As a top IT pro in the data center, you’re probably
chuckling because you actually know the answer to that question!
When it boils down to Data Center Infrastructure Management
(DCIM) monitoring your equipment is just not enough. Even the most organized IT
manager has innumerable sticky notes papering their walls. Accompanied with a host of homegrown
spreadsheets dedicated to organizing the long lists of IP addresses, passwords,
and multivendor equipment information you need to access and control your IT infrastructure
smoothly, on a daily basis. And that
makes perfect sense – those IP addresses and passwords are things you need at
your fingertips on a moment’s notice – no time to search for them when
something goes wrong.
Chances are, you’ve been through this nightmare scenario
before: IT is notified of an issue. The
first course of action is to open the spreadsheet, locate the name of the
server, and copy and paste its IP address, password and user name info. This
can require opening and closing numerous browsers and applications – something
that takes dozens of mouse clicks and many minutes – before a device can be
found and accessed. Once the device is
located, you’ve got to fix the problem. You may go for an RDP session and fail,
attempt a KVM-over-IP connection, or even worse – need to force a reboot
through the PDU, each of which starts the copy and paste process all over
again. This kind of downtime adds up. Over a typical shift, the wasted minutes
can easily turn to wasted hours of valuable work time just searching for the
right information.
What you need in order to safe guard your DCIM system, is a
central access console, a singular control panel, where you can see and capably
manage all of your computing resources no matter where they are physically
located –from the network closet to an off-site data center to a co-location
facility in another city or state. - But make sure to choose the right
solution!
Here is a checklist you should use when selecting a remote
access management (RAM) solution that will strategically fit your DCIM system in
place. Ask yourself if the solution does all seven of these things:
- Supports a wide range of vendors: Select a solution that
prevents vendor lock-in; make sure it supports all the equipment acquired over
the years and offers the ability to add any brand of IT equipment – PDU, IP KVM
switch, console server, or other network device in an unlimited array of vendor
options.
- Integrates in-band and out-of-band access options: A
seamless combination of the two means, even if the blue screen of death
appears, crashed servers can be restarted and downtime minimized with one-click
KVM over IP access from the same pane of glass used for everyday maintenance.
- Simplifies access: What makes a remote access solution truly
powerful is a combination of one user interface, one url and one set of
security rules. When it comes to remote
access management as part of DCIM, simplicity is king.
- Provides seamless access to power control: The only way to
avoid disastrous mistakes like rebooting the wrong server is to have full
control of the PDU from within the remote access management solution’s user
interface.
- Maximizes tools that have already been deployed: Don’t throw
out what works! A must-have in remote
access management is the ability for the IT staff to continue to use the
existing remote access tools they find most effective and comfortable under a
larger, more efficient and secure remote access umbrella.
- Overcomes implementation challenges: Look for a solution
that can be installed in hours – not a month and not a week.
- Increases IT efficiency while maintaining security: Select a
secure remote access solution that authenticates users with the organization’s
own active directory, assigning user names and passwords created according to
profile and task assignment.
What this all means is that Remote Access Management and
Data Center Infrastructure Management are inextricably linked! Or in other
words - if you don’t have a RAM, you really don’t have
DCIM.
And if that’s not enough, just think how nice your wall will
look without all those post-its on it...