Crisis becomes Catalyst
The COVID-19 crisis has reversed the relationship between data center management and digital innovation – with rates of tech adoption accelerating to unprecedented levels, the former is now driving the latter, and it is data centers that have to catch up. Despite a 10% decline in worldwide data center infrastructure spending in 2020, all indicators suggest that pandemic-induced digital transformations are now acting as catalysts, with the market set to rebound over the next four years 1 . As increasing penetration of cloud services and the proliferation of IP devices further accelerate market expansion, predictions are that it will be worth US$143.4 billion by 2027. 2
What Do Today’s IT Infrastructures Look Like?
The big data explosion increased buying of data center capacity but it has simultaneously forced IT infrastructures to evolve. To support this immense amount of data requires not only a growing number of data centers, but also new kinds of data center builds and new ways to manage them. Most acutely, infrastructures for IT services are now not only about the data centers themselves – whether its on-premises, colocation, hosting, public and private cloud computing, or edge computing, the industry is transitioning to a variety of hybrid states where data-processing workloads can be deployed from anywhere, and this has far-reaching implications. The size, scale, and the complexity of architectures continue to create a confluence of often-conflicting forces that require new and innovative data management solutions.
Challenges
As data management fractures into the realms of cloud, edge, core, and managed services, businesses are looking to align their IT services infrastructure with their post-pandemic strategic needs while increasing efficiency and capacity. For providers of data center/server room management solutions, here are some of the key challenges:- Solutions must be flexible in terms of scale and support the tools required for evolving business needs and services for customers using new applications
- Solutions are now expected to add demonstrable business value via tech innovation – IT management is no longer just about maintenance 1
- Solutions must account for security concerns that are multi-layered and complex as skyrocketing cybercrime fuels industry urgency
- Solutions should be adaptable to specific considerations on an industry-by-industry approach – the pandemic has caused a different impact on different sectors 2
- Solutions should be geared towards delivering the best user experience for remote administrators and support staff with optimized video performance
Now more than ever, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for data management, and in this new era of opportunity, ATEN provides the innovative and sustainable data center/server room management solutions that allow businesses to grow in an impactful way.
Trends
Shift to Cloud-centric Edge for Agility, but Core Remains Viable
By end 2021, IDC expects 80% of enterprises to initiate their shift to the cloud twice as fast as before the pandemic. While the benefits of cloud are enterprise agility and less need to invest in IT infrastructure, migrating to the cloud is challenging, especially in terms of I&O skills and cost management. The benefits of core, including control of facilities and the IT environment, remain the same. 1 So while the need to deliver resources to edge locations will spur cloud-centric edge solutions for faster responses, improved resilience, business scaling, and operational flexibility 2 , on-premises data centers will remain viable for specialized applications or ones with strict compliance requirements.
Security Spending on the Rise, Nature of Threats Evolving
Data centers are a prime target for cybercriminals with attacks increasing during the pandemic as remote/hybrid work models exposed network vulnerabilities. Gartner reports that the global data center security market will be valued at US$200 billion by late 2021, a 6% year-over-year increase. 1 Nearly half of data breaches result from human error or system glitches, but new cyber-attacks are more likely to be from actual threat actors. Ransomware, for example, is a growing concern for data center operations as cybercriminals target infrastructure. Businesses need to take precautions to protect data or risk suffering financial and reputational damage, lost intellectual property and even noncompliance fines from industry regulators. 2
Mandates for Sustainability as the Greening Game Gets Real
There are many advantages to incorporating green options for optimal data center operations, and demand for sustainable data center solutions continues to soar, spurred by innovations in cooling techniques and automation. As IDC reports, by 2025, 90% of G2000 companies will mandate requirements regarding reusable materials in IT hardware supply chains, carbon neutrality targets for providers’ facilities, and lower energy use. 1 Thus, accelerating towards sustainability with green initiatives is something that data center infrastructure providers will need to do. Optimizing data center energy management at the outlet level is also vital to achieving energy efficiency and reducing costs in data centers without harming IT reliability. 2
Accelerated Shift to Automation, as Advanced AI Robotics Loom
Even before the pandemic, automating processes and routine services for data center management in tandem with remote over IP capabilities was increasing. But now, because of a limited workforce, automation is accelerating beyond firmware updates into advanced processes that ensure seamless operational flow with minimal human intervention. According to IDC, by 2023, all IT and business automation initiatives for extending resource control and analytics are likely to be supported by the emerging cloud ecosystem. 1 Furthermore, as both hyperscale and edge data centers expand, more businesses will deploy robotics and automation to monitor and maintain their data centers for everything from rack rollouts to site monitoring and physical security. 2
ATEN Solutions
ATEN provides KVM switch, serial console and PDU Solutions for over IP data center / server room management across a wide range of industries. These include:- Centralized Remote Access & Control Solutions to consolidate management of complex IT environments via BIOS-level access and perform real-time updates and maintenance
- Flexible Matrix Extension, Access & Control Solutions to consolidate management of computers across an independent network in a multitude of ways with video wall functionality
- Centralized Remote Server + Switch Access & Control Solutions to consolidate management of complex IT environments with a high degree of platform and serial-based device integration
- Centralized Remote Access & Control + Intelligent Power Management Solutions to consolidate management of complex IT environments while meeting energy efficiency goals
ATEN Advantages
ATEN Data Center / Server Room solutions facilitate new approaches to IT management and have the following advantages:
Secure, Centralized Access for Remote IT Infrastructure Management
Offering smooth, secure, remote access to the devices in your IT infrastructure through a single portal that is accessible from anywhere, ATEN over IP solutions provide 24/7 control that eliminates the distance restrictions of data center management, allowing centralized real-time updating and maintenance, enabling a faster response to mission-critical emergencies, and ensuring the seamless provision of IT services.
Enhanced Security Features that Prevent Unauthorized Access
Solutions utilize the industry’s highest security standards and protocols, including RADIUS, LDAP, LDAPS, secured authentication, data encryption, and network IP/MAC address filter. User/group access and permissions are tightly configurable, while ATEN CCVSR software adds yet another layer of security by recording all remote access operations, providing automatic and independent 24/7 monitoring of your entire data center infrastructure.
New Standards in Resilience to Ensure Rapid Infrastructure Recovery
Tailored to minimize downtime via features that provide robust reliability, ATEN over IP solutions not only support OOB management but also integrate dual power supplies / dual network interface controllers (NIC) to provide backup redundancy, while on the admin side, CC2000 uses primary-secondary architecture to offer service redundancy with database updating, so that functionality, data, and management services are never lost.
Flexible Deployment, Scalability to Increase Business Agility
ATEN’s extensive range of over IP hardware coupled with advanced management software, provides flexible solutions that are future-proof, scalable, and implementable across the board to help any business align their data center infrastructure with their strategic needs. ATEN solutions support the continual re-evaluation of business requirements as well as allow you to keep pace with tool proliferation in increasingly complex environments.
Intuitive, Convenient Control for the Strategic Delivery of IT Services
Making data center management intuitive and convenient, ATEN’s CC2000 Centralized Management Software consolidates the management of all devices – servers, switches, PDUs – through a single, tree-view, easy-to-use interface, with a Panel DynaArrayTM function that displays the output of multiple ports in individual panels on the administrator’s screen, while our KVM over IP switches support an intuitive Magic PanelTM GUI with multi-language support.
Commitment to Smart, Green Data Center Power Management
Providing the tools to remotely control the power of any server in a data center and remotely access individual outlets and outlet groups, as well as generate power analysis for optimizing data center management and energy usage, ATEN PDUs allow you to save energy without harming IT reliability. Fully integrable with ATEN’s KVM over IP switches and serial consoles as part of a total data center and power management solution, ATEN PDUs are the smart choice for deployment in any data center or server room to turn your IT infrastructure into an IT ecosystem.
ATEN Solutions in Action
Smart Server Management for Digital Transformation of Government Tech Assets
A government ministry responsible for all treasury-related matters required a server management and control room solution for its new building. The finance ministry plays an active role in the promotion and implementation of government policy, so the solution not only needed to be highly secure, but also had to help to revitalize core assets as part of the government’s digital transformation strategy. The main server room is located on the 3rd floor, and server management and monitoring capabilities had to be split across two separate government departments in control rooms on different floors.
| Challenges | The ATEN Solution |
|---|---|
| The ATEN over IP server management solution can be accessed and managed via CC2000 software, making it efficient for operators to control servers centrally via a single portal, while also permitting simultaneous monitoring of video output for surveillance, power, and environment monitoring via video walls located in control rooms on both floors. It provides flexibility and installation simplicity along with strengthened data security while critical information visualization and communication capabilities increase work efficiency and productivity. For extra security, user sessions are recorded. |
SCADA Server Management for Streamlining Process Automation, Oil Refinery
A 230,000-barrel-per-day capacity oil refinery needed a solution that allowed operators to control SCADA servers both locally and remotely in order to manage large amounts of information from their process automation systems. The facility has server rooms at four separate sites that, in addition to running various automated processes, also monitor downstream sensor information via long range wireless. The server rooms required local control functionality, but for security reasons, no mobile devices were allowed in the remote site control room, while the solution also had to support FHD, be rack-mountable, and support barcode scanners.
| Challenges | The ATEN Solution |
|---|---|
| The solution allows operators to monitor and control refinery process flows, infrastructure/equipment statuses, and dynamic changes in real-time for better situational awareness and decision making. Dual-view console stations allow for monitoring using Panel Array ModeTM for optimized visualization of the video output from all installed SCADA servers on one screen simultaneously alongside full day-to-day operation on the other screen. Visual clarity is provided by support for HDMI at FHD resolution of 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz. |
Out-of-Band Server Management Solution for 24/7 Online Banking
An Internet-only banking service was looking for an upgrade for its out-of-band (OOB) management solution for its server rooms. The bank was already using serial consoles but was looking for newer, improved models for replacement and future expansion. The bank required that the solution not only provided 24/7 availability and access but also security and convenience for their support staff. It was crucial that administrators were appraised with real-time information that provided early detection of fraudulent activity or any problems with processing transactions.
| Challenges | The ATEN Solution |
|---|---|
| OOBM provides the means to access the bank’s servers if the network is down, providing BIOS-level access and modem access to critical infrastructure outside of the production network, with secure network operation services over an unsecured network with SSH and SSL/TLS support and military-grade encrypted connections. For device status monitoring, automatic event notifications are sent when connected serial devices are offline. The solution supports full deployment without additional costs for rollover cables. |
Remote Server Room Management + Intelligent Power Control for Subway System.
A transportation company runs three metro lines with a combined network of 60 stations. Each station has its own server room and passenger information system that needs to be controlled centrally from a single location. In order to consolidate control of the widely dispersed server rooms, the company was looking for a solution that allows remote management and monitoring of the complete IT infrastructure as well as the ability to remotely manage the power to each of the servers for optimum system maintenance and control.
| Challenges | The ATEN Solution |
|---|---|
| The over IP solution consolidates centralized management of remote server rooms across a widely distributed, multi-hub transportation network with a high degree of platform and device integration and intelligent power management. The ATEN solution can be access and managed via CC2000, making it flexible and efficient for operators to control through a single portal on a dual-display console. The power management components provide the means to monitor real-time current, voltage, kWh, power consumption and circuit breaker status. |
High Density Server Management for Seamless ICT Service Delivery
A major ICT services provider needed to merge its technical and customer service departments. This required the overhaul and upgrade of several data centers, located in 3 different cities. The central maintenance center, in charge of all data centers, needed to manage a large amount of servers simultaneously with a customized over IP management system to help IT managers to automate an array of daily operational processes involved in the provision of a wide range of ICT services as well as take immediate action over IP or on-the-spot in case of irregularities.
| Challenges | The ATEN Solution |
|---|---|
| The solution offers complete centralized access to critical systems and real-time remote management for the ICT service provider to ensure seamless service delivery. Virtual Media support enables file applications, OS patching, software installation, and diagnostic testing to be accomplished smoothly across the installation from a single console. The KVM switches provide an extra layer of hardware protection for the data center, and are also equipped with extra security measures ensuring compliance with the FIPS-140-2 standards. |
Flexible Process Control Server Management for Unmanned Facilities
Due to the high cost of personnel, and strict limits to headcount due to safety regulations, an oil drilling platform needed multiple industrial process computers to be safely located in an unmanned server room onshore, while still being accessible from 5 separate control rooms in various locations throughout the production facilities. Furthermore, in case of future operational expansion, the system needed to incorporate both point-to-point and multipoint-to-multipoint KVM extender connections. The setup required a specialist in process automation of industrial plants, with a focus on integrating DCS, SCADA/HMI and PLC solutions with remote IT management.
| Challenges | The ATEN Solution |
|---|---|
| High connection flexibility means control room operators can access and maintain multiple servers while individual workstations can directly and securely monitor specific servers for targeted process control requirements. Solution provides both single-view and dual-view display workstations for flexible monitoring and operation. Allows secure data transmission with the extra option of isolating individual KE units from the larger network via dedicated LAN port, with virtual media support for all routine maintenance procedures. |
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Smart Server Management
SCADA Server Management
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