Is your data center running efficiently?
Balancing hybrid cloud support with budget restrictions makes choosing the right tool a complex challenge, often leading to major operational inefficiencies.
This results in information overload and poor resource utilization across sites, which directly impacts your operational budget and critical system uptime.
Many IT directors I speak with find their traditional tools just can’t keep up, lacking the automation needed for proactive capacity planning and true energy optimization.
The right software platform directly addresses this by providing actionable insights for optimizing resources, helping you regain complete control over your entire infrastructure.
In this article, I’ll guide you through the best data center management software designed to help you automate asset tracking and simplify complex infrastructure management.
You’ll discover solutions that minimize expensive downtime, improve energy efficiency, and integrate smoothly with your existing IT service management workflows.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary:
| # | Software | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunbird → | Global multi-site data centers | |
| 2 | Nlyte → | Hybrid & edge computing | |
| 3 | Device42 → | Hybrid IT & IT operations | |
| 4 | Vertiv → | Complex multi-site operations | |
| 5 | FNT Software → | Enterprise hybrid environments |
1. Sunbird
Need to manage your entire data center efficiently?
Sunbird’s DCIM solution tackles the challenge of monitoring, planning, and managing your infrastructure across all sites. This means you can accurately track assets and ensure your operations run smoothly.
Your team can quickly gain an up-to-the-minute picture of capacities, from power and space to networking and cooling. This allows for faster, more accurate work.
Here’s how Sunbird makes a difference.
Sunbird helps you plan, provision, model, track, and monitor all infrastructure. It’s designed to get your infrastructure work done faster, more sustainably, and with improved accuracy.
This platform empowers you to accurately track all assets across your global data centers and quickly see space, power, network connectivity, and cooling capacity. You can also boost energy efficiency and reduce costs effectively.
Additionally, you can manage, validate, and report on change requests and work orders, ensuring your processes are streamlined. The platform offers intelligent monitoring for maintaining data center health and provides 3D views for comprehensive visualization of your entire data center floor.
The result is better decision-making for your data center operations.
While focusing on on-premise infrastructure, optimizing cloud resources is also crucial. You might find my guide on Azure management tools helpful for your cloud strategy.
Key features:
- Asset and Capacity Management: Accurately track all assets across global data centers and quickly assess space, power, network, and cooling capacities.
- Energy and Power Monitoring: Boost energy efficiency, reduce costs, and proactively prevent downtime by monitoring power usage and finding stranded capacity.
- Visualization and Analytics: See comprehensive 3D views of your data center floor and utilize zero-configuration dashboards for out-of-the-box visual analytics.
Learn more about Sunbird features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Sunbird offers a comprehensive suite of features, including asset, capacity, energy, and power management, along with advanced visualization and analytics. These capabilities make it a strong contender for the best data center management software, helping you optimize infrastructure and make informed decisions, as highlighted by marquee customers.
2. Nlyte
Struggling with complex data center management?
Nlyte provides solutions like Nlyte Energy Optimizer and Asset Optimizer to bring order to your infrastructure.
This means you can efficiently monitor power and thermal efficiencies, leading to predictable operations and reduced disruptions.
So, how does it achieve this?
Nlyte’s Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) and Integrated Data Center Management (IDCM) offerings are designed to optimize your critical infrastructure, whether you’re managing a traditional data center, colocation, hybrid cloud, or edge computing environments.
It helps you monitor end-to-end telemetry points, enabling you to predict and avoid unplanned outages, which is crucial for maintaining high reliability. This integrated approach also assists in optimizing application workload placement, ensuring your resources are used effectively.
Additionally, Nlyte offers solutions for sustainability compliance reporting, security & IT infrastructure compliance, and workload asset management, making it a comprehensive tool for diverse operational needs and ensuring your entire IT environment is well-managed.
The result is truly optimized infrastructure.
Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of best laboratory information management system helpful.
Key features:
- Integrated Data Center Management (IDCM): Provides a unified view to monitor and manage your entire data center environment, improving control and efficiency across sites.
- Energy and Asset Optimization: Utilizes Nlyte Energy Optimizer and Asset Optimizer to track and predict power usage, thermal efficiency, and asset lifecycle management for cost savings.
- Support for Hybrid Environments: Designed to optimize critical infrastructure for traditional data centers, colocation facilities, hybrid cloud, and edge computing environments.
Learn more about Nlyte features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Nlyte offers robust solutions for IT directors and infrastructure managers seeking proactive capacity planning, automated asset tracking, and seamless integration for their data centers. Its focus on energy and asset optimization, along with integrated management for hybrid and edge environments, makes it a strong contender as the best data center management software, helping defer major build costs like a $20 million data center and saving 7% in operating costs.
3. Device42
Struggling with data center chaos and spiraling costs?
Device42 offers integrated DCIM, CMDB, and ITAM in one platform. This means you gain complete hybrid IT discovery, visibility, and management.
It helps you conquer challenges like reducing power consumption and de-risking migrations, offering a continuously updated view of your assets. You can also meet compliance and audit mandates with automation.
Here’s how to streamline operations.
Device42’s automated discovery pinpoints over-provisioned assets and energy issues, providing crucial insights. This enables you to accurately forecast needs and optimize resource allocation.
You can also elevate your ITSM with advanced insights into business applications, storage, and unmatched dependency mapping capabilities. This maximizes uptime and ensures operational excellence. Plus, Device42 offers an industry-first innovation, InsightsAI, which transforms natural language questions into precise SQL queries for actionable answers.
The result is increased IT Operations Management by 60%+ and resolving outages 10x faster.
Key features:
- Automated Discovery: Uncovers all IT assets, from legacy systems to cloud containers, providing comprehensive visibility across your hybrid infrastructure.
- Integrated DCIM & CMDB: Combines data center infrastructure management with a continuously updated configuration management database for centralizing IT information.
- Dependency Mapping: Visualizes complex relationships between applications and infrastructure, crucial for reducing downtime and ensuring successful migrations.
Learn more about Device42 features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Device42 excels by providing integrated DCIM, CMDB, and ITAM capabilities in a single platform, making it a strong contender for the best data center management software. Its automated discovery and dependency mapping are invaluable for proactive capacity planning and minimizing deployment downtime, leading to a 4.8x average return on investment.
4. Vertiv
Struggling with data center complexity and downtime?
Vertiv offers digital infrastructure solutions to manage your entire data center. This includes comprehensive monitoring and management capabilities to reduce operational complexity.
Specifically, Vertiv Unify consolidates power, thermal, and building management systems into a single, unified interface, simplifying operations. This means you can gain greater control over your infrastructure.
Here’s how to simplify your data center operations.
Vertiv solves key pain points by offering integrated solutions like Vertiv Unify, centralizing critical systems for ease of use. You can monitor and manage your infrastructure from edge to cloud.
Their portfolio includes comprehensive monitoring for digital infrastructure, serial consoles, and various KVM switches including IP, high-performance, LCD tray, desktop, and secure KVM. This broad range helps simplify your management across diverse environments. Additionally, Vertiv also provides software for robust monitoring and control, along with services for critical power, thermal management, and electrical reliability.
The result is a unified approach to managing your entire data center ecosystem, ensuring efficiency and uptime.
Before diving deeper into technical specifications, you might find my analysis of best test maker software helpful for understanding data assessments.
Key features:
- Unified Management Platform: Vertiv Unify integrates power, thermal, and building management into a single interface, reducing complexity and operational risks.
- Comprehensive Monitoring Capabilities: It includes digital infrastructure solutions, embedded device management, and dedicated software for continuous monitoring of your systems.
- Diverse KVM Solutions: Provides various KVM switches like IP, high-performance, and secure options to manage different IT environments effectively and securely.
Learn more about Vertiv features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Vertiv stands out by unifying power, thermal, and building management into a single interface, significantly easing IT directors’ evaluation process. Their comprehensive monitoring and diverse KVM solutions make it a suitable choice as the best data center management software for optimizing infrastructure, especially in complex, multi-site operations.
5. FNT Software
Is your data center infrastructure hard to manage?
FNT Software offers comprehensive solutions like DCIM and IT Infrastructure Management, ensuring you keep your entire IT landscape in view. This means you can confidently tackle the complexities of hybrid cloud and edge environments.
You need tools that provide a clear picture, and FNT Software helps you gain transparency for reliable documentation, planning, and management. This capability is crucial for managing your multi-site operations.
It’s about staying in control.
FNT Software provides robust solutions for Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) and IT Asset Management (ITAM). This allows you to efficiently manage power and cooling resources, track device locations, and monitor environmental conditions. You can also proactively plan for capacity and resource utilization, which is key for minimizing downtime. Their FNT GraphicCenter helps you visualize complex structures dynamically, making it easier to gain clarity and streamline operations. Additionally, their Configuration Management Database (CMDB) acts as a central hub, mapping your entire IT infrastructure, including relationships and dependencies, crucial for proactive capacity planning and automated asset tracking.
Achieve complete control over your IT infrastructure.
While we’re discussing asset management, understanding how to manage creative assets is equally important for many businesses. My article on best creative management platforms covers this in detail.
Key features:
- Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM): Efficiently manage power, cooling, device location, and environmental conditions to optimize resource utilization across all your data centers.
- IT Asset Management (ITAM): Track and manage all your IT assets, both physical and virtual, throughout their entire lifecycle, from deployment to retirement.
- Configuration Management Database (CMDB): Establish a central database that maps your complete IT infrastructure, including all relationships and dependencies, for enhanced visibility.
Learn more about FNT Software features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: FNT Software is an excellent choice for enterprises needing robust tools to manage complex IT and data center environments. With solutions covering DCIM, ITAM, and CMDB, it provides the detailed documentation and planning capabilities essential for proactive capacity planning and optimizing energy use, making it a strong contender for the best data center management software.
6. Graphical Networks
Struggling with complex data center management challenges?
Graphical Networks offers netTerrain, an IT documentation and visualization solution designed to give you a real-time atlas of your IT landscape. This means you can save money, boost efficiency, and enhance overall performance.
This software helps unify disparate tools and departments, allowing for comprehensive visibility. It transforms IT management across all industries.
Here’s how netTerrain simplifies your operations.
netTerrain helps you get an efficient data center in clicks, reducing costs and simplifying capacity planning. This provides clarity and control.
For instance, netTerrain Logical helps you make sense of your networks, get answers in seconds, and troubleshoot issues much faster. It saves hours previously spent tracking down information across campus or in spreadsheets.
Additionally, netTerrain OSP helps you understand your fiber plant, knowing what you have, where it is, and what you need. This optimizes rack space and equipment placement, ensuring you can maximize vertical space and easily identify customer assets.
Optimize your infrastructure effortlessly.
While optimizing infrastructure, understanding specialized requirements like HIPAA compliance software can be crucial for certain industries.
Key features:
- Real-time IT Visibility Provides a real-time atlas of your entire IT landscape for comprehensive understanding and efficient management of assets and infrastructure.
- Unified IT Operations Unifies various tools and departments, connecting network operations and facilities to streamline workflows and improve collaboration.
- Cost Efficiency and Planning Reduces operational costs, simplifies data center planning, and helps optimize rack space utilization for better resource management.
Learn more about Graphical Networks features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Graphical Networks’ netTerrain is a strong contender for best data center management software, praised by users for its ability to reduce man-hours and replace costly legacy tools. Its comprehensive visualization and documentation capabilities allow IT directors to proactively plan capacity and optimize resource utilization effectively.
7. EkkoSense
Struggling with data center thermal and power risks?
EkkoSense’s AI-driven software, EkkoSoft Critical, delivers real-time operational visibility. This means you can proactively address your data center’s performance.
It helps you make the invisible visible, giving you granular insight from anywhere. This allows you to reduce cooling energy costs and unlock stranded capacity.
This empowers better decisions.
EkkoSense provides instant, real-time insights into your critical M&E infrastructure, helping you optimize cooling and reduce energy waste. Its AI-driven Cooling Advisor tool offers focused performance recommendations, enabling you to correlate cooling with IT workload using advanced analytics. This leads to automated full ESG reporting and supports your net-zero programs.
You can achieve an ROI in under 12 months. Plus, the intuitive UX offers a consolidated interface for managing capacity, power, and thermal performance, making complex operations simpler. This proactive approach helps you minimize downtime and achieve significant carbon and OPEX savings, as demonstrated by Digital Realty’s 20% cooling system energy reduction.
The result is optimized energy use and resource utilization.
If you’re also looking into effective data management, my article on master data management software covers how to achieve data clarity and control.
Key features:
- AI-driven optimization: Uses advanced AI to provide real-time operational visibility, helping you remove thermal and power risks and optimize cooling capacity.
- Energy cost reduction: Offers intelligent cooling performance recommendations and advisory actions to minimize energy waste and support net-zero initiatives.
- Comprehensive visibility: Provides an intuitive, consolidated interface for managing capacity, power, and thermal performance, accessible from anywhere, anytime.
Learn more about EkkoSense features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: EkkoSense, with its AI-driven optimization and real-time visibility, addresses key challenges for IT directors, enabling significant cooling energy and carbon savings, as seen with a global bank achieving 866 kW savings. Its intuitive interface and sub-12-month ROI make it a strong contender for best data center management software.
8. ManageEngine
Struggling to control your complex IT infrastructure?
ManageEngine provides enterprise-grade solutions designed to monitor, manage, and secure your entire IT environment. This means you can gain crucial visibility and control.
Specifically, their solutions enhance IT operations management and observability, allowing you to monitor and manage your network, servers, and applications. This helps address concerns about real-time monitoring and proactive capacity planning.
Here’s how ManageEngine delivers robust solutions.
ManageEngine’s AI-enhanced IT management solutions help you ensure high availability and keep your customers happy by solving critical challenges. This is achieved through unified service management capabilities that let you design, automate, deliver, and manage IT and business services.
Additionally, with unified endpoint management and security, you can manage and secure desktops, servers, laptops, mobile devices, and web browsers effectively. Furthermore, their advanced IT analytics feature offers unified IT analytics and AI-powered insights, providing IT data correlation and capacity planning for optimizing energy use and resource utilization. Plus, for multi-cloud and hybrid environments, their cloud solutions scale your IT infrastructure seamlessly.
Take control and optimize your infrastructure.
Key features:
- IT Operations Management & Observability: Monitor and manage your network, servers, and applications with advanced observability and AI-powered insights for comprehensive infrastructure control.
- Unified Service Management: Design, automate, deliver, and manage IT and business services, enhancing IT asset management and customer support workflows for operational efficiency.
- Advanced IT Analytics: Visualize IT data, gain actionable insights, and perform capacity planning with AI-powered analytics to optimize resource utilization and proactive decision-making.
Learn more about ManageEngine features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: ManageEngine offers comprehensive, enterprise-grade solutions focusing on IT operations management, unified service management, and advanced IT analytics. These features make it suitable as a top-tier best data center management software, helping you simplify complex IT challenges and optimize your infrastructure effectively.
9. Panduit
Struggling with complex data center management challenges?
Panduit offers end-to-end solutions supporting AI data center demands, simplifying infrastructure optimization. This helps you streamline operations.
Their comprehensive approach tackles information overload, ensuring you have clear visibility into your infrastructure. The result is a more manageable and efficient system.
Ready to simplify your data center?
Panduit empowers digital transformation with solutions that directly address your pain points, from design to deployment. This means you gain proactive capacity planning and automated asset tracking.
Their intelligent Power Distribution Units (iPDUs) integrate with systems like Cisco Nexus Dashboard, delivering end-to-end network and power visibility. This helps your organization accelerate its sustainability journey, offering critical insights for optimizing energy use. Additionally, features like the RapidID™ Network Mapping System simplify asset tracking and connectivity, ensuring a smarter infrastructure for your digital building solutions.
Optimize your infrastructure for peak performance.
While we’re discussing optimizing infrastructure, understanding broader organizational efficiency is also key. My guide on exit interview management software provides insights for enhancing retention and guiding HR decisions.
Key features:
- AI-Ready Data Center Solutions: Supports the demands of artificial intelligence, providing a complete set of end-to-end solutions for future-proofing your infrastructure needs.
- Intelligent Power Distribution Units (iPDUs): Integrates with existing systems to offer end-to-end network and power visibility, aiding in sustainable energy optimization.
- RapidID™ Network Mapping System: Streamlines asset tracking and connectivity, simplifying network management for enhanced operational efficiency.
Learn more about Panduit features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Panduit’s focus on AI-ready data center solutions and integrated power visibility makes it an excellent choice for those seeking the best data center management software, helping to optimize energy use and resource utilization for a truly smarter infrastructure.
10. Hyperview
Are you grappling with complex data center operations?
Hyperview offers a cloud-based DCIM platform to streamline your infrastructure management. This means you can gain real-time insights and prevent downtime.
The platform helps you align digital infrastructure with business goals, reducing risks and boosting sustainability. It takes the complexity out of data center management.
Ready for a simpler solution?
Hyperview is designed for efficiency, accuracy, and convenience, helping you optimize operations quickly. You can reduce operating expenses by 30% through intelligent power, cooling, and capacity management.
This includes unlocking stranded capacity, tracking kilowatt hours, and monitoring temperature and humidity. You can also automate asset health tracking, visualize single-points-of-failure, and use change logs to identify root causes.
Additionally, Hyperview helps improve your sustainability by tracking carbon footprint and automating sustainability reporting, even supporting ASHRAE thermal compliance. Plus, its AI Assistant helps you find settings, simplify reporting, and understand platform capabilities without manuals.
Transform your everyday operations with one platform.
Key features:
- Automated Asset Discovery: Discover and monitor every asset in your infrastructure, from servers and storage to UPS and CRACs, using a lightweight, agentless data collector.
- Comprehensive Energy Management: Reduce operating expenses by 30% through intelligent power, cooling, and capacity management, including tracking kilowatt hours and environmental monitoring.
- AI-Powered Assistance: Gain faster answers and smarter workflows with an AI Assistant that guides you through tasks, simplifies reporting, and provides quick explanations without manuals.
Learn more about Hyperview features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Hyperview stands out as a strong contender for best data center management software due to its cloud-based architecture and AI capabilities. It addresses key pain points like cost reduction, outage prevention (70% of outages caused by human error), and sustainability, offering robust tools for IT directors.
Conclusion
Struggling to optimize your infrastructure?
Choosing the right DCIM tool feels overwhelming. Information overload from overlapping features and tight budget restrictions make it difficult to distinguish true must-haves.
The right software enables real-time identification of equipment faults and system imbalances. This improves your operational efficiency significantly, reducing expensive downtime without needing constant physical interventions. That insight is vital.
Here is my top recommendation.
From my analysis, Sunbird stands out as the clear winner. It’s designed to give you an up-to-the-minute picture of capacities across power, space, and cooling.
For additional insights into various software needs, my analysis of best museum software provides valuable perspectives.
What I love is its power to accurately track assets across global sites, providing true visibility. The best data center management software like this one gives you total control.
I highly recommend you visit the Sunbird website to see how its comprehensive visualization and analytics can transform your operations.
Regain complete control over your infrastructure.
