Distributed Infrastructure Management (DIM) can often be a lifeline for many businesses working with highly critical Information and Communications.
Technology (ICT) infrastructure and power sources. The concept of DIM can be described as taking the important components of ICT and power and having more control over them in case there is a system failure.
A Gartner report in 2014 found that the average cost of network downtime for businesses in general is $ 5,600 per minute. It covers a wide range of industries and sectors, most of which rely heavily on power and data, such as the mining and telco industries which are often the hardest hit.
When it comes to specific industries, a report from Senseye found that unplanned downtime levels are highest in the automotive sector, where plants lose 29 hours of production a month, on average, in amounting to $ 1.3 million per hour.
This is why it is so important for DIM to be fully utilized in the best possible way, and to do so, businesses need effective power management software and systems.
The importance of sound DIM systems is not emphasized enough because if assets or data centers are lost due to a power event, then there is an increased risk to business continuity which in some cases could be catastrophic. . A notable loss came with the Amazon Web Services crash in March 2017, in which the company lost an estimated $ 150-$ 160 million due to downtime.
Data centers, mining, and telco companies that maintain many critical ICT and infrastructure sites in remote locations can rely primarily on DIM software to gain an integrated view of their on-site infrastructure and dynamically allocate resources remotely or from a central location.
Eaton’s Visual Power Manager (VPM) software is Eaton’s core DIM software and seeks to solve many of the aforementioned issues that organizations face every day. Part of Eaton’s Brightlayer Data Center Suite, the technology gives ICT managers of data centers, edge computing and distributed ICT environments in multiple sectors the tools to remotely monitor a wide range of power chain assets such as switches, rack PDUs, UPS, DCUPS and large facility equipment.
It helps businesses monitor power equipment, provide predefined and custom reports, initiate mass firmware and configuration commands and deliver a visual layout of their data center and ICT environment, making it simple to stay consistent with trends in their environment while identifying and resolving any issues.
If, for example, a major breakdown occurs, Eaton’s VPM will alert and notify in a clear way which areas need attention and will allow for diagnostics and allocation to keep critical infrastructure functioning. Each element is monitored and recorded for the latest power analysis.
Remote access is essential to quick action when something goes wrong, and Eaton’s VPM allows clients to review their power assets in one dashboard and manage all devices from a remote location.
VPM also improves scalability, maintains fast data interpretation and evaluates the entire power system to assist and enhance growth. The technology can also be tailored to suit business needs, creating more efficient solutions that are more economical.
Eaton software also has the added bonus of vendor agnosticism, and can be easily integrated with third party software such as ServiceNow, Remedy.
Eaton offers two levels of highly scalable VPM licenses, designed to suit a variety of ICT operations and environments.
VPM Essential is a self-installable, subscription-based model that offers users essential power management capabilities in a simplified interface, and VPM Professional offers ICT Managers the ability to see infrastructures with location-based asset management and analytics to take necessary actions for continuous uptime of critical applications.
A full list of key VPM features includes:
- Real-time alarms to assist in monitoring power infrastructure
- Reduce risks through reports, trends and dashboards
- Remote access to monitor and control your devices from anywhere
- Customizable user access for multitenancy and feature access limits
- Control PDU outlet racks and UPS load segments
- View outlet and rack power capacity, as well as power events
- See phase balancing at rack level
- Predefined trend charts for anomaly identification and analysis
- Simplified budget planning with integrated battery replacement reports
See a demonstration of VPM here.
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