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The efficiency initiative Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is changing the management of federal government data centers, including the mammoth-sized, one-million-square-foot National Security Agency (NSA) facility located in Utah. This new initiative requires agencies to develop and report on data center strategies to consolidate inefficient infrastructure, optimize existing facilities, achieve cost savings, and transition to a more efficient infrastructure. The mandate requires agencies to install and use energy metering tools, an essential piece of DCIM software, to collect data and report on energy usage.
How the DCOI Could Impact...
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Have you fallen victim to the Pokémon Go craze? Embrace it with our Sunbird DCIM Pokémon Go social media giveaway and receive a free t-shirt.
Follow these simple directions to enter:
1. Follow @SunbirdDCIM on Twitter and follow Sunbird Software on LinkedIn.
2. Tweet at us with a picture of you with a Pokémon in or around your data center to win a free T-shirt.
3. Share it with friends!
Pokémon Go is everywhere and lets players be a part of it. This new app combines the Pokémon virtual world with real life. Tracking via GPS requires gamers to walk around in order to locate Pokémon, Poké Stops, and gyms. The app accesses life in front of you through your smartphone camera to...
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Mention 3D visualizations to a data center professional, and chances are that the response will be less than enthusiastic. Considered everything from an insignificant "nice-to-have" to an unhelpful, overrated, resource hog, 3D appears to be more trouble than it is worth. With this perception, is it any wonder why so many data center management software applications either eschew 3D in favor of its 2D counterpart or halfheartedly implement 3D in an attempt to attract prospects and keep pace with the competition?
Implementing 3D data center visualizations may have seemed counterintuitive to Sunbird's mission to radically simplify data center management with elegant software. That's why, rath...
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In this new blog series, we’re introducing Sunbird’s interns for Summer 2016. This post shares the perspective of Raghav Pandya, our Engineering intern and a graduate student at Rutgers University.
I am currently pursuing Master's degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University, New Jersey. I completed my undergraduate degree in 2013, majoring in Information Science, and then I went to work with a software company for two years.
I love to code and explore new technologies in the field of computer science.
My programming journey started with QBASIC when I was 15 years old, and I knew that this was the way to go.
I have a strong theoretical background in computer science, with C/C++ a...
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We’re thrilled to announce the general availability of Power IQ 5.1.2, the latest version of Sunbird’s DCIM Monitoring software. New in this release is support for Hyper-V, Microsoft’s native hypervisor, to provide customers with another option for installing Power IQ in a virtual environment.
The Power IQ 5.1.2 update is available worldwide to all customers with valid maintenance contracts. Simply download the update file from Sunbird’s support portal to upgrade today.
What’s New in Power IQ: Microsoft Hyper-V Support
Previous versions of Power IQ allowed customers to run the application on VMware ESX/ESXi servers. In 5.1.2, Power IQ customers gain the flexibility to install Power IQ in...
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In this new blog series, we’re introducing Sunbird’s interns for Summer 2016. This post in the series shares the perspective of Peter DeLong, our Engineering intern who is approaching his junior year.
I’m currently a rising junior at Princeton University and study Computer Science in the School of Engineering. My favorite thing about computer science is that, depending on whom you ask, it’s an interesting mix between engineering and craftsmanship. It also allows me to flex both my quantitative and creative muscles, which is usually satisfying. (After spending hours chasing a bug through my code in vain, it’s a little less satisfying.)
At this point, I have little idea what I want to do i...
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In this new blog series, we’re introducing Sunbird’s interns for Summer 2016. This post shares the perspective of Brittany Sheehan, our Marketing intern who is approaching her junior year.
I am currently a rising junior at Loyola University Maryland majoring in Digital Media and minoring in Marketing. However, this fall I will be studying abroad at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.
What I like most about my major is the relevance it has in today’s society. Because we live in such a technological era, digital media applies to many different aspects of companies, not only marketing. However, what I like about marketing is the psychological aspect. It is interesting how all-market...
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Software defined data centers would be considered a mandatory requirement for 75% of Global 2000 enterprises that seek to implement a DevOps approach and hybrid cloud model by 2020, according to Gartner Inc. DevOps is an approach that emphasizes on people and aims to improve the collaboration between the development and operations teams, while the hybrid cloud model refers to policy based and synchronized service provisioning and use of internal and external cloud services. The move to software and cloud based Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) was driven by the need to expand sustainably. It has helped to reduce costs, cut down manual labor, improve data center asset utilization a...
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In this new blog series, we’re introducing Sunbird’s interns for Summer 2016. This post shares the perspective of Jennifer Eaton, our Marketing intern who is approaching her senior year.
I’m currently a rising senior pursuing a marketing degree from The College of New Jersey. I am also the social media advisor for my sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon, while at school. I plan to use these skills as well as my degree to further my experience in the marketing world and eventually achieve a career in marketing.
I started becoming interested in marketing during my first semester of college and then declared my major as marketing at then end of my second semester. I really like the creativity and f...
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In this new blog series, we’re introducing Sunbird’s interns for Summer 2016. Our first post shares the perspective of Mark Rousseau, our Finance intern who is in his senior year.
As a senior at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, it is difficult for me to even start thinking about leaving the place that has given me so much over the past three years. I am enrolled in The School of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Economics. Additionally, I take a variety of classes at the Rutgers Business School that go towards a minor in Business Administration. I will be graduating next May in 2017.
I enjoy my study of economics because of how much of a driving force economic factors can be for a multi...
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06/07/2016
dcTrack DCIM Operations
Introducing dcTrack® 5.1
We’re thrilled to announce the general availability of dcTrack 5.1, the latest version of Sunbird’s DCIM Operations software. User-requested features in dcTrack 5.1 make it faster and easier than ever for data center managers to get the information they need to plan and manage data center capacity more effectively.
The dcTrack 5.1 update is available worldwide on a cabinet/month subscription or perpetual license basis to all customers with valid maintenance contracts. Simply download the update file from Sunbird’s support portal to upgrade today.
3D Visualizer
dcTrack 5.1 introduces the 3D Visualizer, which displays data center floor maps in 3D without the need t...
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It was in 2015 that Gartner predicted that there would be more than 25 billion connected vehicles on the road by 2020. By the same time, the research firm expects connected kitchens to lead to 15% savings for the food and beverage industry, with help from big data analytics. On the other hand, Gartner also warned that IT companies would need to work on solutions for an Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem platform.
At the same time, McKinsey analyzed over 150 use cases to establish the potential benefits and challenges associated with IoT for the global economy. The use cases included everything from manufacturers of devices to monitor health and wellness to businesses that use sensors to opti...
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According to a recent survey by 451 Research of data center operators’ priorities, nearly 28% of respondents were focused on data center consolidation, 9.3% on building or buying a new data center, and 8.3% on outsourcing data centers to a third party, such as a colocation facility.
Andrew Donoghue, European Research Manager at 451 Research, shared these insights and other thoughts as he defined data center moves and DCIM trends during the first segment of our webinar on “Common Pitfalls to Avoid in a Data Center Move.” This focus on data center moves reflects organizations’ attempts to replace aging or inefficient data centers with more modern and efficient (in terms of power, energy, and...
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Data center electricity use doubled during 2001-2006, from 30 to 60 billion kilowatt-hours, and stood at around 100 billion kilowatt-hours as of 2013, according to the Department of Energy. Over 4 million rack PDU’s are shipped each year, translating to approximately 2 million new cabinets deployed. The backend power and cooling infrastructure costs to support each rack can amount to $20,000.00 per rack. With this intensive capital investment, capacity management, or improving the utilization of data center capacity quickly becomes one the most important tenants of data center operations management. Planning capacities, whether power, space, cooling, or available data connectivity, is essent...
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Data center managers often find themselves making data center moves in response to changing business needs, technology updates, government energy mandates, and other demands. Regardless of the type of move, the goal is often the same: savings in terms of space, power, and energy.
However, data center managers need to choose the type of move carefully. The best move for a particular situation may depend on how complicated the move will be, where the data center manager wants to focus, and the expected benefits of the move.
Pro tip: Before undertaking a data center move, make sure to include identifying ownership, understanding workload demands, and securing permission in the planning stag...