical
Center StruxureWare
for Data Centers

6. Learn More About What

DCIM Can Do For You

4
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 Outlining the Elements of a Complete DCIM Solution
By Joseph Reele
Click below to If you talk to seven different people about what DCIM
get started is, you’re likely to get seven different answers, none
of them exactly wrong – but none entirely correct ei-
ther. The problem is too many people – vendors and
1. Introduction customers alike – look at DCIM through too narrow of
a lens, focusing only on the one or two elements that
2. DCIM 101 – Making matter most to them.
DCIM Benefits Easy
To Understand To borrow an example from the Data Center Journal
article, when you go to a doctor for a checkup, it
3. Outlining the Elements takes more than a blood pressure test to assess your
overall health. Similarly, you can’t measure the overall
of a Complete DCIM health and well being of a data center by checking
Solution only on the IT equipment or the cooling plant.
4. For Success with DCIM, Yet these days vendors who happen to be good at
Take a Lifecycle managing the IT layer often refer to their manage-
Approach ment tool as a DCIM platform. The suite may not
even integrate easily and cost-effectively with sys-
tems that monitor power, cooling and other building
5. Case Study: University of infrastructure management tools. So you may get a
Massachusetts Medical warm and fuzzy feeling because it appears your IT
Center StruxureWare equipment is in fine shape, but only because you
for Data Centers can’t see the temperature of your chilled water is
rising to dangerous levels. You may not always know
6. Learn More About What the correlation between the compute utilization going
up and the impact that may have on the HVAC and
DCIM Can Do For You power system. Conversely, if you can correlate these
data points it may indicate things are explainable and
OK, rather than have you thinking there’s a big issue.
A true DCIM platform has to integrate multiple sys-
tems to provide a complete picture of the health of
your data center. It starts from the utility transform-
er, through the plug strip in the rack, to the server
plugged into that plug strip, to the network providing
communications to the cooling system and more.
In practice, a DCIM platform will integrate with a
number of management tools that may already be in
place in the data center. These include:
• The building management system (BMS) that
monitors and controls a facility’s mechanical and
electrical equipment
You can’t measure the overall health of a data center by checking only on
the IT equipment or the cooling plant.
• A computerized maintenance management sys-
tem (CMMS) that helps data center managers
keep on top of maintenance schedules for vari-
ous equipment
• A branch circuit monitoring system (BCMS) that
helps ensure a steady flow of power to critical
systems
• An IT asset management system that helps track
placement, use, power draw and more for IT
equipment
Some vendors will tell you that to implement DCIM
you need to install a whole slew of new management
tools so they’ll all work together. But if you choose an
“open” DCIM tool, such as Schneider Electric’s Strux-
ureWare, that is simply not the case.
StruxureWare is built on a Web services platform, so
5
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 Outlining the Elements of a Complete DCIM Solution (cont.)

it can work with any other tool that produces Web

services type output. With some work, it can also in-
Click below to tegrate with tools that don’t adhere to a Web services
get started architecture.

However you accomplish it, it’s crucial to integrate

1. Introduction the multiple tools that all play a role in painting a
complete picture of the health of your data center.
2. DCIM 101 – Making But you shouldn’t have to rip out those tools that are
DCIM Benefits Easy already working for you. Rather, look for a DCIM plat-
To Understand form that will allow you to retain the investment, and
experience, in the tools you already have. That’s how
3. Outlining the Elements you can achieve rapid ROI and wind up with a DCIM
tool that will give you sound insights into the health of
of a Complete DCIM your data center.
Solution

4. For Success with DCIM,

Take a Lifecycle
Approach

5. Case Study: University of

Massachusetts Medical
Center StruxureWare
for Data Centers

6. Learn More About What

DCIM Can Do For You

A DCIM platform will integrate will a number of management tools already

in place within the data center.

6
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 For Success with DCIM, Take a Lifecycle Approach

By David Sweikert • Design and business requirements. Selecting

the right modules to match functional needs is
Click below to When it comes to deployment of data center infra- core to the design phase, but a more progressive
get started structure management (DCIM) software, there can lifecycle approach might look ahead to what’s
be projects that seem to have everything in place in really needed by a particular customer. For exam-
terms of the design and specification of the solution, ple, a company may want to make warranty status
1. Introduction but somehow fall short on delivering full value. information visible within the data center asset
management function.  For other user compa-
2. DCIM 101 – Making A given project can be well designed—involving the nies—perhaps a Cloud services provider—ca-
DCIM Benefits Easy right type of multidisciplinary team on the customer pacity management in DCIM might be the priority,
To Understand side to properly identify business requirements, and with more attention put on training for this module
to help scope and specify the software solution. The as part of the solution design.
3. Outlining the Elements vendor and the customer team may even have done
an adequate job of identifying needed integration to
of a Complete DCIM other systems used in the data center, and spec’d
Solution the integration services into the project. All this, and
yet in some cases, months after go live, the DCIM
4. For Success with DCIM, deployment doesn’t quite stack up to expectations.
Take a Lifecycle
Approach What’s likely happening here? It’s very possible that
the problem isn’t the software or solution scope per
se, but rather, that it was not implemented under a
5. Case Study: University of software lifecycle methodology in which the vendor
Massachusetts Medical validates that at key steps in the deployment, the
Center StruxureWare configurations and outputs map back to business
for Data Centers requirements and return on investment (ROI) goals.

6. Learn More About What In other words, success with DCIM (for a more de-
tailed look at DCIM, see white paper 107) isn’t just
DCIM Can Do For You about having the right solution specified—it hinges
on a rigorous, lifecycle implementation approach.

Let’s break down some typical implementation areas

to see where there might be gaps in the absence of a DCIM needs to be deployed in a way that meets requirements to bring
lifecycle approach. maximum value to the customer.

7
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 For Success with DCIM, Take a Lifecycle Approach (cont.)

might look ahead to factors such how reports

from capacity planning might be used by people
Click below to in sales or other line of business functions, not
get started just the data center managers. Training can be
brought to a higher level when the vendor can
provide access to subject matter experts on spe-
1. Introduction cific functions within DCIM.

2. DCIM 101 – Making • Post-deployment review. In truth, post imple-

DCIM Benefits Easy mentation review should be more of a fine-tuning
To Understand or an analysis of advanced improvements, rather
than a first-cut assessment of whether goals are
3. Outlining the Elements being reached. That sort of assessment should be
happening at key steps in the project.
of a Complete DCIM
Solution Under a more rigorous lifecycle approach, the con-
figuration of the software can still be streamlined and
4. For Success with DCIM, simple in many respects, but at key stages in the de-
Take a Lifecycle ployment—such as solutions design, configuration,
Approach pilot testing, user acceptance testing, production
Under a more rigorous lifecycle approach, the configure of DCIM software
deployment—the project leaders should be validating
can be streamlined and simplified.
that all the steps have been done correctly, and map-
5. Case Study: University of ping outcomes back to the business requirements
Massachusetts Medical • Validation. When validation is discussed as part to ensure goals will be met. At the end of the day,
Center StruxureWare of DCIM deployment, most people tend to think in DCIM needs to be deployed in a way that meets those
for Data Centers technical terms, such as whether the integration to requirements to bring maximum value to the customer.
other systems is in place, or, are the alerts up and
6. Learn More About What running correctly? Yes, these are necessary types of
validation, but as part of a lifecycle approach, it may
DCIM Can Do For You be just as important to validate that ROI is on track,
or that a high priority function—such as efficiency
metrics—are complete and user friendly.

• User training. All good implementations involve

user training, but a lifecycle-focused deployment

8
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 Case Study: University of Massachusetts Medical Center
StruxureWare for Data Centers

Technology. It’s ever-changing. Fast-paced. Complex.
How can any company or organization, no matter which
Click below to industry or market, keep up? The answer lies in flexible,
adaptable, and agile data center physical infrastructure
get started
and real-time management software.
management, as opposed to having multiple individual
solutions, was a no-brainer. We also were looking for a
useable solution for our inventory management needs. We
needed a centralized solution that provided a ‘big picture’
view.

1. Introduction
2. DCIM 101 – Making
DCIM Benefits Easy
To Understand
3. Outlining the Elements
of a Complete DCIM
Solution
4. For Success with DCIM,
David Plamondon, data center operations architect, “Using StruxureWare for Data Center Software, Data
agrees. Responsible for the day-to-day operations of Center Expert, we were able to bring all of our power/
University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s 5-year-old, cooling monitoring needs under one central dashboard.
7,500 square foot data center, Plamondon understands Using StruxureWare for Data Center Software, Data
the impact of changing technology firsthand. He notes, Center Operation, we were able to have a real-time view
“Data centers are purpose- of our current data center
built to a specific standard operating environment so we
and capacity, which is, can better prepare for future
for the most part, fixed needs. Both seamlessly
at a moment in time. The integrated with our existing
biggest challenges are daily hardware. We were already a
technology changes and full Schneider Electric shop, TM

Take a Lifecycle having to support the latest so taking the next step and
and greatest equipment going to a Schneider Electric
Approach
while staying within the software solution made a lot
original data center design of sense.
5. Case Study: University of specifications.
Massachusetts Medical “The Schneider Electric
Center StruxureWare “We provide full-hosted You can’t properly run a data center unless you have a complete picture of
what is going on at any one time...
solution has had an impact
for Data Centers IT services to multiple on facilities, finance, and IT.
state agencies and business units. Our previous IT Facilities gains real-time monitoring and historical data;
infrastructure monitoring either did not exist or was spread finance gains the ability to charge customers for actual
6. Learn More About What
across three departments that were all using different power usage; and IT gains an infrastructure management
DCIM Can Do For You tools. and planning solution.

“You can’t properly run a data center unless you have “In the past it was spreadsheets and manual logs! Now,
a complete picture of what is going on at any one time every day I look at my console, which allows me to gauge
in either the facilities or IT side of the equation. Having overall operating conditions and to answer the ‘Can we
one solution that can combine infrastructure and IT support the new xyz …?’ questions quickly.

9
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 Case Study: University of Massachusetts Medical Center
StruxureWare for Data Centers (cont.)
“Schneider Electric resolved
our immediate need for real- “Many companies
Click below to time monitoring and inventory
talk about improving
management. Other benefits over
get started
time include billing, historical data efficiency...Schneider
retention, and the ability to chart
1. Introduction progress. Electric products give
2. DCIM 101 – Making us the hard data to
For example, we are in the middle of
DCIM Benefits Easy a data center optimization project in back that up.”
To Understand which we are actively consolidating
physical servers into our new virtual environment. I can
3. Outlining the Elements gauge progress by charting power usage and open rack
space.
of a Complete DCIM
Solution “In addition, energy efficiency will always be a driving
factor in IT. One of our goals is to operate as efficiently as
4. For Success with DCIM, possible while delivering maximum uptime and reliability.
Take a Lifecycle We are always looking for opportunities to increase
efficiency without negatively affecting performance.
Approach
The historical trend data and real-time monitoring that
StruxureWare for Data Center Software provides us are
5. Case Study: University of invaluable. It allows us to test and directly see the results
Massachusetts Medical of those changes. Many companies talk about improving
Center StruxureWare efficiency, but if you can’t measure it, where is the value?
for Data Centers Schneider Electric products give us the hard data to back
that up.
6. Learn More About What
“So far, as part of our data center optimization project, we
DCIM Can Do For You have been able to reduce our IT energy load by 5 percent.
That is a real number that we can show on paper.”
By closing gaps between IT and facilities, gaps in
documentation related to physical floor space and
the location of IT equipment such as servers, storage,
and network devices, and gaps
in information availability and
response time, StruxureWare for Data
Centers has helped University of
Massachusetts Medical Center keep
up — and even anticipate —ever-
changing technology requirements.
According to Schneider Electric
Software Sales Consultant Bob
Quadrini, StruxureWare for Data
Centers software has enabled the University of
Massachusetts Medical Center to:
> Reduce the amount of time it takes to plan where to place
equipment
> Shorten the time it takes to respond to events and
generate reports
> Have better visibility into remaining site capacity
> Potentially offset the need to build new facilities
> Continually improve converged IT and facilities
management
> Consider turning the data center into a business by
hosting other University of Massachusetts entities
> Improve operational efficiencies
©2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric, APC,
and StruxureWare are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries
SAS or its affiliated companies. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. • www.schneider-electric.com • 998-2366865_US
10
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.
 Learn More About What DCIM Can Do For You

DCIM is helping all sorts of organizations get more Learn more about the benefits Schneider Electric
out of their data centers while controlling energy StruxureWare can bring to your data center by visiting
Click below to costs. It is proving to be a crucial tool in helping the StruxureWare site. And check out these additional
get started bridge the gap between Facilities and IT that has resources to learn more.
existed for far too long in the data center field. In so
doing, it enables companies to operate more effi- • Video:
1. Introduction ciently day to day, providing the information they StruxureWare Software: The
need to make better decisions regarding data center Power of Enterprise Efficiency
2. DCIM 101 – Making resources.
DCIM Benefits Easy
To Understand At the same time, DCIM helps companies increase
energy efficiency while improving availability – both • Video:
3. Outlining the Elements crucial aspects at a time when companies are look- 10 Real-world Scenarios
ing to cut costs while operating 24x7 data centers.
of a Complete DCIM Where DCIM Matters
Solution
Additional resources
4. For Success with DCIM, • White paper 104: • Video:
Take a Lifecycle Classification of Data Center Day in the life of StruxureWare
Approach Infrastructure Management For Data Centers Facility
(DCIM) Tools Manager
5. Case Study: University of
Massachusetts Medical • Video:
Center StruxureWare Day in the life of StruxureWare
for Data Centers • White paper 170: For Data Center Manager
Avoiding Common Pitfalls of
6. Learn More About What Evaluating and Implementing
DCIM Can Do For You DCIM Solutions • Video:
Schneider Electric 3D Product
Animations

11
© 2015 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.