A Model-Based Approach to Data Center Energy Management

The modern data center has become an integral part of any organization. With the advancements in technology – there are now more users, more devices and many more connections coming into a data center environment. Furthermore, these same infrastructures now house mission critical components which revolve around cloud computing.

Data center administrators must continuously work to keep their data centers resilient, agile and highly available. Achieving availability goals now must include energy management, not just availability. Using analogous techniques from business analytics, the creation and use of specific metrics are providing powerful new insights into the management of these complex power systems -- this is Power Analytics.

There are two core concepts that are at the foundation of Power Analytics; (1) managing based on key indicators that represent overall performance and; (2) the use or reuse of a sophisticated power systems model. In this white paper, the power modeling process is explored to show the numerous environment benefits which can be attained. The idea is to use advanced modeling to help administrators better understand how power and resources are being used within a data center.

This white paper outlines the model based approach which allows for the evaluation of the overall performance - based on a very specific design, every second. Numerous metrics are gathered including:

Download this white paper to see how the use of model-based metrics is directly analogous to business analytics. With the complexity of today's modern systems - without these metrics - management and financial decisions would be nearly impossible. As the reliance on the data center infrastructure continues to grow, organizations will need to use model-based analytics to help make better IT decisions. By utilizing model-based management, organizations will be able to see the powerful link to the overall value chain of designing, building and operating a data center.