2016 Data Center 100: 20 Data Center Tool Providers
20 Data Center Tool Providers
While it is the hardware and software infrastructure that provide a base on which data centers are built, it is a host of tools that provide the keys to making data centers run efficiently and serve both internal and external customers.
Some tools monitor data center functions to ensure cooling, power consumption and other operations are in line with expectations. Other tools warn of potential problems and may offer recommendations to fix those problems or, increasingly, automatically make the required fixes.
While data center infrastructure management, or DCIM, software is among the most common tools available for running data centers, its complexity can be daunting for some customers. However, the industry offers a wide range of simpler technologies that also do an excellent job of monitoring and managing data centers, making this a great business area for solution providers.
Here’s a look at the data center tool providers on this year’s Data Center 100 list.
1E
Nick Milne-Home, President, COO, North America
Headquarters: New York
1E helps improve data center operations with technology to identify and eliminate unused IT equipment and software licenses and increase server and PC efficiency. The company in 2015 launched a new version of its Nomad Windows software deployment tool focused on Windows 10 deployment.
Asset Vue
Sean Cotter, President
Headquarters: Bristol, Pa.
Asset Vue provides RFID-based solutions that track and manage data center assets. These include Asset Vue Inventory for fast and accurate asset location; Asset Vue Tracker for tracking asset changes; and technology to use these tools as a service or via iOS or Android devices.
BMC Software
Robert Beauchamp, Chairman, President, CEO
Headquarters: Houston
BMC develops tools to provide IT service management, workload and IT automation, cloud management and mainframe management. The company in 2015 expanded its reach into cloud-based big data analytics with its new TrueSight Intelligence platform, and acquired Boundary Software for its SaaS-based infrastructure monitoring solution.
CA Technologies
Mike Gregoire, CEO
Headquarters: New York
CA develops IT management software and solutions for customers across mainframe and physical to virtual and cloud environments. The company’s core expertise can be found in its focus on cloud-delivered management applications, DevOps for application time-to-market acceleration and security.
CommScope/iTracs
Marvin "Eddie" Edwards, P resident, CEO
Headquarters: Hickory, N.C.
CommScope became a major data center connectivity and infrastructure solutions provider thanks to acquisitions in 2013 of DCIM developer iTracs and LED lighting and sensor network developer Redwood Systems. The company in 2015 expanded into 4G LTE and 3G wireless networking with its acquisition of Arivana.
Device42
Raj Jalan, Founder, CEO
Headquarters: New Haven, Conn.
Device42 delivers DCIM software that automatically provides up-to-date configuration and resource information, finds and documents issues, manages risks, centralizes security, and does auto-discovery. It added multitenancy capabilities in 2015 that allow groups to access specific rooms, devices or racks in a building.
eG Innovations
Srinivas Ramanathan , Founder, CEO
Headquarters: Iselin, N.J.
eG Innovations’ eG Enterprise v6 solution for simplifying and accelerating application performance monitoring across mission-critical virtual, cloud and physical IT infrastructures was enhanced in 2016 to provide deep visibility into the Citrix stack and to identify and fix issues related to Citrix migrations.
FNT Software
Nikolaus Albrecht, CEO
Headquarters: Parsippany, N.J.
FNT provides integrated software products for documenting and managing IT and telecommunications solutions, data centers and buildings to help enable the provision of high-value IT and telecommunications services. Its portfolio includes cable and IT infrastructure management, asset and configuration management and DCIM solutions.
Geist
Matt Lane, President, DCIM Division
Headquarters: Lincoln, Neb.
Geist manufactures intelligent hardware and software for data center power, cooling, monitoring and management. The company’s solutions include Geist Airflow Management for dynamic containment of hot air by expelling heat directly to a data center’s computer room air conditioner units.
Graphical Networks
Jan Durnhofer, CEO
Headquarters: Gaithersburg, Md.
Graphical Networks develops DCIM and network documentation software that provides real-time IT infrastructure visibility. The company’s Web-based IT visualization platform, netTerrain, automates the visualization, management and documentation of IT landscapes from logical network infrastructure diagrams to physical data center, racks, cabling and circuits.
iButtonLink
Rob Olson, President
Headquarters: Whitewater, Wis.
iButtonLink designs and manufactures sensor network technology for data centers, including custom and standard models, for 1-Wire and Inter-Integrated Circuit protocols. The company’s sensors include models for monitoring temperature, current, humidity, light level, voltage and more.
Kaseya
Fred Voccola, CEO
Headquarters: New York
Kaseya provides both centralized and remote management and policy-based automation of data center resources for MSPs. The company in 2015 updated its solution with new identity and access management, mobility and cloud application management capabilities.
Modius
Craig Compiano, President, CEO
Headquarters: San Francisco
Modius’ OpenData scalable DCIM software collects and normalizes real-time performance data from devices, applications and supporting building infrastructure including power, cooling and security to help users make operational decisions for data center and other mission-critical facilities management.
Nlyte Software
Doug Sabella, President, CEO
Headquarters: San Mateo, Calif.
Nlyte DCIM solutions, when coupled with its configuration management database and change management connectors, integrate with IT service management platforms from BMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and ServiceNow. Its new Nlyte Hyperscale Edition supports up to 150,000 racks and 30,000 asset changes a month.
Onset Computer
Justin Testa, President
Headquarters: Bourne, Mass.
Data logger supplier Onset Computer, whose flagship line of battery-powered HOBO data logger products measure and record data center temperature, humidity, light, energy and other parameters, expanded its line in 2015 with several new Bluetooth-compatible data loggers and a new Android-version of it HOBOmobile app.
Panduit
Tom Donovan, President
Headquarters: Tinley Park, Ill.
Panduit’s Unified Physical Infrastructure solutions integrate segregated data centers systems such as communications, computing, control, power and security into a single unified, automated infrastructure. The company in 2015 acquired IntraVUE by Network Vision for its tools for industrial Ethernet control network visualization and diagnostics.
RF Code
Ed Healy, CEO
Headquarters: Austin, Texas
RF Code develops active RFID hardware sensors scattered through the data center along with asset location and management software and data normalization middleware, all tightly integrated with the company’s CenterScape DCIM software to manage data center power, cooling and asset control.
SevOne
Jack Sweeney, CEO
Headquarters: Boston
SevOne develops the SevOne Cluster infrastructure performance monitoring platform that leverages distributed computing to scale infinitely and collect millions of objects to provide real-time reporting for networking, 4G LTE, software-defined networking and hybrid cloud solutions.
SolarWinds
Kevin B. Thompson, President, CEO
Headquarters: Austin, Texas
SolarWinds provides software addressing a wide range of data center management issues, including network management software and network tools, system management software, IT security software, database performance management and optimization, and IT help desk and remote support software.
TeamQuest
Paul Hesser, President, CEO
Headquarters: Clear Lake, Iowa
TeamQuest provides automated, comprehensive and real-time performance analysis software for apps, servers and storage that lets businesses analyze, predict, manage and measure the performance of dynamic multivendor environments. TeamQuest last year acquired PureShare, which develops solutions providing consolidated views of IO performance data.