THE EVOLUTION OF A DATA CENTER
In the early days of data centers, there was little concern for cost of operation or capacity planning.
‘Mainframe’ computer rooms were kept at 67-68 deg. F around the clock, and devices were plugged in to
any available outlet. The mainframe supported numerous terminals on end users’ desks, and somehow
the system worked. As data centers matured and evolved from mainframe to distributed server
technology with end users having their own PCs, in became increasingly obvious that maintaining an
IT department was an expensive and time consuming process, with little data available for guidance.
Further, the environmental impact of using such large amounts of power with little oversight or
planning became an increasing concern. Clearly, this method of operation was unsustainable.
Over the past decade, data center electric consumption has grown by over 10% per year, and
today accounts for 3% of the total electric production in the United States. This is more
power than is used in automobile manufacturing. This has gone largely unnoticed by the
general public because data centers don’t belch black smoke from tall smoke stacks, and
don’t have a continuous stream of trains and trucks entering and leaving their facilities.
With energy costs ever increasing, growing concerns over the environment and
corporate carbon footprint, and the need for compliance with industry standards
and government regulations, the modern data center operator soon realized the
need for sophisticated solutions to not only perform the day to day management
of assets, but also to achieve the overarching needs for efficiency, governance,
and stewardship.
In addition to energy management, modern data center managers need
‘eyes and ears’ at every level of operation from main switch gear to server
receptacle, from chiller plant to individual hot and cold aisles. An
automated process to monitor and provide alarming on critical points is
crucial to proper and efficient system operation.
A data center is an asset, and as with any other asset, it requires careful
planning to obtain the maximum benefit for the end user while maintaining
a maximum ROI, and that begins with effective power management.
The 451 Group has devised an interesting and informative graphic which clearly shows the ingredients necessary for successful
Data Center Infrastructure Management. From the basic collection of raw data at the bottom to effective planning and
management analytics at the top, the DCIM ‘Stack’ depicts the facets which need to be taken into account to achieve meaningful
understanding and control of a data center’s power usage, energy efficiency, and carbon footprint.
THE DCIM STACK
To be of maximum use to IT and facilities managers, DCIM software must perform all of these core functions, and perform them well.
To achieve this type of detailed asset management, a sophisticated tool is needed. That tool is FieldView.
WHAT IS FIELDVIEW?
FieldView represents the logical evolution of over thirty years of involvement in the data center construction, monitoring and
management field. Built on a solid foundation of supplying superior goods and services to data centers large and small, FieldView is
the perfect response to the industry-wide need for BMS integration and Branch Circuit Monitoring, and power management.
Starting in 2003, FieldView began developing new and ground-breaking strategies to manage and evaluate data center infrastructure
based on our twenty four years of experience in the field. In 2009, FieldView became a stand-alone company: FieldView Solutions,
Inc. With funding from several of the leading venture capital funds, FieldView has grown to serve clients in financial services,
industry, government, health care, and research with over 1,000,000 square feet of data center and MEP space under management.
WHAT DOES FIELDVIEW DO?
FieldView is a fully scalable cross-platform application which can communicate with any device via Modbus, SNMP, XML, OPC,
BACnet and many other protocols. FieldView can also integrate data from your BMS and power monitoring systems. It is web based
and vendor neutral.
FieldView monitors every critical point in your data center and MEP system. While gathering data is important, putting those data in
a useful format is another matter. FieldView integrates and monitors power usage, circuit balancing, over current conditions, phase
imbalance, over and under temperature conditions and many other points and alarms on any device or system which is outside preset,
user configurable thresholds. Further, FieldView’s proprietary algorithms present data in graphic form, create trend logs of critical
points, calculate efficiency and capacity, and make recommendations regarding changes in system architecture which will improve
performance and increase efficiency.
When it comes to planning, FieldView monitors usage versus capacity, and warns if both power or cooling capacity limits are nearing
capacity. This is also a powerful tool in planning for both disaster recovery and future growth.
GOVERNMENT REGULATION
Within the past eighteen months, over ten separate pieces of
While present and proposed legislation is aimed more at
legislation have been introduced into the US Senate and House
rewarding efficiency rather than punishing inefficiency, if the
of Representatives regarding energy efficiency. These proposals
present trends are not changed in a meaningful way, today’s
all realize one salient point: the present escalation of energy
suggestions will become tomorrow’s mandates. And mandates
consumption and harmful environmental emissions is
are generally one size fits none. It behooves the data center
unsustainable.
operator to take the lead in implementing strategies which
dramatically increase energy efficiency while at the same time
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, data centers
reduce costs.
presently consume 3 percent of the US electric production and
release 80 mtCO2e into the atmosphere. By 2021, those figures
Modern data center managers know that treating their site as an
are projected to increase to 12 percent of output and 320
asset is one of the keys to successful management and achieving a
mtCO2e at present growth levels. The latest information from the
reasonable return on investment. But it is not possible to manage
US Energy Information Administration projects that generation
an asset without meaningful, organized data. Data Center
capacity by all types will grow at a rate of only 0.8% per year
Infrastructure Management focuses on gathering data from the
during that same period. Imagine a co-location data center
entire facility (both white space and HVAC), and distilling it into
which, due to increased client demand, wants to double its size,
meaningful reports and trend logs which allow managers to tailor
but cannot buy the utility power to do so.
the use of their resources to match the workloads present
rather than having everything ‘always
This is a very real if not probable
scenario which will be played
out in the years to come if
nothing is done to either increase
capacity or improve efficiency.
on’. DCIM brings together two parties
which traditionally have had separate
roles; Information Technology, and
Facilities. Since both are large
users of energy, and their
Increasing generating capacity has a
huge environmental impact and can take
many years to implement. Even ‘green’ projects such as
the 426 MW Cape Wind project in Massachusetts have
operations are interrelated, it
makes sense to combine their
functions to achieve maximum
efficiency.
run into stiff opposition, and after ten years of fact finding
and litigation have yet to generate one watt. It is therefore
The FieldView product from FieldView Solutions,
clear that improving energy efficiency holds the dual
Inc. is a powerful DCIM tool designed to help today’s
promise of reducing consumption and carbon emission,
while also reducing energy costs, and doing so in
a timely fashion.
data centers achieve unprecedented
improvements in efficiency and reduction
in carbon emissions.
CLIENTS
FieldView has amassed a diverse client list of companies large and small. From small, standalone data centers of less than 5,000
square feet, to giant world-wide conglomerates, FieldView supplies the technology to manage a company’s entire portfolio of data
center assets.
FieldView respects the privacy of its clients, and will not divulge client names, but we can say that we partner with Fortune 50 and
500 companies in the financial, industrial, health care, and government sectors to provide enterprise scale Data Center Infrastructure
Management, with over 1,000,000 square feet of white space under management .
I have an existing BMS/EPMS system.Why do I need FieldView?
Data gathered from BMS and EPMS systems are not integrated, and require manual interpretation. We strongly recommend that you keep
your existing systems, since FieldView can integrate data across all platforms to provide real time, effective, usable information and alarming,
while at the same time providing capacity planning for both IT and facilities.
My data center is several years old. Can FieldView help me?
Absolutely! FieldView can be retrofitted into an existing data center with zero down time and zero risk. And with the use of modern wireless
technology, installation costs are a fraction of what you might expect.
My company is global, with sites on several continents. Can I use FieldView?
Yes. FieldView is completely scalable from one site to many; from 1,000 points to 100s of thousands of points world-wide. And our unique
algorithms can manage and calculate data and efficiency on global, national, state and facility levels. At present, FieldView maintains sites in
North America, Asia, and Europe.
My existing system uses several different communication protocols. Can FieldView work with me?
Yes. FieldView communicates on all modern communication technologies including SNMP, BACnet, Modbus, OPC, and XML. Our software and
hardware are non-proprietary and vendor neutral.
What about cost?
Cost is based on the number of points monitored and/or polled. Please contact us for an investment analysis which we think you will find
surprisingly affordable.
What is a point?
A point is a single input to the FieldView system. It may be a voltage, a current, a temperature, a liquid level, or any other single piece of data
which the system monitors. For example, to determine the wattage load of a server, two ‘points’ would be needed: voltage and current.
Is remote access required for your product to function?
NO. FieldView resides entirely on your network with no outside access required. It is completely web based and absolutely secure.
What do you mean by ‘Web based’?
The entire FieldView application runs as web pages and is written in XML. It does not require an external link, a remote connection or a
special PC. It resides on YOUR corporate network, behind YOUR firewall, and is completely secure.
Is a special ‘appliance’ needed for your product to function?
NO. Our data acquisition is in the form of standard current transformers, temperature sensors and digital and analog meters. The data thus
gathered are sent directly to the application for processing, logging, interpretation, and distribution.
What kind of reports can I have?
FieldView provides a complete suite of reports at all levels of your system from circuit level to global. Reports may include energy
consumption, efficiency (both IT and mechanical/electric), temperature maintenance, alarms, and all other critical data.
For more information, please contact:
Info@FieldViewSolutions.com
John Consoli, Sr. VP Sales and Marketing 732-395-6920 ex 353
Visit us on the web at: FieldViewSolutions.com
FieldViewSolutions.com
Corporate Headquarters
275 Raritan Center Parkway | Edison, NJ 08837
Tel: 732.395.6920 | Fax: 732.395.6930