What are DaaS providers?

DaaS is short for Desktop as a Service. It’s a cloud-based computing solution that gives you access to your desktop and remote working via the internet, regardless of where you are. As a result, third-party hosts provide one sort of desktop virtualization. A virtual desktop or hosted desktop service is another name for DaaS.

DaaS Providers

If you’re diving into cloud services to deliver your applications, a growing proportion of these apps may be hosted in the cloud. When your application needs storage, networking, and computing resources, you can host it yourself or with a service provider. But you might want to consider a third option: a DaaS provider.

DaaS providers allow on-demand access to infrastructure and app environments from a single provider, with lower costs than buying your own servers. They also provide services like load balancing, high availability, and disaster recovery if needed. In basic terms, DaaS service providers are organizations that provide desktop virtualization services as per your needs.

Why should you consider using a DaaS provider?

Data centers are a necessity in today’s digital world. But, with so many options and daas offerings, and different features, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. However, it is not hard to find the right one once you know what you want.

It can offer increased security for your managed desktop, servers and ensure your business continuity is never compromised. They can provide you with multi-factor authentication, 24/7 support, and the facilities to install a disaster recovery plan on-site. Many data centers have built-in backup power systems to keep your network running smoothly at any time of day.

Desktop as a service (DaaS) providers offer a wide range of hosted desktop solutions. Many can provide turnkey virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) implementations that support multiple users, but some also offer single-user desktops. Some providers offer additional services and management options, while others provide only essential software.

There are many reasons to consider using a DaaS provider:

• They can allow IT to focus on more strategic projects by taking over day-to-day tasks such as application and OS updates and patches.
• They can simplify the deployment of new desktops by reducing the need for manual configuration.
• They can reduce hardware costs through thin clients or zero clients.
• They can enable BYOD policies by allowing users to access their desktops from any device with an internet connection.

What are some of the benefits of using a DaaS provider?

There are numerous benefits of daas, making it an ideal solution for businesses. By adopting DaaS offerings and cloud desktop services, companies can enjoy improved scalability, enhanced data security, and simplified IT management. With DaaS solutions, businesses can seamlessly provide their workforce with flexible and secure desktop environments, reducing operational overhead and ensuring remote accessibility across various devices.

The most obvious benefit of a DaaS provider is the flexibility it allows your business. This can be particularly advantageous if you need to hire new staff quickly. You can add more desktops and operating systems whenever needed and remove them at short notice.

When you use a DaaS solution, you only pay for what you use, so there’s no need to worry about capital expenditure or over-provisioning.

The fact that desktops and operating systems are hosted offsite and accessed over the internet makes it easy for employees to work from anywhere — a definite plus in an era when remote working and cloud computing is becoming increasingly common.

Another benefit of DaaS solutions such as citrix virtual apps is that they’re easy for IT teams to manage, as the provider does all the work. The only maintenance required on your part is to keep client machines up to date and running smoothly.

Setting up a desktop virtualization solution using traditional methods can be expensive, so you may save money by using a service DaaS provider instead.

Who are the big players in the market?

Stability, security, mobility, and multi-factor authentication are all features to look for in a DaaS service provider. The following is a list of the Top Desktop as a Service (DaaS) providers in 2021:

• Amazon Web Services – workspaces
• Microsoft Azure – Windows Virtual Desktop
• Protected Harbor Desktop
• Citrix Managed Desktops
• VMware Horizon Cloud
• Cloudalize- DaaS

How to choose the best desktop as a service solution

Choosing the right managed desktop solution can be difficult. First, you should assess your business needs when deciding on the right DaaS platform. Consider whether you’re looking for a secure virtual desktop infrastructure vdi solution or need help with end-user support and remote working. Second, look into the solution’s scalability and ensure it fits your current and future IT requirements.

Finally, research the DaaS platform provider’s pricing structure and customer service to ensure that you get the best value for your budget. With this in mind, you should have no trouble finding the perfect desktop-as-a-service solution for your business so that you can leverage all benefits of daas.

Conclusion

Any of the players named above will not let you down. All of them are excellent DaaS providers. Ultimately, it comes down to which cloud services best satisfies your needs while focusing on the cost savings.

When you’re short on time and need to enable a vast workforce, it’s challenging to examine every DaaS service provider access and make an informed decision.

We leverage a unified data center in a DaaS solution like Protected Harbor Desktop to deliver desktop virtualization services to end-users over the internet, on their preferred device, and at their preferred time, and regular snapshots and incremental backups keep your essential data safe.

Protected Desktop is a cloud-based virtual desktop that provides a wholly virtualized Windows environment. Your company will incorporate highly secure with integrated multi-factor authentication and productive applications within DaaS by utilizing one of the most recent operating systems (OS). With our on-demand recovery strategy, we monitor your applications for a warning indication that may require proactive action.

Protected Harbor alleviates the problems that come with traditional, legacy IT systems. Another significant benefit of our high-quality DaaS solution is that it allows you to extend the life of your endpoint devices that would otherwise be obsolete. Set up your desktop; click.

What is a Data Center Architecture, and how to design one?

Traditional data centers consisted of multiple servers in racks and were difficult to manage. These centers required constant monitoring, patching, updating, and security verification. They also require heavy investments in power and cooling systems. Data center architects have turned to the cloud and virtualized environments to solve these issues.

However, these cloud solutions are not without their own risks. These challenges have led to a new approach to data center architecture. This article describes the benefits of a virtualized data center and how it differs from its traditional counterpart.

Types of Data Center Architecture

There are four primary types of data center architecture, each tailored to different needs: super spine mesh, mesh point of delivery (PoD), three-tier or multi-tier model, and meshwork.

1. Mesh Network System: The mesh network system facilitates data exchange among interconnected switches, forming a network fabric. It’s a cost-effective option with distributed designs, ideal for cloud services due to predictable capacity and reduced latency.
2. Three-Tier or Multi-Tier Model: This architecture features core, aggregation, and access layers, facilitating packet movement, integration of service modules, and connection to server resources. It’s widely used in enterprise data centers for its scalability and versatility.
3. Mesh Point of Delivery: The PoD design comprises leaf switches interconnected within PoDs, promoting modularity and scalability. It efficiently connects multiple PoDs and super-spine tiers, enhancing data flow for cloud applications.
4. Super Spine Mesh: Popular in hyperscale data centers, the super spine mesh includes an additional super spine layer to accommodate more spine switches. This enhances resilience and performance, making it suitable for handling massive data volumes.

Fundamentals of a Data Center Architecture

What is a data center architecture?

In simple terms, it describes how computer resources (CPUs, storage, networking, and software) are organized or arranged in a data center. As you may expect, there are almost infinite architectures. The only constraint is the number of resources a company can afford to include. Still, we usually don’t discuss data center network architecture in terms of their various permutations but rather in terms of their essential functionality.

A data center is a physical facility where data and computing equipment are stored, enabling central processing, storage, and exchange of data. Modern data center architecture involves planning how switches and servers will connect, typically during the planning and construction phases. This blueprint guides the design and construction of the building, specifying the placement of servers, storage, networking, racks, and resources. It outlines the data center networking architecture, detailing how these components will connect. Additionally, it encompasses the data center security architecture, ensuring secure operations and safeguarding data. Overall, it provides a comprehensive framework for efficient data center operations.

Today’s data centers are becoming much larger and more complex. Because of their size, the hardware requirements vary from workload to workload and even day to day. In addition, some workloads may require more memory capacity or faster processing speed than others.

In such cases, leveraging high-end devices will ensure that the TCO (total cost of ownership) is lower. But because the management and operations staff are so large, this strategy can be costly and ineffective. For this reason, it’s important to choose the right architecture for your organization.

While all data centers use virtualized servers, there are other important considerations for designing a data center. The building’s design must take into account the facilities and premises. The choice of technologies and interactions between the various hardware and software layers will ultimately affect the data center’s performance and efficiency.

For instance, a data center may need sophisticated fire suppression systems and a control center where staff can monitor server performance and the physical plant. Additionally, a data center should be designed to provide the highest levels of security and privacy.

How to Design a Data Center Architecture

The question of how to design the architecture of data center has a number of answers. Before implementing any new data center technology, owners should first define the performance parameters and establish a financial model. The design of the architecture must satisfy the performance requirements of the business.

Several considerations are necessary before starting the data center construction. First, the data center premises and facility should be considered. Then, the design should be based on the technology selection.  There should be an emphasis on availability. This is often reflected by an operational or Service Level Agreement (SLA). And, of course, the design should be cost-effective.

Another important aspect of data center design is the size of the data center itself. While the number of servers and racks may not be significant, the infrastructure components will require a significant amount of space.

For example, the mechanical and electrical equipment required by a data center will require significant space. Additionally, many organizations will need office space, an equipment yard, and IT equipment staging areas. The design must address these needs before creating a space plan.

When selecting the technology for a data center, the architect should understand the tradeoffs between cost, reliability, and scalability. It should also be flexible enough to allow for the fast deployment and support of new services or applications. Flexibility can provide a competitive advantage in the long run, so careful planning is required. A flexible data center with an advanced architecture that allows for scalability is likely to be more successful.

Considering availability is also essential it should also be secure, which means that it should be able to withstand any attacks and not be vulnerable to malicious attacks.

By using the technologies like ACL (access control list) and IDS (intrusion detection system), the data center architecture should support the business’s mission and the business objectives. The right architecture will not only increase the company’s revenue but will also be more productive.

Data center tiers:

Data centers are rated by tier to indicate expected uptime and dependability:

Tier 1 data centers have a single power and cooling line, as well as few if any, redundancy and backup components. It has a 99.671 percent projected uptime (28.8 hours of downtime annually).

Tier 2 data centers have a single power and cooling channel, as well as some redundant and backup components. It has a 99.741 percent projected uptime (22 hours of downtime annually).

Tier 3 data centers include numerous power and cooling paths, as well as procedures in place to update and maintain them without bringing them offline. It has a 99.982 percent anticipated uptime (1.6 hours of downtime annually).

Tier 4 data centers are designed to be totally fault-tolerant, with redundancy in every component. It has a 99.995 percent predicted uptime (26.3 minutes of downtime annually).

Your service level agreement (SLAs) and other variables will determine which data center tier you require.

In a data center architecture, core infrastructure services should be the priority. The latter should include data storage and network services. Traditional data centers utilize physical components for these functions. In contrast, Platform as a Service (PaaS) does not require a physical component layer.

Nevertheless, both types of technologies need a strong core infrastructure. The latter is the primary concern of most organizations, as it provides the platform for the business. DCaaS and DCIM are also a popular choice among the organizations.

Data Center as a Service (DCaaS) is a hosting service providing physical data center infrastructure and facilities to clients. DCaaS allows clients remote access to the provider’s storage, server and networking resources through a Wide-Area Network (WAN).

The convergence of IT and building facilities functions inside an enterprise is known as data center infrastructure management (DCIM). A DCIM initiative aims to give managers a comprehensive perspective of a data center’s performance so that energy, equipment, and floor space are all used as efficiently as possible.

Data Center Requirements

To achieve operational efficiency, reliability, and scalability, a data center setup must meet stringent requirements. The following are critical considerations:

1. Reliability and Redundancy– Ensuring high performance and uninterrupted services necessitates robust data center redundancy. This includes having redundant power sources, networking infrastructure, and cooling systems. Data center redundancy is crucial to mitigate the risk of downtime and maintain continuous operations.

2. Scalability– With data volumes growing exponentially, data centers must be scalable to accommodate future growth without compromising performance. Scalable infrastructure allows for seamless expansion and adaptation to increasing demands, ensuring long-term operational effectiveness.

3. Security– Data center security is paramount due to the sensitive information stored within these facilities. To protect data integrity and privacy, stringent security measures such as access controls, continuous monitoring, and encryption are essential. Robust data center security protocols help safeguard against breaches and unauthorized access.

4. Efficiency– Optimizing data center efficiency is essential for reducing operational expenses and minimizing environmental impact. Efficient energy use in data centers lowers costs and promotes sustainability. Implementing energy-efficient technologies and practices enhances overall data center efficiency, contributing to a greener operation.

By focusing on data center security, efficiency, and redundancy, organizations can ensure their data centers are well-equipped to handle current and future demands while maintaining high performance and reliability.

Conclusion

Data centers have seen significant transformations in recent years. Data center infrastructure has transitioned from on-premises servers to virtualized infrastructure that supports workloads across pools of physical infrastructure and multi-cloud environments as enterprise IT demands to continue to migrate toward on-demand services.

Two key questions remain the same regardless of which current design strategy is chosen.

• How do you manage computation, storage, and networks that are differentiated and geographically dispersed?
• How do you go about doing it safely?

Because the expense of running your own data center is too expensive and you receive no assistance, add in the cost of your on-site IT personnel once more. DCaaS and DCIM have grown in popularity.

Most organizations will benefit from DCaaS and DCIM, but keep in mind that with DCaaS, you are responsible for providing your own hardware and stack maintenance. As a result, you may require additional assistance in maintaining those.

You get the team to manage your stacks for you with DCIM. The team is responsible for the system’s overall performance, uptime, and needs, as well as its safety and security. You will receive greater support and peace of mind if you partner with the proper solution providers who understand your business and requirements.

If you’re seeking to create your data center and want to maximize uptime and efficiency, The Protected Harbor data center is a secure, hardened DCIM that offers unmatched uptime and reliability for your applications and data. This facility can operate as the brain of your data center, offering unheard-of data center stability and durability.

In addition to preventing outages, it enables your growth while providing superior security against ransomware and other attacks. For more information on how we can help create your data center while staying protected, contact us today.

Learn the Fundamentals

After the inception of the cloud in the world of technology in 2006, we saw a rise in the number of providers delivering ascendable, on-demand customizable applications for personal and professional needs. Identified nowadays as cloud computing, in most basic terms it is the delivery of IT services through the Internet including software, servers, networking, and data storage. These service providers differentiated themselves according to the kinds of services they offered, such as:

• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Desktop as a Service (DaaS)
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Cloud computing enabled an easily customizable model of strong computing power, lower service prices, larger accessibility, and convenience, in addition to the newest IT security. This motivated a large number of small and medium-sized firms to begin using cloud-based apps to perform specific tasks in their businesses.
The Cloud computing world can be a confusing place for a business, should they use DAAS, SAAS, PAAS, or something else.  As a first step we will explain each service and what is it best used for.

SaaS

SaaS or Software as a service is actually a cloud-based version of one piece of a software package (or a software package) that’s delivered to final users via the Internet. The final user or consumer does not own the app, also it is not stored on the user’s device. The consumer gets access to the application via a subscription model and generally pays for the licensing of the application.

SaaS software is simple to manage and can be used as long as one has a device with an active internet connection. One benefit is that end-users on SaaS platform do not have to worry about the frequent upgrades to the program as this is handled by the cloud hosting service provider.

DaaS

DaaS or Desktop as a service, is a subscription model service that enables businesses with efficient virtual desktops or RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). Licensed users will have access to their own applications and files anyplace and at any time. Nearly any application you are already using or intend to use can be integrated into a DaaS model. DaaS provides you any level of flexibility your little, medium, or enterprise-level business requires while still permitting you to take care of the management of your information and desktop.

In the DaaS model, the service provider is accountable for the storage, backup, and security of the information. Only a thin client is required to get the service. These clients are the end-user computer terminal only used to provide a graphical user interface to the user. Subscriber hardware cost is a minimum and accessing the virtual desktop is possible at the user’s location, device, and network.F

PaaS

Platform as a service is an application platform where a third-party provider allows a customer to use the hardware and software tools over the internet without the hassle of building and maintaining the infrastructure required to develop the application.

IaaS

Infrastructure as a service is a cloud computing service where the infrastructure is hosted by enterprises on a public and private cloud and is rented or leased saving the maintaining and operating costs of the servers.

What’s the difference?

SaaS and DaaS are both applications of cloud computing but they have their fundamental differences. In simple words, the SaaS platform focuses on making software applications available over the internet, while Desktop as a Service enables the whole desktop experience by integrating several applications and the required data to the subscriber. DaaS users only need a thin client to enjoy the services, while SaaS companies provide the services through a fat client. SaaS software users need to store and retrieve the data produced by the application themselves but DaaS users don’t have to worry about the data as the service provides is responsible for the storage/ backup of the data.

You’ll find few who will disagree that ease of use is a reason why “Software as a Service” is a staple of businesses and has risen to popularity among enterprises both large and small. As for convenience, the rollout is more effortless than that of a DaaS situation. SaaS is the more versatile option of the two, and best of all, there are very affordable options if you’re trying to pinch those pennies as a smaller entity.
One of the key components of utilizing DaaS is security, closely followed by efficiency. From a security standpoint, since information is housed in a data center it helps lend itself to increased and more reliable security, removing all the risk that comes along with data being hosted on devices themselves.

Which one’s for you?

So, you’re in all probability wondering: Should your company adopt SaaS or DaaS? Our question is why not use both? It is correct that the cloud-based SaaS business model offers the flexibility to use their features while not needing to host the applications, However, the DaaS model has its own advantages. The reality is most businesses need a hybrid solution that utilizes the capabilities of both SaaS and DaaS. Using both the services allows them to access the functionality they need to be efficient while maintaining the ease and security of having all their business and applications on one dashboard with a single sign-on, equipping staff auditing capabilities.

Ultimately, the decision to adopt SaaS or Desktop as a Service depends on your company’s specific needs and resources. It’s important to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each option and consider factors such as cost, security, and compatibility with existing systems. It may also be helpful to consult with a technology professional or service provider to determine the best option for your company.

Some additional benefits of using both SaaS and DaaS:

• Best of cloud computing world: SaaS enables dependable cloud applications, DaaS delivers full client desktop and application experience. Users lose none of the features and functionality, Dedicated servers for cloud hosting is an add-on.
• Application Integration: DaaS adds another layer to the flexibility by allowing users to integrate a large number of applications into a virtual desktop.
• Customization and Flexibility: The users can customize the application according to their requirements and the flexibility to use the applications from any device anywhere is the top feature in cloud models.
• Security and Control: DaaS permits users the choice of storing all application information, user data, etc. at their own data center, giving them full control.

Migrating your business to a DaaS or SaaS platform

Since every service provider has its own set of processes to migrate the existing businesses to a cloud platform. We cant represent everyone but generally, it’s a reasonably simple process to switch over to a cloud environment.

Contact Protected Harbor for a customized technology improvement plan that includes technologies like Protected Desktop, a DaaS service for the smaller entities which delivers the best of the solutions and aspects of Protected Harbor including 24×7 support, security, monitoring, backups, Application Outage Avoidance, and more. Similarly a Protected Full Service for the larger entities enabling remote cloud access and covering all IT costs. No two TIPs are the same as they are designed specifically for each client’s business needs, we believe that technology should help clients, not force clients to change how they work.

Data Center Risk Assessments

Data Center Risk Assessment is designed to provide IT executives and staff a deep evaluation of all of the risks associated with delivering IT service. We need monitoring system to monitor everything on datacenter for better performance.

Risk assessments include following:

Datacenter Heat monitoring

Datacenter have racks of high specification servers and those will produce high level of heat. This means server room must be equipped with cooling system with humidity sensors for monitoring. If the cooling system fail, high temperature will cause system failure and that will cause our clients.

Electricity

All electrical equipment’s needs power, UPS will help us to protect Servers and networking devices from power failure but Cooling system will not work when power lost, that will cause high temperature in server room and that will cause server failure. To avoid this we must need to use automatic backup generator so it will help cooling system work all the time while we face any power lost.

Door access

Unauthorized entry to datacenter is major concern, we must need to monitor who all entering to our datacenter. Biometric operated door will help us protect unauthorized entry.

Operations Review

We will make sure all the necessary items are monitoring and will make sure all devices are updated. We will conduct maintenance for all devices in our datacenter to provide 100% uptime for our clients. A high quality maintenance program keeps equipment in like new condition and maximize reliability performance.

Capacity management Review

Capacity management determines whether your infrastructure and services are capable of meeting your targets for capacity and performance for growth. We will assess your space, power and cooling capacity management processes.

Change Management

A robust change management system should be put in place for any activity.  The change management system should include a format review process based on well-defined and capture all activities that can occur at the datacenter. Basically any activity with real potential for impact on the data center must be formally scheduled and then approved by accountable persons.

A Look at Data Center Infrastructure Management

What is a Data Center

A data center is a physical facility that organizations use to house their critical applications and data. A data center’s design is based on a network of computing and storage resources that enable the delivery of shared applications and data. The key components of a data center design include routers, switches, firewalls, storage systems, servers, and application-delivery controllers.

Modern data centers are very different than they were just a short time ago. Infrastructure has shifted from traditional on-premises physical servers to virtual networks that support applications and workloads across pools of physical infrastructure and into a multicloud environment. In this era, data exists and is connected across multiple data centers, the edge, and public and private clouds. The data center must be able to communicate across these multiple sites, both on-premises and in the cloud. Even the public cloud is a collection of data centers. When applications are hosted in the cloud, they are using data center resources from the cloud provider.

Importance of Data centers

In the world of enterprise IT, data centers are designed to support business applications and activities that include

• Email and file sharing
• Productivity applications
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and databases
• Big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning
• Virtual desktops, communications and collaboration services

Core Components of a Data Center

A data center infrastructure\design may include

• Servers
• Computers
• Networking equipment, such as routers or switches.
• Security, such as firewall or biometric security system.
• Storage, such as storage area network (SAN) or backup/tape storage.
• Data center management software/applications.
• Application delivery controllers

These components store and manage business-critical data and applications, data center security is critical in data center design. Together, they provide:

Network infrastructure: This connects servers (physical and virtualized), data center services, storage, and external connectivity to end-user locations.

Storage infrastructure: Data is the fuel of the modern data center. Storage systems are used to hold this valuable commodity.

Computing resources: Applications are the engines of a data center. These servers provide the processing, memory, local storage, and network connectivity that drive applications.

How do data centers operate?

Data center services are typically deployed to protect the performance and integrity of the core data center components.

Network security appliances:  These include firewall and intrusion protection to safeguard the data center.

Application delivery assurance: To maintain application performance, these mechanisms provide application resiliency and availability via automatic failover and load balancing.

What is in a data center facility?

Data center components require significant infrastructure to support the center’s hardware and software. These include power subsystems, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), ventilation, cooling systems, fire suppression, backup generators, and connections to external networks.

Standards for data center infrastructure

The most widely adopted standard for data center design and data center infrastructure is ANSI/TIA-942. It includes standards for ANSI/TIA-942-ready certification, which ensures compliance with one of four categories of data center tiers rated for levels of redundancy and fault tolerance.

Tier 1: Basic site infrastructure. A Tier 1 data center offers limited protection against physical events. It has single-capacity components and a single, no redundant distribution path.

Tier 2: Redundant-capacity component site infrastructure. This data center offers improved protection against physical events. It has redundant-capacity components and a single, no redundant distribution path.

Tier 3: Concurrently maintainable site infrastructure. This data center protects against virtually all physical events, providing redundant-capacity components and multiple independent distribution paths. Each component can be removed or replaced without disrupting services to end users.

Tier 4: Fault-tolerant site infrastructure. This data center provides the highest levels of fault tolerance and redundancy. Redundant-capacity components and multiple independent distribution paths enable concurrent maintainability and one fault anywhere in the installation without causing downtime.

Types of data centers

Many types of data centers and service models are available. Their classification depends on whether they are owned by one or many organizations, how they fit (if they fit) into the topology of other data centers, what technologies they use for computing and storage, and even their energy efficiency. There are four main types of data centers:

Enterprise data centers

These are built, owned, and operated by companies and are optimized for their end users. Most often they are housed on the corporate campus.

Managed services data centers

These data centers are managed by a third party (or a managed service provider) on behalf of a company. The company leases the equipment and infrastructure instead of buying it.

Colocation data centers

In colocation (“colo”) data centers, a company rents space within a data center owned by others and located off company premises. The colocation data center hosts the infrastructure: building, cooling, bandwidth, security, etc., while the company provides and manages the components, including servers, storage, and firewalls.

Cloud data centers

In this off-premises form of data center, data and applications are hosted by a cloud services provider such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft (Azure), or IBM Cloud or other public cloud provider.

Tips to Improve Data Center Management

Data center infrastructure is an integral part of modern businesses, data center infrastructure at facilities is becoming complex to manage with dynamic landscapes. Cooling, power, space, cable – everything must run efficiently for enabling business continuity, here are some tips data centers can follow for efficient Management

Deploy DCIM Tools

Few things are more critical to data center operations best practices than an effective data center infrastructure management (DCIM) platform. Managing a data center without DCIM software is nearly impossible, knowing what’s happening in the moment and even minor problems can be extremely disruptive because they take the facility by surprise.

Implementing DCIM tools provides complete visibility into the facility’s IT infrastructure, allowing data center personnel to monitor power usage, cooling needs, and traffic demands in real time. They can also analyze historical trends to optimize deployments for better performance. With a DCIM platform in place, IT support tickets can be resolved quickly and customers can communicate their deployment needs without having to go through a complicated request process.

Optimize Data Floor Space

Deployments matter, especially when it comes to issues of power distribution and rack density. Inefficient deployments can lead to problems like wasted energy going to underutilized servers or too much heat being generated for the cooling infrastructure to manage. It is no longer possible to manage temperatures on a facility level because rack densities may vary widely, creating hot spots in one zone while another zone is cooled below the desired temperature. The layout of the data floor can be subject to quite a bit of change, especially in a colocation facility where new servers are being deployed on a regular basis. Data centers need to be aware of how every piece of equipment on the data floor interacts with the others in order to optimize the environment efficiently. Installing a network of temperature sensors across the data center helps ensure that all equipment is operating within the recommended temperature range. By sensing temperatures at multiple locations the airflow and cooling capacity of the precision cooling units can be more precisely controlled, resulting in more efficient operation.

With power densities and energy costs both rising, the ability to monitor energy consumption is essential for effective data center management. To gain a comprehensive picture of data center power consumption, power should be monitored at the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), the room Power Distribution Unit (PDU) and within the rack. Measurements taken at the UPS provide a base measure of data center energy consumption that can be used to calculate Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and identify energy consumption trends. Monitoring the room PDU prevents overload conditions at the PDU and helps ensure power is distributed evenly across the facility.

With increasing densities, a single rack can now support the same computing capacity that used to require an entire room. Visibility into conditions in the rack can help prevent many of the most common threats to rack-based equipment, including accidental or malicious tampering, and the presence of water, smoke and excess humidity or temperature. A rack monitoring unit can be configured to trigger alarms when rack doors are opened, when water or smoke is detected, or when temperature or humidity thresholds are exceeded, these can be connected to a central monitoring system for efficient monitoring.

In addition to constantly monitoring the data floor’s power, floor density and cooling needs, data center standards should approach every deployment with an eye toward efficiency and performance. The challenge is to deliver the optimal IT infrastructure setup for each customer without compromising performance elsewhere on the data floor. DCIM software, with its accumulated data on power and cooling usage, can help to ensure that every colocation customer is getting the most efficient deployment possible while also maintaining the overall health of the data center’s infrastructure.

Organize Cabling

Data centers necessarily use quite a lot of cable. Whether it’s bulky power cables or fiber-optic network cables, the facility must find ways to manage all that cabling effectively to make sure it all goes to the proper ports. While messy, unstructured cabling might be a viable solution for a very small on-premises data room in a private office, it’s completely unsuitable, and even dangerous, for even the smallest data centers. Cabling used in scalable infrastructure must be highly structured and organized if IT personnel are going to have any hope of managing it all.

Some of the Best practices are as follows

• Run cables to the sides of server racks to ease adding or removing servers from the shelf.
• Bundle cables together to conveniently connect the next piece of hardware down to the floor in data centers with elevated floors or up to the ceiling in data centers with wires that run through the ceiling.
• Plan in advance for installing additional hardware. Disorganized cabling can interfere with air circulation and cooling patterns. Planning prevents damages due to quickly rising temperatures caused by restricted air movement.
• Label cables securely on each end. This labeling process enables you to conveniently locate cables for testing or repair, install new equipment, or remove extra cables after equipment has been moved or upgraded, which saves time and money.
• Color code cables for quick identification. Choose a color scheme that works for you and your team. It may be wise to put up a legend signifying the meaning of the colors of each cable. You may also color-code the cable’s destination, especially for larger installations across floors or offices.

Poorly organized cabling is not only messy and difficult to work with, but it can also create serious problems in a data center environment. Too many cables in a confined space can restrict air flow, putting more strain on both computing equipment and the facility’s cooling infrastructure. Inefficient cabling can also place unnecessary restrictions on deployments, which can make power distribution inefficiencies even worse.

Cycle Equipment

Computer technology advances quickly. While the typical lifecycle of a server is about three to five years, more efficient designs that allow data centers to maximize their space and power usage can often make a piece of equipment obsolete before its lifecycle would otherwise suggest. With many data center standards pushing toward increased virtualization, there is a powerful incentive to replace older, less efficient servers.

But data centers don’t just need to think about cycling computing equipment. Power distribution units (PDUs), air handlers, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) batteries all have an expected lifespan. Replacing these infrastructure elements on a regular schedule or controlled monitoring cycle allows facilities to maximize the efficiency of their data center operations and deliver superior performance to colocation customers.

By implementing a number of best practices, data centers can significantly improve their operations in terms of efficiency and performance. Colocation customers and MSP partners stand to benefit immensely from these practices, reaping the benefits of reduced energy costs and a more robust, reliable IT infrastructure.

Perform Routine Maintenance

Regular or routine maintenance schedules will cut down on hardware failures, at the least allowing technicians to prepare for a problem before it happens, Routine maintenance includes checking operational hardware, identifying problematic equipment, performing regular data backups and monitoring outlying equipment. Preventative maintenance can mean the difference between minor issues and a complete hardware failure.

When implemented effectively, data center infrastructure management can deliver value not only to data center providers but also extend it to their customers. Not only will it enable improved operations, greater agility, and lowered risk, it also accelerates tasks to focus on enhanced data center systems and approaches.

Value of DCIM – Data Center Infrastructure Management

Data Center, in general people think it is a place where Data is being stored which is correct but there is a lot that an end user does not see or know is happening inside. A data center technician is responsible for tasks that are divided into several categories and assigned according to their skillset. Since the functionality of any application or program depends on how well a Data Center is being managed that is why its management becomes a critical part for the people involved in it. We can also refer Data Center as heart of the current IT Industry which is holding it together to provide services people need.

When it comes to know about the values that Data Center Infrastructure Management provides, we need to understand every aspect of the terms that is used to define the complete status of a Data Center starting from Deployment and till Maintenance. In other words, it can be categorized into 5 different area of focus:

1. Capacity Planning
2. Asset Management
3. Power Monitoring
4. Environmental Monitoring
5. Change Management

Let us take an example here to understand all these terms in general: Assume a fully functional Data Center is going to get a new client which will be supported by the existing Datacenter. In this case before the client get onboarded the planning starts for the additional hardware/networking that will be required to accomplish this. This is when Asset management and Capacity Planning comes in handy. Since capacity planning is done to make sure to collect the data which is going to play an important role while buying the additional equipment. Data received from Capacity Planning is used to optimize the current IT Asset layout. When it comes to Asset Management it is a method to centrally manage the assets inside a data center including where a particular asset is located, how it is connected in relation to other assets, who owns it and maintenance coverage information.

Power Monitoring will define the total power requirement of this new client along with the current power capacity of the existing data center. In case the power requirement is more than the available value, new hardware will be added to support the new equipment. It gives a Data Center ability to investigate the entire power chain from generator down to a specific outlet on an intelligent cabinet PDU which will help in the diagnosis of any potential problems, balance power capacity across our facility, understand trend and receive alerts when problem arise with the help of proper sensors monitoring these values constantly.

Environmental monitoring enables us to capture data on Temperature, Pressure, Humidity and Air flow throughout the Data Center. Since these factors can impact the equipment severely, it is necessary to round the clock monitoring without failing. Now the importance of this factor is crucial since the behavior of the hardware will change and will interrupt the normal operations.

Change management creates an automated process for move, add and change work with real time tracking of work orders. This improves employee productivity, creates a repeatable streamlined process, and assist with compliance.

Selecting DCIM hardware and Software to meet our specific requirement can be challenging. Establishing a hardware roadmap and a business process is essential to achieve in a return on investment(ROI) with a decent solution. Once these are calculated, the requirements of different departments are addressed, and that the proper hardware foundation is in place to enable a smart, decent deployment.

DCIM also solve the challenges in project deployment facility assessment and controlled repeatability. Going through all these factors one can clearly see the importance of DCIM in current Information Technology requirement and how much values it brings to maintain a Data Center successfully and overcome all the challenges that may arise in the process.

Tips to Manage Data Center build for Enterprise-Scale Software

We’re all trying to improve ourselves and our companies. Start-ups aim to become a Mid-Level Company and a Mid-Level Company to become a Major Company. They want to expand into a global company, and so on. It is important to evolve how we handle our current and new data centers as our businesses expand.

The pandemic slowed us down earlier but also created a huge demand for more remote servers and software to help better the situation. the companies have shifted their office work to the remote. This has become important due to the ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus and the spike in death tolls. According to Worldometer, the number of people infected with the Coronavirus has grown to more than 114 million, with more than 2.4 million deaths. This is the stat as of March 02, 2021. To cut the cost and to be able to grow without expanding their staff numbers, companies have huge pressure on how to cope up. This requires huge changes in data centers to make them efficient. Growing software demands even during pandemic demand us to be smart and create smart data centers. Here at Protected Harbor, we create data centers that can host multiple parts of single huge enterprise software with ease and almost no downtime.

Even maintenance of these data centers has minimum impact on this software because we make all the new changes in development and only shift anything to production once after deep testing. We perform this maintenance during the weekend preferably Sunday evening and that is usually done in just a few minutes.

We can categorize all these measures we take into these –

Analyze

First and foremost, perform a complete analysis of the budget, the requirement, and then what would be the most cost-efficient method to build the data center without compromising performance. Points to remember during the analysis. Disaster recovery means what downtime is expected and how it would affect the client experience. Depending on the business of the customers they can be categorized and assigned a data center customized and build just for them or for customers exactly like them along with them.

Plan

Once the analysis is done following the most appropriate approach for the customers, the next step is planning the layout and detailed configuration of the data center to be able to hold huge enterprise software. Planning includes size determination, the nomenclature of the servers, and Virtual machines inside it, disk and memory allocation, temperature to maintain, sensors to install, and settings.

Automation and AI

This is not a stage but a very important approach to maximize efficiency. Automation to perform tasks to avoid increasing staff to monitor various parts of the data center is critical for providing the best services to the customers without increasing overall cost. Artificial Intelligence on the other hand can be even more efficient as it can read the statistics and help configure the setting even better to match the needs. Hence, saving production cost of the data center while improving performance.

Climate Control using Sensors

Another important tip will be to control the temperature around and in the data center. The recommended temperature needs to be set at all times in the data center to avoid damages. If a single component gets damaged it can result in complete failure of the system and thus resulting in the customer not able to work. Reputation risk is huge in this case. This demands smart sensors be installed.

Go hybrid

The term “hybrid data center” refers to a data center with a combination of computing and storage environments. So the tip is to take advantage by combining on-premises data centers, private cloud, and/or public cloud platforms in a hybrid IT computing setting, enabling different businesses we run and our clients to adapt rapidly to evolving demands.

Maintain

This is the most important part of the process. Yes, the foundation of the center is important like analysis, planning, and following tips but managing the data center can result in it irreversible corruption, failures, and extended period of downtime. It is important to plan the maintenance process as well. Setting up calendar events for daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance of the data center is the key. Always keep an eye on the data and operations in both structures and places at all times.

Along with the stages and tips to managed an Enterprise software ready Datacenter, there are some other important tips to keep in mind for better results.

Use custom built in house software to manage rather than depending on licenses and vendors.

Licensing tools are mostly used by tech giants to collect data on device installation and use. They are one-time-only and do not allow for further refinement, with others only offering knowledge that is beneficial to the seller. They would not assist us in optimizing your licensing. To control data center licenses, you’ll need solutions that are tailored to and climate and challenge.

Partnering with Vendors

This is another great tip that can cut costs while providing possibilities to customize the tools based on our requirements. Following this multiple features can be integrated into a single appliance.

To summarize these are the steps to manage an enterprise-ready datacenter, research on the latest and greatest methods and efficient tools. Then consider ways to make the data center more energy and space-efficient, or how to make better use of current facilities. After that comes the detailed plan layout. Specific details about the location, allocation, and the complete blueprint of the data center need to be put together. Then execution and maintenance.