WP#79 - Data Center Automation with a DCIM System

Overview

WP#79 is a Green Grid paper dated 3 January 2019, offered as a member download. It explains data center infrastructure management (DCIM) systems and automation in data centres. The author list is a long working group that includes Marina Thiry, Jay Vincent, Eric Olson, Munther Salim and Mark Seymour. This page rests only on the Green Grid library's public landing page. The paper aims to build a shared vocabulary for how DCIM is positioned in data center operations.

According to the abstract, the paper presents a DCIM functional model that incorporates automation functions for the physical environment. It treats DCIM not merely as a monitoring and inventory tool but as a set of functions that can manage the physical infrastructure automatically. The functional model gives an organisation a framework for systematically asking which capabilities it needs. The approach stresses that automation is not only about collecting sensor data but also about being able to act on it in the physical environment.

The main message has two parts: there is no one-size-fits-all DCIM solution, and DCIM can be deployed in stages, addressing the most immediate needs first. This supports a gradual roadmap instead of a single large investment. This lets organisations with different budgets and operational maturity proceed according to their own priorities. The paper is not a product comparison; it is a reference framework for functional needs analysis in system selection.

Key points

1. Dated 3 January 2019; member download.
2. Presents a DCIM functional model incorporating automation functions.
3. No one-size-fits-all DCIM solution.
4. DCIM can be deployed in stages addressing the most immediate needs first.
5. Focuses on automation functions for the physical environment.
6. Prepared by a large author group (Marina Thiry, Jay Vincent, Eric Olson, Mark Seymour and others).

Using it in design

• Export: provide asset/topology exports (racks, power chain, sensors) in a DCIM-ready format so designs can seed staged DCIM deployment.
• Prioritise DCIM needs: start with the most urgent functions and expand over time.
• At design stage, plan sensors and metering points so they supply the data that later automation functions will need.

Who should read it

Operations managers selecting or rolling out DCIM, and design teams planning data center automation.

Publication details

Authors

Marina Thiry; Jay Vincent; Eric Olson; Munther Salim; Mark Seymour; Sean Nicholson; Gerardo Alfonso; James Alvers; James Bartone; Cliff Federspiel; James Fukuda; Illamaran Gunaratnam; Ken Jackson; Veerendra Para

Publisher

The Green Grid

Year

2019

Document number

WP 79

Document language

English

Source type

Industry body

Access

Citation only

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation