The program at Data Center Dynamics Converged, in Dallas, TX this week was full of topics related to the problem of diminishing data center capacity, and the difficulty we experience as data center operators in managing this problem.
DLB Associates, representing ASHRAE TC9.9 continued its mission to socialize the expanded thermal operating guidelines for ICT, with the promise of dramatic energy savings by relaxing the environmental set points in the data center. In a similar vein, the Green Grid spoke about energy savings metrics, and the drive to recover unused capacity in the data center for energy savings.
Several DCIM vendors and enterprises with recent DCIM implementation experience were there to drive home the point about the importance of efficient management of IT assets in order to maximize and extend the productive life of the data center. These players are addressing the task of identifying stranded IT assets by integrating their facility-level analytics with tools using traditional utilization-measurement methods. The shortcoming of this approach, as we know by now, is that server utilization does not equate to value returned to the enterprise.

1E’s approach: Uniquely different

Data Center Practice Lead, Bob Landstrom, conducted a presentation covering this topic and how 1E’s technology offers a unique solution that accelerates recovery of stranded IT assets with confidence. This is accomplished with 1E’s “Useful Work” technology, which goes far beyond existing tools and techniques that rely on server utilization measurements to reveal where value is and is not being returned by the data center.
With traditional utilization measurements, we can see that the server is alive, and maybe even that it’s doing something, but we cannot tell if it is doing anything useful. The server may be executing a stuck process or simple background administrative tasks, or operating system updates, but not returning value to the Business. The Business does not invest in servers and server software for the sole purpose of running an operating system. Utilization does not equate to value.

An Innovative Solution

Instead of treating the server as a black box, 1E’s technology watches every process running on every server in the entire estate, and in real time categorizes each process as either “useful” or “non-useful.” What we then have is a clear view of where value is being returned, across the whole server estate. We have a complete accounting of our servers, and the degree to which they are doing useful data processing activity and returning value to the Business. Consequently, we automatically identify waste in real time, with the evidence allowing the operator to decommission servers with confidence.

The 1E Server Work Assessment

This is exactly what the Server Work Assessment , offered by 1E, does. The Server Work Assessment is a packaged service offering, using 1E’s unique technology to see inside the server estate and identify exactly where value is being returned to the Business. This allows the data center operator to decommission servers with confidence, and to more accurately manage resources and control virtual sprawl.