Choosing a Data Center Monitoring Solution
Posted by Elizabeth English on Thu, Aug 20, 2009 @ 03:36 PM
This morning I came across a very helpful article about things to consider before choosing a data center monitoring solution. Because there are so many different components to consider, it can be really complicated to prioritize and negotiate how to monitor the physical aspects of a data center.
Considerations include:
-First of all, figure out exactly what needs to be monitored and have that list ready before talking to vendors.
-Think of the cost. While monitoring is clearly going to be expensive, downtime can be absolutely catastrophic. Also, you don't have to choose the priciest monitoring solution.
-Don't just use alarms. Without a solution that provides a visual of your data center, problems are harder to pinpoint.
photo by James Cridland under flickr creative commons license
-Look for architecture which will expand with you. It's important not to end up limited by your space, or limited by a monitoring solution which won't be successful in multiple data centers.
-Try to choose a monitoring solution which is not specific to devices from only one manufacturer - it should be able to incorporate all your devices.
-Look into whether you need a hardware solution or a software solution.
-Don't waste time figuring out alarms by yourself - make sure your solution provides intelligent alarm processing.
-You may run into trouble with monitoring solutions if you have devices using different protocols. Watch out for this.
-See if you can do a trial installation before investing in whatever monitoring solution you are thinking of choosing.
For more information, see the full article from Data Center Journal here.
-Elizabeth English