DCIM Request for Proposals is on the increase!

The growing demand for DCIM has changed our customer landscape and their own expectations.

Only a few years ago, the RFPs we were receiving from customers who required data center infrastructure management (DCIM) services were a little … shall we say … underwhelming.

Back then, most organizations didn't fully grasp the potential of DCIM – most likely due to their past experiences with outdated solutions or hardware vendor products that offered only basic functionalities.

As a result, RFPs usually revolved around one of two things: monitoring and alerting or asset management. In practice, these requests barely scratched the surface of what DCIM could truly achieve, causing companies to miss out on its powerful capabilities.

Thankfully, in just less than five years, a customer’s understanding of DCIM has transformed. Why? New dynamics and requirements such as hard hitting compliance obligations such as CSRD and ambitious environmental targets by governments.

While previously, 80% of RFPs focused on basic functions, in 2023, an impressive 90% of the proposals we receive centered around the concept of DCIM 2.0 – or what we, at RiT Tech, proudly refer to as Universal Intelligent Infrastructure Management (UIIM).

As an expert in DCIM for many years, I have put together seven crucial capabilities that companies are looking for from an advanced DCIM system: 

1. Comprehensive functionality: Modern customers understand that DCIM needs to offer expansive capabilities that can be tailored to their estate. Savvy customers now want far more than just monitoring. They are looking for an increasingly comprehensive holistic combination of asset management, connectivity management, power management, network connectivity, work orders, task and reporting capabilities, robust capacity planning, and vigilant alerting, and so much more! Added to this, they’re looking for seamless integrations with their own systems, e-platforms and data-driven insights that can enhance decision-making.
2. Sustainability: Now that sustainability has taken center stage, recent RFPs have become more sophisticated in their requirements. Organizations increasingly recognize the true potential of DCIM in helping to reduce power losses and in simplifying energy consumption analysis to align with their green and sustainability initiatives. Critical to this aspect is the reporting for legislation such as CSRD.
3. AI-powered solutions: The transformative potential of artificial intelligence in data center infrastructure management has captured the attention of customers. AI-powered DCIM capabilities have begun to offer task automation, predictive planning, problem identification or optimization opportunities in a prescriptive or proactive manner. But this will only be the beginning.
4. Customization and modularity: Organisations will only opt for DCIM solutions that adapt to their unique needs. They value modularity, the freedom to add features as needed, and the flexibility to manage projects in phases. Whether starting small and scaling up or enhancing functionalities gradually, providers must cater to specific and nuanced requirements. No longer is it satisfactory to buy a product and not have someone on hand to make the changes needed or adapt the product responsively.
5. Scalability and security: Scalability and security are paramount concerns in today's data-centric world. Customers expect DCIM solutions to scale alongside their expanding operations, and they demand robust security measures to safeguard their valuable data. Tools like XpedITe are fully compliant with data protection and security regulations in traditional networks but also in private and hybrid cloud environments, by the use of the latest and more up-to-date security standards. …
6. Vendor knowledge and support: In a rapidly evolving landscape of technology enhancement, customers need DCIM providers that can move quickly. They’re looking for vendors with a deep knowledge of the complex data center environment, ones that will also simplify implementation and management, and make the customer experience as easy and intuitive as possible. Systems that are not open or that use proprietary protocols, that prioritize or benefit integration only between systems from the same manufacturer, are being rejected by prescribers, due to the lack of flexibility and integration/monitoring capabilities, whether hardware or software..
7. Expanding customer base: We are experiencing a real shift in customer types looking for DCIM solutions. Traditionally, the proactive requests for RFPs to purchase DCIM solutions were only ever driven by the Enterprise data centers. However, since the onset of CSRD, there has been a notable shift. Colocation (COLO) providers and other service providers have started to realize the potential of DCIM to enhance customer transparency, improve satisfaction, streamline customer management, and champion sustainability.

Embracing UIIM

While this list of DCIM requirements may appear daunting to legacy DCIM providers, I am excited to see that organizations are finally recognizing the immense potential of advanced DCIM, or UIIM.

UIIM is a methodology that seeks to provide one federated platform that integrates multiple hardware and software solutions and infrastructure management tools to provide Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) leaders with enhanced visibility of the whole data center estate and its multiple layers.

XpedITe is an excellent DCIM tool with the ability to integrate, automate and customize for our clients’ bespoke requirements. Don’t miss out on the future of data center management – learn more about XpedITe today.