Seeing is Believing: XpedITe is banishing Big Data's blind spots

As any smartphone owner who has suffered “bill shock” will testify, attempting to manage mobile data usage without metrics is a monetary misadventure.

It is an all-too-common mistake though and one that – given the tools telecom companies make available to customers to accurately chart consumption – should be easy to avoid. There are, however, many people who continue to run the gauntlet of unexpected charges by applying little more than guesswork to gigabytes.

One reason for such fiscal folly is that data is a consumable that is difficult for the human mind to comprehend, calculate and visualise; with users largely blind to the intangible processes involved in the handling, storage and exchange of information.

While the consequences of being blind to the business behind the buttons is largely limited to an unwelcome expense at the micro level of a mobile phone contract, on the macro scale of a data centre it can be catastrophic.

Within the repositories and engine rooms that power the world’s cache of digital information and on which the cornerstones of modern society rely, complete visibility is vital but – until recently – hard to attain.

COMPLETE VISIBILITY IS VITAL ...

Succeeding a long and undistinguished line of Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) tools, XpedITe – designed and delivered as a managed service by automated infrastructure specialist RiT Tech – is an innovative solution which finally federates previously disparate systems and environments to create a single source of truth across all sites in any given network.

For data centre operators desperate to avoid any downtime and optimise performance, the all-seeing eye and accurate real-time picture it affords is a game changer.

Knowledge is, after all, power and the ability to monitor all physical components of a data centre, continually assess the performance of assets and detect points of failure or security breaches in an instant represents an enduring return on investment.

However, the benefits of XpedITe go far further than providing efficiencies through an encyclopedic insight of the make-up of every rack, cabinet, cable and port. The system’s advanced algorithms problem-solve and plan, generating automated work orders that ensure any maintenance tasks or major network changes are forensically analysed, executed and recorded.

"complete visibility i vital but - until recently - hard to attain."

Furthermore, it seamlessly shares information across the whole business, giving those who require a window into operations an up-to-the-minute picture to consult. For example, XpedITe’s integration with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms empowers sales teams to communicate with confidence and track the progress of new and existing accounts in real-time.

XpedITe's INTEGRATION WITH CRM PLATFORMS EMPOWERS SALES TEAMS

From an initial order through to the configuration, allocation and assignment of resources, automated updates arm staff with all the data they need to relay accurate information to clients and demonstrate an unprecedented level of customer service.

Importantly, being blessed with “X-ray” vision when it comes to client activity can also boost a data centre’s bottom line. The detailed mapping of assets, their performance and usage eliminates the prospect of chargeable services and paid-for change requests going unclaimed.

As remarkable as it may sound to those working in other sectors, the precise billing enabled by XpedITe is something of a phenomenon within the data centre industry – particularly in co-locations – given the failings of the monitoring tools it succeeds. Despite being tantamount to a restaurant serving dishes without keeping track of how much has been ordered and by whom, historically significant amounts of money have been left on the table by operators due to a lack of awareness as to what was running and when.

And nor are the rewards of RiT Tech’s revolutionary resource restricted to data centre owners. Accurate accounts pass on plenty of added value to those companies whose data is being diligently marshalled.

Complete visibility of the service being received and the associated charges reassures customers that they are not inadvertently picking up someone else’s tab and that any blips due to unplanned downtime are discounted. This transparency in turn supports budgetary planning as the impact of upscaling and downscaling consumption to meet demand can be quickly calculated.

For those businesses and organisations dependent on the smooth running of data centres, ignorance is certainly not bliss. No visibility equates to no sense of control for companies keen on playing an active part in the oversight of their networks, which is why XpedITe also boasts a client-facing portal.

Fully customisable to meet tailored user experiences, this portal provides a panoramic porthole through which customers can observe and interact with their digital real estate.

OUR PORTAL PROVIDES A PORTHOLE FOR CUSTOMERS TO INTERACT WITH THEIR DIGITAL REAL ESTATE

Delivering round-the-clock clarity, it reaffirms client confidence and provides peace of mind as to the health and performance levels of the data centre. In the event of any issues, the portal produces automated alerts and resolution notifications to keep customers informed at all times.

Similarly, it can be used by clients to flag faults and request any system changes or uplift in services.

In brief, RiT Tech’s next-generation data centre, network, infrastructure and operations management solution is helping to remove the blinkers from the world of big data. XpedITe may serve an industry boasting a growing number of “dark” sites, but its development means data centre operators and their customers now have no reason to be left in the dark.

Seeing is believing and the view of a data centre with each of its assets running at optimal efficiency is one to behold.