With the data center at a critical stage in its evolution, Emerson Network Power has released a white paper that provides IT and data center managers with best practices for moving toward a holistic approach to data center management that rises above organizational, system-level silos while optimizing the interaction of people, process, and technology to achieve true operational efficiency.
The white paper titled, “Integrating People, Process and Technology to Transform Data Center Operations and Performance,” takes a closer look at the constraints preventing organizations from optimizing data center performance and efficiency, and it provides a clear path for overcoming them through the better utilization of people, process and technology.
“As the world becomes more social, mobile and cloud-based, organizations looking to use technology to support and spur growth face a dual challenge of fixing the problems of the past while simultaneously preparing for the future,” said Peter Panfil, vice president of global power, Emerson Network Power. “No single technology, skill set or process change can remove all the constraints that prevent organizations from optimizing data center performance and efficiency. But when people, process and technology are addressed through a systematic review and evolution of data center management skills, processes and technology challenges of each can be effectively overcome.”
The Emerson Network Power white paper examines the factors contributing to an inefficient IT infrastructure that cannot respond quickly to change and is vulnerable to downtime. These factors include low operational efficiency, insufficient asset visibility, low resource utilization and inefficient change management. The paper also takes a look at the best practices and technologies employed to overcome these factors and help optimize data center performance and efficiency.
Lastly, the paper offers IT and data center managers clear steps to embark on a holistic approach that integrates people, process and technology. Steps include:
Review existing data center processes, including planning, commissioning, deployment and service to identify opportunities for automation and areas where necessary data or skills are creating inefficiencies in light of new technologies now available.
Analyze the skill set of the data center management team given future requirements to identify opportunities for collaboration and areas where internal skills need to be supplemented with new hires or outside resources.
Review current infrastructure technologies and configurations for their ability to meet efficiency, availability and scalability goals.
Ensure the foundation for effective management is in place in the form of an up-to-date visual model of the data center and centralized monitoring of infrastructure systems.
