DCIM Asset Management- The Simple Answer is Flexibility
                     DCIM ASSET MANAGEM
EThe NSimpTle Answer is Flexibility
There are many approaches in Data Center Infrastructure 
Management (DCIM) for managing assets — and many 
application choices. Understanding the difference in 
functionality can seem challenging, but the focus should be 
on finding a flexible method that can adapt to your needs.
Some essential core functions are expected from any asset 
management tool – floor plans, rack elevations, and 
customized fields are good examples for minimal thresholds. 
But, looking at multiple asset management solutions, what 
capability makes one stand out from another? What 
functionality makes asset management the most useful? The 
simple answer is flexibility—the ability to choose an 
approach initially and change it if your needs change.
What does flexibility mean in the context of asset 
management? A foresight for providing mechanisms and 
options that can perform a given task in multiple ways and 
allow you to select an approach that works best with your 
needs.
Even the most mundane features should adapt to your needs 
and simplify your tasks – like a flexible system of customized 
fields and multiple, advanced data types. Not just strings, 
numbers, and dates, but a rich selection of data types, including 
colors, Enums (An enumerated list of values the user chooses to 
ensure data consistency), organizations, and others. And 
beyond data types, the user can decide when the fields appear. 
Without this rigor, every asset you view becomes cluttered with 
all the custom data fields you have created. 
Another consideration is flexibility in how you model your 
assets. For example, consider a rack server. You should be able 
to track it as a simple single asset with values like RAM being a 
field on the asset. However, you should also be able to track the 
server as a fully detailed asset that can see the individual RAM 
slots and installed modules in each slot, with serial numbers, 
install dates, and enforcement of things like compatibility. These 
options and the ability to change the modeling approach at a 
future point can set a solution apart – by ensuring you are not 
captive to one method that cannot adapt or scale according to 
your ever-developing needs.
THE MOST COMPLEX 
CHALLENGE IS FLEXIBILITY IN 
HOW YOUR ASSETS RELATE 
TO YOUR MONITORED 
DEVICES.
Consider that you have a circuit panel, attached BCM monitor 
and CTs, an upstream PDU, and all the contained breakers. 
Each of these is an asset in your inventory. Yet to provide a 
clear overview of your asset states, the data from various 
communication devices must be combined across assets. For 
example – the circuit panel status is a combination of the load 
data from the BCM monitor, but the upstream PDU may provide 
the voltage if the BCM monitor does not support a voltage tap. 
You want to ensure flexibility in defining these relationships. A 
well-thought-out system is also flexible enough to provide 
mathematically derived values when no monitoring is available 
– but that is a discussion for our next blog on power 
management solutions.
  THANK 
YOU