When it Comes to DCIM, Three is a Magic Number for StruxureWare for Data Centers

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Gartner recently published its third annual Magic Quadrant for Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Tools. Whilst the analyst is always at pains to point out that it does not endorse vendors, products or services depicted in these reports, Gartner has now highlighted Schneider Electric as a leader for three years in a row for its DCIM software suite.

For millennia, much has been made of the number three. However, instead of mystical powers, Schneider Electric’s position on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for DCIM is in fact based on fifteen inclusion criteria which the analyst adjusts as market change.  Gartner analysts evaluate vendors based upon their Ability to Execute as well as their Completeness of Vision.

Gartner base their evaluations on a variety of sources, from vendor interviews, briefings and product demonstrations to customer references, surveys and information in the public domain. To be considered for assessment, vendors have to have viable products and go-to-market strategies in the DCIM market. Their offer must meet the Gartner definition of a DCIM tool which must monitor, measure, manage and sometimes control resources and energy consumption of IT-related equipment and facility infrastructure components specifically in data centers.

DCIM tools assist data center and facilities managers to continuously optimize data center power, cooling and space constraints to reduce operating expenses and/ or increase resource utilization. Gartner say that while the primary adopters of DCIM are large enterprises, managed service providers and colocation data center service providers, smaller organizations can also benefit from deploying certain DCIM capabilities.

In addition, says the analyst, CIOs, CTOs, data center managers and infrastructure and operations leaders will find the operational benefits of DCIM to be very compelling. Since the cost of DCIM tools represents only and small percentage of the total cost of ownership for a data center, all organizations that have even a moderate sized facility should consider investing.

Schneider Electric participates in the DCIM market with StruxureWare for Data Centers, a modularized integrated suite of applications which includes a base platform – StruxureWare Data Center Operations – as well as 10 modules to add functionality. We have a flexible pricing structure and strategy for StruxureWare. Read the Gartner report to learn more.

Gartner Magic Quadrants offer what the analyst calls “a market snapshot” which can be useful in enabling users to map vendor strengths to organizational needs. In its latest Magic Quadrant for Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Tools report Gartner names Schneider Electric a Leader. We believe this is based on our large scale data center solution deployments and strong revenue base to sustain investment in our DCIM product and market development.

Evidence of Schneider Electric’s capacity for innovation can be seen in the recent announcement of StruxureOn – a game changing digital service connects data center physical infrastructure assets to the Schneider Electric cloud. This IoT-based approach enables DCIM-style insights into system performance, and maintenance and service requirements via a smartphone app. StruxureOn uses data-driven analytics to proactively report potential failures. It is felt that the cloud-based service will help companies to experience and evaluate the benefits of DCIM prior to investing in a wider roll-out of the technology.

To download a personal copy of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Tools, please click the link.

Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Center Infrastructure Management Tools, April Adams, David J Cappuccio, Neha Kumar, Tiny Haynes, 10 October 2016

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose