t cht lk center management model . In fact , many of them were already there .
Further , remote management is not just a trend until COVID-19 restrictions relax , but a permanent change for the industry . According to Uptime Institute , nine in 10 data center operators plan to increase their use of remote monitoring and management tools . Uptime Institute also found that 77 % of data centers plan to continue remote work for years to come , long after the brunt of the pandemic has passed .
Organizations are developing comprehensive remote data center management strategies and reallocating budgets and finding funds to deploy a complete remote data center management toolkit . They are racing to be able to efficiently manage the complexity of modern Edge , colocation and retail infrastructure , to be able to provide clear and visual instructions to smart hands to get work done quickly and accurately , and to drive automation , data sharing and collaboration across all remote teams .
While some are struggling to gain visibility into all their data center sites today , early movers have paved the way for others to find success . Data center and Edge site managers with the experience and willingness to adopt technology have told us what tools they rely on to maintain uptime , increase efficiency and improve productivity no matter where they or their infrastructure is located .
The remote data center management toolkit
Modern infrastructure management professionals need to leverage a wide range of technologies spanning hardware , software , meters , sensors and more , plus a comprehensive integration strategy to pull it all together . The remote data center management toolkit to succeed in the new normal and beyond includes :
• Remote power control . Intelligent rack PDUs with outlet control allow you to remotely power on , power off and power cycle outlets across multiple PDUs .
• Remote power monitoring . Intelligent power infrastructure such as rack PDUs with inlet – or outlet-level meters , branch circuit meters , busway meters , inline meters and SNMP management cards for UPSs enable you to increase uptime , improve capacity planning and utilization existing power capacity , report on Power Usage Effectiveness ( PUE ) and reduce energy consumption and costs .
• Remote environment monitoring . Temperature , humidity , airflow , pressure , water and vibration sensors provide data that helps ensure the overall health of your sites , mitigate against threats of downtime and improve efficiency . Sensors can be deployed as plug-and-play devices that connect to intelligent rack PDUs , rack controllers , inline meters , branch circuit monitors and gateway devices .
• Remote cabinet security . RFID and biometric door lock controls for racks and cabinets , cabinet door access audits , remote door lock controls , door contact sensors and IP cameras are musthaves to protect your assets and data from physical security threats .
• Remote out-of-band console management . KVM-over-IP switches allow you to remotely access and control multiple servers from one keyboard , mouse and monitor and are used to perform functions like rebooting devices . Serial console servers can connect to ‘ headless ’ devices like routers , LAN switches , firewalls , PDUs , UPSs and storage systems and are used to complete tasks like updating firmware .
DCIM software : The central piece of the remote management toolkit
Data Center Infrastructure Management ( DCIM ) software provides the remote monitoring and remote operations management that is required to complete the toolkit and bridge information across all organizational domains .
DCIM software enables data center and Edge site managers to centrally manage all their infrastructure resources in a single pane of glass to maintain uptime , improve efficiency of capacity utilization and increase the productivity of people – all from any location in the world .
In the new normal , leading data center experts are leveraging second-generation DCIM software to :
• Track all assets . Maintain an accurate inventory of infrastructure assets and real-time rack elevation views across all data center and Edge sites , including equipment in racks like servers , storage , networking equipment , rack PDUs , patch panels and even applications .
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