Data center infrastructure management software is a topic that I’ve strongly hesitated to touch upon, for a variety of reasons. First of all, the name alone is a mouthful! Second, I just wasn’t sure how to approach the topic. Given how much I’ve talked about data centers moving away from local resources, and onto the cloud at large, (via SaaS), I had a variety of options to choose from when approaching the topic.
I would like to explore why data center infrastructure management software is still necessary in many business sectors and industries.
SaaS is remarkably advanced, and the cloud is becoming the new datasphere for all players involved. However, there are multiple circumstances where SaaS and the cloud haven’t entirely caught up with the immediate needs of existing companies. Examples include users of supercomputers, proprietary VPNs or those with security issues that do not allow the exchange of sensitive information.
Before I list my favorite three providers, I must point out that infrastructure management, when it comes to datacenters, isn’t an actual ‘category,’ but rather a term used for a multitude of task-oriented datacenter tools.
#1 – LogicMonitor’s DataCenter Monitoring
This is a-one-size-fits-all monitoring system for datacenters. Although LogicMonitor’s DataCenter Monitoring is easy to set up and use, it is a powerful system. This is one of the more important tools for datacenters; It tracks logistics and usage information, spots technical problems and performs the heavy tasks. LogicMonitor’s DataCenter Monitoring offers active discovery, advanced monitoring, unlimited alerts over SMS and email, unlimited users and roles, a fully fleshed out API and a whole array of alarm options. These are just are just a few of the features.
LogicMonitor is designed for small and large businesses who are not cloud-centric, and for those who prefer ‘the old way’ of doing things. But, it’s also compatible with cloud data centers as well; meaning if you have a virtual data center, LogicMonitor will do just fine.
#2 – Virtual Private Data Center
This is a unifying tool. For all those wanting to build a virtual cloud data center out of an array of IT resources such as servers, dedicated machines, open-ended web services, SaaS and much more – Virtual Private Data Center is for you. It allows you to do this through a grid layer transform technique (very popular for cloud infrastructure design).
Virtual Private Data Center has its quirks, but it’s an interesting approach to the creation of small-scale cloud systems, and its accessible to all business sizes.
#3 – Windows Azure
I usually don’t point out the ‘corporate products’ from big names like Microsoft, but this one’s just too impressive not to mention. This windows-based service is great for integrating Windows server and Linux virtual machines into a solid VPN or cloud structure. Windows Azure
provides mobile, cloud, SQL and CDN functionality, as well as easy migration and dynamic media services.
It also supports website creation and web front-end infrastructure integration via ASP.NET, PHP or Node.js.
Data center infrastructure management software has transformed along with the changing role of IT. It’s an interesting new field, brought to light with the help of SaaS and the cloud. Check out the three software providers I’ve mentioned and let me know what you think.