CS_QTA

Top DCIM Evaluation Questions To Ask

When Evaluating Data Center Infrastructure Management Solution (DCIM) or an IT Infrastructure Management System (ITIM) we think these are key questions you should ask, both yourself and your supplier to assist in your DCIM evaluation.

Ask the Vendor

☺How many years has the vendor been selling the solution, is this a new entry or a well established solution?

☺Does the vendor really manufacture and sell the solution to encourage you to become locked into their other
equipment or are they truly independent of influence?

☺What success has the vendor has across industries?

☺If the vendor also sells hardware, have they sold to customers that do not use their hardware?

☺Does the system provide scalability & flexibility; will it meet your needs in three years time?

☺Is it easy to document/retrofit to existing installations?

☺What kind of maintenance/skills/training does the system require?

☺Does the vendor support the system in all countries your company operates in?

☺How much does the system cost? What is the ROI(Return on Investment)?

☺What future enhancement does the vendor plan for the product?

☺What level of self-discovery does the system have? Can it automatically discover network changes?

Solution Implementation

☺Does the solution come with a broad, multi-manufacturer set of equipment templates?

☺Will the system let you configure the information elements you want to store or are you limited to a fixed or
limited configuration set supplied by the vendor?

☺Does the system support Auto CAD, Visio and picture format import of floor plans?

☺Is there full support for XL, CSV format import and export of data?

☺Is the system flexible enough to support your preferred process and work practices?

☺Will the solution manage any type of IT equipment and in fact non IT equipment if required?
The data center) or can it manage work-areas and campus environments as well?

☺Does it manage every aspect of the IT environment including power and data connectivity, all equipment,
locations, spaces, racks, desks, conduits, loads and capacities?

☺Are all aspects of the system user configurable, or does it require the vendor to make the change?

☺Does the solution support an inbuilt scripting language (at no extra cost) to allow you to extent the systems
abilities yourself?

☺Does the system support a user configurable MIB database and full read/write SNMP/WMI scripting (at no
extra cost)?

☺What level of self-discovery does the system have? Can it automatically discover network changes?

Using the System

☺Does the system have an intuitive GUI for normal users who will be using the system infrequently?

☺Is the user interface easy to navigate? Is the information shown logically laid out and complete without being
confusing? Does the system show the infrastructure in a clear logical way?

☺Who within the organization will benefit from the installation? Does the system have features that will be useful to
multiple departments, not just IT, including finance and facilities management?

☺Will the system be able to assist with your organization green activities?

☺Does the system offer an open We services XML API?

☺Can the system store historical data both from SNMP/WMI and internal values?

☺Does the system include (a no extra cost) a customer report builder?

☺Can custom reports be scheduled and e-mailed directly users?

Keeping the system up-to-date – Trust in data

☺Does the solution support a portable handheld that allows complete add/update/read of all data stored in
the system?

☺Does the handheld need Wi-Fi or does it work off line so information can be accessed anywhere?

☺Does the handheld optionally work with barcodes to make equipment identification as easy as a scan of a
serial number?

☺Does the handheld system support inventory management functions for areas such as store rooms?

☺Does the handheld system support graphical rack and floor plan views?

☺Does the handheld system have full audit capabilities so that audit assurance of data is possible?

☺Does the system still require paper to be printed for change orders, etc or are they fully supported by the
handheld?