Data centres are vital aspects of any business technology infrastructure. It is the technological hub of modern enterprise operations, providing employees, partners and customers access to critical applications and data. Proper management of this business-critical resource cannot be overstated, as issues can severely disrupt the day-to-day operations of an organisation causing huge losses in revenue and time.
Over the last couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of remote management for data centres. As the world shifted to a new normal, remote or hybrid work has become the mainstream and keeping on-site IT support to a minimum is now a priority. This meant that data centres are more reliant on remote management and monitoring as businesses seek ways to automate more critical processes in both centralised and edge applications.
“Remote and hybrid work makes more and more companies aware that without digital tools for work, communication, meetings, access to resources from anywhere, it is impossible to function,” said Piotr Chledowski, Business Solution Manager, Comarch ICT.
“This generates demand for digital workspace solutions. There are many indications that the high demand for a digital workspace will continue for a long time. According to Microsoft, as much as 73 percent of employees wish to maintain a hybrid work model, although at the same time 67 percent also want to meet colleagues in the traditional way. This requires a more resilient data centre to ensure seamless connectivity and access to data.”
Key challenges in data centre management
Managing and monitoring data centres are not without challenges. With increased digitalisation, it can be daunting for data centre engineers and managers to ensure higher uptimes, reduced costs, and fast deployments at the same time. Among some of the primary challenges in managing data centres today include insufficient space as most facilities have restricted physical space, geographical limitations and infrastructure constraints. Capacity planning and management is also a key bottleneck for data centre managers as many tend to overprovision to avoid downtimes. This results in the wastage of resources and space.
Another challenge is data security. Data centres are vulnerable to a variety of risks including outages, natural disasters and human-caused events. Data breaches can cost an organisation millions of dollars in intellectual property loss and data loss, which makes having a robust risk management and disaster recovery plan essential for data centre managers.
Measuring the performance and ensuring data centre uptime is another major concern for managers and operators. Data centre managers can solve this challenge by planning the expansion process, ensuring wise power consumption and investing in the right Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) that can handle the expected power requirements.
Finally, real-time monitoring and reporting are a must for data centre operators and managers. However, many organisations face several limitations. This can be addressed by investing in a data centre infrastructure managed (DCIM) solution.
The benefits of remotely managed data centre services
With developing technology, applications, data, and devices, data centres are subjected to continuously evolve with it, making managing and monitoring these facilities more complex and challenging than ever.
“To help navigate these challenges, organisations can leverage tools such as data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) software to ensure effective monitoring of IT infrastructure. With the help of DCIM, data centre managers can achieve enhanced visibility, availability, and capacity planning,” explained Chledowski.
“Additionally, DCIM software is key to visualising, managing and controlling the core infrastructure within data centres such as routers, switches, and servers, as well as components such as cooling systems, UPS systems, sensors and server rack monitoring power distribution unit systems. Overall, DCIM gives businesses a complete view of a data centre.”
Another solution is partnering with a managed data centre services provider. Outsourcing data centre management and monitoring operations is a cost-effective and valuable way for companies to quickly acquire more of the technology, skills and expertise they need. It enables organisations to focus on core business while ensuring the highest quality of services.
“Managed data c entre services offer numerous benefits such as increased cost-efficiencies, 24/7 technical management support, increased flexibility and adaptability, better management of resources, reduced capital expenditures and enhanced levels of security and resilience among others,” said Chledowski.
He added, “When looking for a managed data centre services provider customers should consider providers with confirmed data centre standards like TIA 942, TIER III, IV as well as ISAE 3402 Type 1 & Type 2 reports and of course ITIL. Quality Management System needs to be confirmed by ISO certifications such as ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems (QMS), ISO 14001: Environmental Management Systems (EMS), ISO 27001: Information Security Management Systems or ISO 50001 – Energy management systems.”
Data centres play a crucial role in facilitating the efficient transmission, storage and processing of data that are vital in accelerating digital transformation. Partnering with the managed data centre service provider can empower organisations to maximise their resources and get the most value out of their data and drive better business results.
