I recently spoke with a Data Centre Manager at a financial services firm who shared his challenges which had come down from his Management to show how he was maximising the return on investment in his colocation Data Centre suites. He went on to describe how hidden costs, inefficient asset utilisation, and manual processes can quietly undermine the value of these investments, leaving him and many organisations frustrated. After further questioning it became clear that lack of visibility of the systems that are running in the Data Centre and the tools they did have were standalone, so were unable to provide a single pane of glass view without a lot of integration using custom scripts.
He explained that their business initially struggled with limited visibility into his IT assets performance and power consumption. This made it difficult to optimise rack usage or plan for future growth. Manual tracking of equipment and managing moves, adds, and changes across racks and suites was time-consuming and prone to errors. Fragmented management led to unnecessary expenditure and compliance headaches, especially in multi-tenant environments.
To tackle these issues, the business developed a strategy and a project to implement an advanced Data Centre Infrastructure Management solution. The first step was implement real-time monitoring tools, which provided instant insight into power, cooling, and asset utilisation within each of his Data Halls.
Automated asset tracking replaced error prone manual spreadsheets, reducing manual effort and minimising errors. Centralised dashboards allowed the team to manage their environment far more efficiently, whether it was a single rack or an entire suite.
Using predictive analytics that were integrated, helped to identify inefficiencies and forecast future needs, helping the Data Centre Team, and the business avoid over-provisioning and ensuring they only paid for what was truly needed. Power and cooling management tools optimised energy usage, resulting in cost savings. Compliance and security features provided audit trails and access controls, supporting regulatory requirements and peace of mind.
The manager reported that these changes have been transformative. The business now enjoys complete visibility and control over its colocation environment, unlocking hidden value and maximising ROI. Operational workflows are streamlined, downtime has been reduced, and the team can focus on strategic initiatives rather than constant firefighting.
This story highlights the importance of visibility, automation, and strategic management in unlocking the full potential of your colocation Data Centre investments. With the right tools and approach, businesses can overcome hidden costs and achieve measurable improvements in efficiency, compliance, and overall value.
BARM has successfully helped organisation implement tooling to help with monitoring and managing their systems to include IT and Facility system that were integrated to provide a single view of their systems and costs. Using BARM’s DCIM Advisory service we can help provide you with the art of the possible and demonstrate that visibility of how your systems can be achieved efficiently.
This has been a thought leadership piece on BARM’s advisory support services to provide visibility to effectively monitor and manage your IT and Facility site, providing a single ‘pane of glass’ view of your whole estate.
If you are running your own Data Centre or utilise the services of a Data Centre Service Provider and want to better manage your environment and/or save costs then reach out to us to share your concerns and let us show you how we save you money. Contact BARM.