11 October, 2016 - Analysis of Gartner's Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) market report.
In contrast to last year, the situation this year has changed significantly. A consolidation of this sector is taking place, either by acquisitions or by market share.
In the leaders' quadrant Nlyte clearly ranks number one, ahead of Emerson and Schneider.
It seems that Nlyte's strategy, as the only independent DCIM software company, is working and although it is smaller, it can compete with the big data centre (DC) solution providers and beat them. In addition, the acquisition of FieldView has strengthened Nlyte to better compete in the "facilities" part of data centres.
We include below the 2014 and 2015 quadrants as a reference. In this way it can be seen how this sector has evolved in recent years.
Considerations on Emerson:
- It has significantly improved its solutions (mainly aiming at user-friendliness) and its support policy.
- The current implementation of Trellis remains complex (e.g. planning and visualisation). There is a long learning curve for users to take advantage of it.
- During August this year, Emerson has sold its Network Power business unit (where Tellis is located) to Platinum Equity. This could bring some uncertainty about its long-term strategy.
Schneider considerations:
- StruxureWare is a powerful tool, but its evolution over the past year, both in terms of market expansion and product enhancements, has been limited.
- Problems continue to be reported with some implementations and with its integration facilities.
- It tends to bundle its DCIM solution with the other equipment it sells for data centres, seeking to get customers to buy the complete package.
Considerations on Nlyte:
- It continues to innovate with an advanced vision that integrates the ITSM world with DC. Its strategy reflects customer feedback and it has a cloud-based IoT platform (SaaS).
- The acquisition of FieldView has strengthened its energy monitoring capabilities.
- On the other hand, its flexible pricing policy allows it to tailor the solution to customers' needs. However, competing with large data centre providers remains a challenge.
Analysis of Aplicaziones
The Gartner study reflects the state of the market based on analysis of available products and customer interviews.
Simplifying the state of this market into a quadrant, as Gartner does, is not easy, but we would like to make some considerations:
- This year we have eliminated companies that due to their incomplete focus and small market size could distort the study.
- Nlyte consolidates its position as world leader, both because of its product improvements and the purchase of FieldView to cover the "facilities" flank, where some of its competitors may have been stronger until now.
- Emerson and Schneider are also still in the leading group, but in our opinion, they show a slowdown. Their strategy of selling DCIM solutions together with their data centre equipment has worked very well so far. However, as the market matures, customers are beginning to ask for more than just control of the "facilities" and it remains to be seen how these manufacturers can understand the DC management needs coming out of the IT world.
- Panduit is having success with its "SmartZone" concept, but it does not cover other needs for advanced DC management.
- CommScope (iTracs) maintains its focus on infrastructure (cabling), with a rich 3D visualisation, but users still see it as a complex tool and its evolution strategy is conditioned by CommScope's priorities for the DC market.
Aplicaziones is one of the leading companies in the Spanish market in the implementation of physical layer management and DCIM solutions, having carried out projects with iTracs, Nlyte and Panduit.
More information: Request 2016 DCIM Gartner magic quadrant