The importance of data center life cycle management

One of the biggest challenges for data center professionals is managing the life cycle of data center equipment in a way that optimizes performance while reducing downtime.

There is a lot to keep track of in a data center – servers, power and cooling equipment, power supply equipment, and much more. A busy IT department being pulled in multiple directions could easily lose track of equipment until it ages and eventually fails. The end result can be lost business.

That potentially costly fate can be avoided by applying life cycle management tools, services and principles to the data center. An experienced data center products and services vendor can help data center owners keep their facilities operating and serving the business at a reasonable cost.

The complexity of the modern data center can make the notion of life cycle management somewhat complex and intimidating. That’s why Schneider Electric has created a model that breaks data center life cycle services into five stages: Assess, Plan, Design, Build, and Operate. All are important, and thus it’s important to do all well.

While assessments should be ongoing and thorough – covering safety, security, capability across systems as well as the status of physical equipment such as power and cooling systems and buildings – an initial assessment by a life cycle services vendor can identify availability and capacity issues and potential ways to save on energy costs. And once you have effective data center life cycle management practices and processes in place, the savings from reducing energy costs are ongoing.

Whether you’re planning a data center expansion or need to build a new one, Schneider Electric can help customers determine architecture needs, assess space and find locations while meeting regulatory compliance and sustainability requirements.

In the design phase, Schneider Electric offers customers an extensive
library of physical infrastructure designs for data centers including power
and cooling systems, racks, environmental monitoring, physical security and
DCIM. This translates into faster construction and expansion at a lower cost because nobody has to reinvent the wheel. (Here are details of Schneider Electric’s design services.)

The best design plans in the world won’t matter if there are mistakes in construction. Schneider provides services for the building phase that include construction supervision, hardware integration, DCIM software installation and technical training.

A data center’s real value lies in its ability to support and enable the business on a day-to-day basis. Keeping a large data center running 24/7 involves a comprehensive set of services such as equipment monitoring and diagnostics, emergency preparedness, safety training, asset management, efficiency optimization and, of course, life cycle management.

In a recent survey by TechValidate, customers cited several challenges solved by Schneider Electric’s data center life cycle services. Topping the list were “eased operation” (50% of respondents) and “solved your technical challenge” (44%), while another 20% said they were able to reduce capital or operating costs.

Unlike many data center services vendors that specialize in one specific area such as design, Schneider Electric has experience and expertise in all five elements crucial to effective data center life cycle management: Assess, Plan, Design, Build, and Operate.

While providing services, Schneider Electric also leverages a software platform designed to optimize energy performance across the enterprise. Called StruxureWare, this powerful tool increases the accuracy and efficiency of assessments, monitoring, asset management, and optimization services.

Schneider Electric’s multidimensional life cycle management expertise is gaining recognition among enterprises seeking data center vendors. In the recent TechValidate survey, respondents cited a wide range of data center life cycle services it would consider from Schneider Electric in the future, including maintain, monitor, design, optimize, plan, build, operate and assess. This reflects confidence in Schneider Electric’s comprehensive, holistic approach to data centers, as well as its decades of experience.

As one survey respondent from a healthcare company commented, “I’ve personally learned more about data center infrastructure from Schneider than from any other source.”

Learn more about StruxureWare here.

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