What is Data Center Infrastructure Management?

Data center infrastructure (DCIM) is like a merger between IT and building facilities functions within an organization. The objective of DCIM is to provide management with a complete view of a data center's performance so that equipment, energy, and floor space are used as efficiently as possible.

Data center infrastructure management began as a component of building information modeling (BIM) software, which is used by many facilities managers to compose building digital schematic diagrams. DCIM tools bring the same information capabilities to data centers, allowing management to store, collate, and analyze data related to power and cooling in real-time. Most tools permit diagrams to be printed out, which is a helpful feature when maintenance is required or if new equipment needs to be installed.

Data center infrastructure management tools can help administrators to identify and locate relationships between buildings and their IT systems. Energy-monitoring sensors and supporting hardware can be installed along all points of the power infrastructure so the DCIM software can accurately aggregate and analyze power usage effectiveness (PUE) and cooling system energy efficiency. Some organizations tend to couple DCIM with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis to improve airflow and systems placement, thereby reducing cooling expenses even further. This type of approach is called continuous modeling.