With so much of our daily lives relying on network connectivity, uptime is more critical than ever. As Data Center Knowledge highlights:
According to IDC, organizations averaged 69 hours per year of unplanned downtime across systems due to human error. And the cost of that downtime can be massive. Employee productivity, customer experience and industry reputation all take a massive hit when your network goes down.
Ouch.
At Fulcrum Collaborations, we get it – for more than ten years, MCIM has empowered companies to manage their critical assets in a way that, according to 451 Research, “virtually eliminates human error.”
See how MCIM helped one company reduce human error incidents by 84%
Data Center Knowledge touches on a few ways to ensure increased data center uptime with network lifecycle management – and as important as the networking layer is, we know a thing or two about keeping a data center up and running through proper management of the infrastructure systems essential to maximizing network availability. For example, downtime can happen just as easily from the failure of a UPS or other mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or fire suppression system (MEPF) as it can a server or network switch.
So how can you increase data center uptime?.
Intent-based network design for day 2+ operations
One of the most effective ways to avoid errors on Day 2+ is to do things correctly from the beginning by properly designing and provisioning on Day 0 and Day 1.
Planning for success from Day 0 provides an excellent foundation for limiting errors that may develop over time. From network design modeling to capital planning to pre-change analysis with the ability to roll back in case of error, developing a plan of action at the start provides you flexibility as you grow.
MCIM helps ensure operations begin with complete and clean data Day 1, setting you up for success that will provide value and dividends immediately.
Preventing Configuration Errors in a Multivendor Environment
Being locked into a single vendor is both expensive and inefficient, so choosing software solutions that have multivendor support is increasingly important. A solution that leverages templated mechanisms to deploy your network fabric is critical to being able to dramatically reduce error rates, scale the network and build rock star teams that can maintain uptime, regardless of the hardware equipment.
The interconnectivity of equipment and software throughout the data center often requires multiple vendors with their own requirements, software, and more. Utilizing software that integrates with these various systems and allows you to institute global SOPs and MOPs can provide comprehensive portfolio insight and management.
And having an enterprise asset management system that isn’t proprietary to a single brand or facilities management vendor lets operators be the true owner of their data with a single source of truth independent of any specific vendor.
MCIM integrates with many third-party systems, helping ensure clean data entry through global SOPs and MOPs and aggregating your data to provide actionable real-time insights.
Embracing predictive insights to spot errors
Automating the detection and resolution of problems gives IT teams a much better chance of solving issues quickly and effectively.
Sure, you could wait for something to break before you fix it, but how much will that cost you in downtime, person-hours to fix, price for parts or a new unit, and overall loss of business?
Predictive insights can tell you of issues before they arise, allowing you to respond and fix them before they impact your network – and your bottom line.
MCIM’s highly relational data model yields a powerful perspective in real-time. By having total portfolio insight, you can measure and monitor data and trends among your assets in real time, allowing for a proactive approach to maintenance and work orders.
Every second is precious when it comes to mission critical operations. Having a partner in asset management who can help limit costly preventable mistakes means having a reliable network that will keep you and your customers happy.
See for yourself how MCIM can help maximize uptime with a personal demo.
