What is DCIM and what are the Best DCIM softwares in Market?

Earlier, the concept of Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) was a part of the building information software used by facilities managers to develop digital schematic diagrams about the facilities which they were managing. Now, it refers to the point of convergence between IT and the functions of the building facilities. At present, digital transformation is swiftly revolutionizing the business environment for most industries. However, while data forms an essential pipeline to fuel this change, managing it can be chaotic. This is because the narrow, siloed techniques used for monitoring assets are rapidly moving from a reactive stance to a proactive practice. Hence, the internal and external initiatives are applying more pressure for enhanced capacity and security while mitigating the rising expenses of power, cooling, and infrastructure.

DCIM helps to bring together existing stand-alone operations such as data center design, asset discovery and management, capacity planning, and energy management. In some cases, it even embodies specific systems management functions. When fused, DCIM can use facilities management tools like building information systems (BIS) to enable the data center manager to understand the constraints that are outside of the data center itself. Its' monitoring capabilities include the ability to view, in real-time, the performance and utilization of racks and the use of power and cooling across a data center's entire footprint. This allows data center managers to recognize spikes that may indicate the onset of a bigger problem and lead to remedial action. With the use of the DCIM tools, administrators will be able to quickly look for and also identify the relationships which exist between the facility building and the IT systems installed in the building. Some of the best DCIM solutions help organizations to overcome several challenges like energy management, availability management, asset management, and risk management. It can also facilitate IT automation, service management, supply chain management, with power and environment monitoring. Moreover, because of its flexible environment, it minimizes the risks, maximizes uptime, and allows faster delivery of services and applications with minimal costs.

Let us view some of the familiar leading players in DCIM softwares:

1. NIyte Software: It is considered as the leader in DCIM as well as the fastest DCIM solution to deploy. It comes in three different editions: Enterprise, Energy Optimizer, and Colocation. The software provides technology asset management, risk management, audit, and compliance, along with data center management solutions. The software helps reduce costs and get improved efficiency and transparency levels across the entire organization.

2.Runecast Analyzer: It is a predictive and support intelligence patented solution for VMware and AWS admins. It mitigates lost time and other costs incurred from troubleshooting often-complex issues only in a limited and reactive capacity by proactively scanning VMware and AWS environments in real-time to discover risks and provide solutions before any problems can develop. Runecast was designated a "Cool Vendor" by Gartner in its 2020 Performance Analysis for Cloud-Native Architectures report.

3. Panduit: Labeled a challenger in Gartner's Magic Quadrant, Panduit offers DCIM tools for energy efficiency, asset management, capacity management, and uptime and resilience. Its SmartZone line includes software, hardware, and services designed to help companies mitigate risk, improve energy efficiency, and reduce costs. The company is probably best known for its wiring and cabling solutions, and it also offers other data center equipment like cabinets, racks, and thermal management systems.

4. Kaseya VSA: It is one of the most comprehensive, collaborative, and contextual IT management software for leading IT infrastructure. Kaseya offers complete IT solutions for managed service providers and internal IT teams. The user can control and automate all of IT in a scalable, secure, and reliable manner. It's easy to use and powerful software for contextual documentation and data management. The software also provides the best unified backup solution to IT businesses.

5. ABB: Its Ability data center automation solution brings together DCIM, mechanical and electrical control, monitoring, and optimization capabilities. It boasts a "single pane" view of the data center with real-time monitoring, as well as automation capabilities that can improve the function and uptime for cooling and electrical systems. It recently announced a partnership with IBM that will bring IoT technology and Watson's cognitive computing capabilities to the Ability solution.

6. Pulseway: Using Pulseway, the user can develop robust control over the IT environment all the time. It is real-time remote monitoring and management software used for remote desktop control, patch management, white labeling & reporting, and for an advanced automation solution. It is the best data management software to increase business continuity and disaster recovery solution. It's easy to integrate with third-party platforms.

7. Datadog: Through this software, one can improve the monitoring level of hybrid cloud applications and get end-to-end visibility across the applications and organizations; achieve advanced monitoring and analysis tools to see inside any app, stack at any scale from anywhere. The user can easily get full visibility, and he/she can analyze and explore log data in context through the software. The user can also build a real-time interactive dashboard and get an alert notification on the critical issue through Datadog.

8. Siemens: It is considered the world's largest provider of green technologies. It offers a variety of tools to help data centers become more environmentally efficient, as well as building automation, fire protection, security, and power solutions. Its DCIM software is named Clarity, and it offers features like HD 4-D reporting, real-time monitoring, KPI dashboard, real-time device-level dashboard, network management, workflow management, security access configuration, computational fluid dynamics and more.

9. FNT: It is a leading provider of integrated software solutions for IT management, data center infrastructure management, and telecommunication infrastructure management worldwide. It invites organizations to "experience the inner calm that comes with successful data center management." Its DCIM solution includes real-time power and temperature monitoring, planning capabilities, and dashboard-based analysis of key metrics. The company also offers software for IT management and telecommunication infrastructure management.

10. Device42: It is a comprehensive data center and network management software that is loved by organizations around the world for its open APIs and ease of use. It offers data center inventory and asset management solutions for robust data center management. The user can also get IP address management, software license management, app dependency mapping, capacity & power planning, IT assets & QR codes, and much more. Further, its solution focuses on visualizations like data center room layouts and rack diagrams. It also includes detailed device information, the ability to manage spare parts and power, and thermal management.