Data centers are essential for the success of any modern business. Accordingly, their performance and availability are increasingly moving up the agenda of customers and senior management alike.

But it is no longer enough to simply use space, power, and cooling as metrics. Given digital transformation and the central role of IT in an organization’s ability to deliver, data centers need to provide maximum support for business transactions. Traditional tools for data center infrastructure management (DCIM) have reached their limits. What is needed are integrated tools, standards, and data models that enable seamless, efficient management of IT infrastructure from top to bottom. This white paper looks at the differences between tool generations, what characterizes modern DCIM solutions, and why managing isolated solutions soon runs up against functional limits. The core question is: How can I future-proof my data center?