Meeting the technology demands of modern data centres can be challenging and complex , particularly as the rate of digitalisation increases . Herman Chan , President , Sunbird Software , discusses the benefits of second-generation DCIM and tells us why data centre managers are leveraging it to help meet their corporate sustainability goals .
 w
 What is second-generation DCIM ?
 Second-generation Data Center Infrastructure Management ( DCIM ) software , also known as DCIM G2 , is the class of software that has emerged from legacy DCIM products to dramatically simplify data centre management .
 This next generation of DCIM resolves the shortfall of functionality experienced with legacy DCIM tools . It provides the capabilities and features data centre managers want along with an elegant web-based user interface that gets widely adopted .
 What is driving the need for second-generation DCIM ?
 Modern data centres are constantly changing and traditional management tools no longer get the job done .
 Intelligent rack PDUs and other smart devices with sensors are becoming ubiquitous . These devices collect a massive volume and variety of data that must be monitored and analysed .
 Data centres are now distributed across many locations such as colocation , Edge and retail , making a remote management tool a must-have .
 Organisations are consolidating data centres and virtualising servers to increase efficiency and they need a tool to enable them to do so intelligently .
 Data centre managers need tools that can integrate seamlessly with each other to drive automation that boosts productivity and increases the accuracy of their data .
 Finally , there is increased consumer education of lackluster experience with firstgeneration DCIM tools . When shopping for DCIM software , data centre professionals can more easily spot the difference .
 Today ’ s data centre managers have moved beyond traditional data centre
 management tools . They expect solutions that meet the requirements of modern data centre environments and leverage new technology to maintain uptime , drive efficiency and boost productivity . They need second-generation DCIM that is easy , fast and complete .
 What are the pain points and pitfalls of first-generation DCIM ?
 When Sunbird was formed , we spoke to many customers of first-generation DCIM tools to learn about their pain points . Interestingly , we kept hearing the same stories .
 The tools are difficult to deploy or require additional clients . Critical features are
 Herman Chan , President , Sunbird Software
 Providing a solution to the pain points and pitfalls of first-generation DCIM
 62 www . intelligentdatacentres . com