What-if analysis allows data center managers to understand the potential net impact of changes in the data center—specifically additions and decommissions—so they can quickly and accurately predict a future state and ascertain if they can postpone adding additional resources if they need to purchase more.
To easily conduct what-if analysis, data center managers leverage Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software to collect and analyze instrumentation data from smart devices and sensors and turn that data into actionable insights via a dedicated dashboard for what-if scenarios.
What-if analysis is most often used for capacity planning on a per-project basis. For example, if you have a data center consolidation project, projects to retire end-of-life assets, and planned projects that you need to reserve resource for. What-if analysis enables you to understand the net effects and trade-offs of individual or group projects so you can:
- Know if you need additional resources and for which projects. Easily understand if you can delay capital expenditures or if you will need to invest in additional capacity and time your expenditures based on which projects need more resources.
- Account for additions and decommissions for complete capacity planning. Most capacity planning metrics only account for additions which often creates an incomplete picture. By including decommissions as well, you will have an accurate representation of your projects’ impact on capacity.
- Easily and effectively communicate your capacity requirements to management. When explaining your chosen course of action to management, you need to be able to clearly summarize and justify your need to purchase or ability to defer. What-if charts provide an easy-to-understand visual analysis to aid in your presentation.
Want to see how Sunbird’s world-leading DCIM software makes it easy to perform what-if analysis? Get your free test drive now!
