Roundup: Nimsoft DCIM, Akamai, Phoenix NAP

Here’s our review of some of today’s noteworthy links for the data center industry:

Nimsoft ecoMeter DCIM solution.  Nimsoft announced ecoMeter, a rapidly deployable Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solution that can enable IT organizations and service providers to increase efficiency, achieve greater availability and better leverage available power and cooling capacity. Giving a unified view of energy consumption the eocMeer collects real-time energy data from data center and IT infrastructure to identify hot spots, alert users to problems, and report on consumption trends. The multi-tenant Nimsoft SaaS model is also highly appealing to service providers that require elasticity of scale and cost in order to respond to constantly changing client engagements. "The Nimsoft platform makes it easier for customers to modularly add new IT Management-as-a-Service capabilities as we make them available,” said Chris O’Malley, Nimsoft CEO. “Sourcing these management capabilities from the cloud allows them to drive down costs—even as they improve their ability to deliver reliable services and respond adaptively to the changing needs of the business.”

Akamai launches Aura Network Solutions. Akamai Technologies (AKAM) announced the launch of its Aura Network Solutions, a line of managed and licensed content delivery network (CDN) offerings designed for operators seeking to monetize their traffic and reduce network costs. The solutions are planned for both fixed line and mobile network operators. Content providers looking to CDN technology want to provide a superior Quality of Experience (QoE) for subscribers, and reduce network infrastructure costs. Operators are also looking to provide federated CDN services directly to third party content owners on both fixed and mobile networks. Aura Network Solutions provide network operators with a common infrastructure to deliver their "owned" content as well as sell CDN services to third-party content owners. "As consumers continue to adopt a wide array of IP-connected devices, both fixed and mobile network operators need solutions to cope with the traffic growth," said Melanie Posey, Research Vice President, IDC. "Leading network operators are actively pursuing solutions that allow them to manage their networks more efficiently, while also responding with new services that can drive consumer loyalty and revenue growth. Operator CDNs are emerging as a high priority element of network operators' strategies to support the delivery of all content and applications - their own services as well as those from over-the-top providers. Enablement of on-net/off-net delivery - a key concern of network operators with their own content businesses – requires federation, a key part of the operator CDN value proposition."

Phoenix NAP completes SOC audit and PCI DSS v2 assessment. Phoenix NAP announced that it successfully completed a Service Organization Controls (SOC) 2, Type 2 audit. Additionally, Phoenix NAP has retained its status as a Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Validated Services Provider after Coalfire Systems, Inc., a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) completed its independent audit. "Completing our Service Organization Controls audit showcases Phoenix NAP's continued focus on security and controls over our data center operations and provides current and future customers that that our policies and control measures are in line with industry standards," said Ian McClarty, Phoenix NAP president. "We take pride in providing the utmost in security to not only current clients, but potential future ones as well and are pleased to have achieved an unqualified opinion on our most recent Service Organization Controls (SOC), Type 2 audit."