DCIM News from Data Center World

Data Center Infrastructure Management vendors continued the race to add features and functionality to their software with a number of announcements at last week's Data Center World conference in Las Vegas. Companies added to what their solutions can do by both building new features themselves and integrating with partners.

ManageEngine introduces 3D Visualization Tool

ManageEngine introduced RackBuilder Plus, a data center visualization software that lets users create exact 3D replicas of data centers, complete with racks, floors and devices. The dynamic 3D view shows live health status of devices in each rack, allowing customers to monitor in real-time.

“A life-like, realistic view of the data center is necessary for gaining more visibility and managing it better,” said Dev Anand, director of product management at ManageEngine. “With RackBuilder Plus, data center admins can create an exact replica of the data center floor with all the racks and devices populated — in 3D. This makes it easy for them to quickly locate a device or a rack.”

Administrators can save time and improve facilities management with a complete inventory of the data center, including all the relationship details between racks, floors and devices. The designed data center floors can be embedded into Network Operation Center screens, or they can be accessed anywhere, anytime using iPad and other tablets.

RackBuilder Plus is built on OpManager, ManageEngine’s DCIM that can monitor 50,000 devices or 1 million interfaces from a single server.

iTRACS' new offering means faster workflows

iTRACS, a CommScope subsidiary, has released Converged Physical Infrastructure Management (CPIM) 3.2, which adds faster workflows, enhanced integration tools and integration with imVision for  real-time visibility into physical cabling infrastructure.

Using imVision’s real-time asset and connectivity information, CPIM customers can optimize the capacity of their infrastructure by identifying and eliminating unused network and patch panel ports and other patching inefficiencies.

“Managing network connectivity is one of the toughest challenges in the data center,” said George Brooks, senior vice president of Enterprise Product and Market Management, CommScope. “CPIM 3.2 combines information from two data center tools within the CommScope portfolio: CPIM and imVision. Together, they offer DCIM customers a new level of automation and holistic insight into how physical infrastructure is understood, managed and optimized as a strategic asset to the business.”

Siemens joins HP AllianceONE Partner Program

Siemens joining the HP AllianceONE partner program will enable a joint solution that combined HP Converged Management Consulting Services (CMCS) and Siemens’ Datacenter Clarity LC DCIM to reduce complexity for clients.

With the HP and Siemens solution, a single engagement can provie a complete solution from conceptualization to full utilization.

“Many organizations lack the proper planning and service management alignment needed to make the most of DCIM’s benefits,” said Rick Einhorn, vice president, Technology Services, Datacenter Consulting, HP. “HP Converged Managed Consulting Services helps customers capitalize on Siemens’ DCIM solution, Datacenter Clarity LC by delivering expertise in ITSM, IT infrastructure, and facilities, as well as a framework to connect goals, systems and processes with a top DCIM platform.”

Nlyte Software extends DCIM SaaS offering to include virtualization

Nlyte Software announced that its DCIM Software-as-a-Service offering now fully supports virtualization hypervisor platforms from VMware, Microsoft and Citrix. The vendor lowered barrier to entry for its asset management DCIM by introducing a SaaS version several months ago. The most recent announcement means the SaaS version of Nlyte can manage the interrelationship between virtual, logical and physical layers in the data center.

“By combining virtualization support with our On-Demand SaaS offering, we are providing our subscription based customers with the most complete view of their processing and application in the context of the physical layers that support it – a critical component of true capacity planning,” said Mark Harris, vice president of marketing at Nlyte. “This amalgamation enables Nlyte On-Demand users to have the same award-winning experience that our on-premise end-users have had for years.”