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FNT Software Solutions for Data Centers and Colocation Providers

Data centers form the backbone of this communication infrastructure, whether they are hyperscaler facilities, telecommunications provider hubs, edge data centers, or the enterprise IT data centers of all sizes found in almost every company across all industries. Vast volumes of data transmissions are concentrated in data centers, in a relatively small space.

We support you in the planning and operation of your infrastructure

Our software solutions for data centers allow you to get transparency over the entire infrastructure (space, power, cooling, network, etc.). The user-friendliness also enables fast and error-free processing through planning, workflow, support as well as graphical user interface (HTML5, Cloud). Thanks to interfaces with other systems as well as the monitoring and integration of various autodiscovery systems, the quality of the documentation is beyond question.

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Features and Functions (Click to expand)

Asset Management
  • Central data model: Professional documentation of the data center infrastructure including the mapping of all logical dependencies in one master data model.  
  • Facility Equipment: Documentation and management of all technical building systems such as air conditioning, UPS and fire alarm systems to facilitate maintenance and operation, and minimize failures.  
  • ITC Assets: Centrally record and manage all IT and telecommunications components – from servers and switches to routers and telephone systems – including their technical data and locations.  
  • Component Library: Documentation of all relevant infrastructure components using an extensive component library with over 75,000 components from all manufacturers, including all technical and physical parameters. 
Capacity Management
  • Centralized Management: A single, unified platform that integrates facility management, IT, and operations data. This allows data center teams to plan, monitor, and optimize resources (space, power, cooling) from one place, ensuring better coordination and streamlined workflows. 
  • Space: Management and evaluation of areas in rooms and free/occupied height units in racks  
  • Power: Capacities, thresholds, utilization charts  
  • Cooling: In the room, rack, and zones (enclosures)  
  • Footprint: Visualization functions can be used to create a comprehensive overview of the current state, future demand, and impending capacity problems   
Power & Environmental Monitoring
  • Power Management: Planning and management of power distribution systems consisting of power distribution units with the associated power buses and rails, breakers, distribution panels, rack PDUs, etc.  
  • Environment: Functions for monitoring and optimizing energy and environmental conditions in the data center  
  • Heatmap: Visualizes the temperature distribution in the data center room and makes it possible to quickly and easily identify problems such as heat build-up, supercooled areas, or a problem with cooling in general. Also assists in optimizing the system distribution in the room to make full use of the available cooling capacity.  
Infrastructure Health
  • Monitoring & Control: Continually assess all physical assets in data centers with a centrally controllable system. The configurable dashboard displays important information and also provides detailed performance and capacity analysis for each asset.  
  • Documentation Health: Regular testing and assessment of the documentation of all data center components to ensure high data quality and provide the best possible support for ongoing operations.  
Sustainability

Correctly document and manage the CO2 footprint of infrastructure-related emissions to provide data centers with an important tool for improving corporate sustainability.

Cable & Connectivity Management

Easy access to the information and tools needed to implement switching orders and operate connections, whether physical wired or logical.  

  • Intersite Connectivity: Between multiple data center locations, including capacity and redundancy planning (e.g., for disaster recovery)  
  • Intrasite Connectivity: Within a single data center or building complex  
  • Inside & Outside Plant Connectivity: Both internal cabling (Inside Plant) including patch management and external cable routes (Outside Plant) to ensure consistent documentation of the physical infrastructure.  
  • Dark Fiber: Leased fiber optic cable connections  
  • Cross Connects: Carrier interconnects in meet-me-rooms for carriers and customers to efficiently bundle data and telecom services.  
Change Management & Life Cycle
  • Planning: Implement changes to the existing infrastructure (e.g. cable, network, storage and servers and configurations) based on the existing documentation and considering changes that have already been planned but not yet implemented.  
  • Life Cycle: Capture every change in the database during the lifecycle of an object. A history function documents a variety of parameters for each CI, such as location, attributes, links, user, and type of change. This information can be evaluated using comprehensive reporting functionalities for one or more CIs.  
Workflow Management
  • Planning Protocol: Create protocols of all planned infrastructure changes to ensure seamless tracking and high transparency for ongoing and future projects, which can also be used as work orders for executing persons or companies.  
  • FNT ProcessCenter: End-to-end process management for all changes to the existing IT, data center or network infrastructure. 
Reporting & Visualization
  • BI & Analytics: Actionable reports enable informed decisions to support knowledge-based infrastructure and resource planning.  
  • FNT GraphicCenter: Visualization and analysis of infrastructure and service data in a simple way  
  • 3D Footprint: Provides a 360° view of the data center, Various standard perspectives and capacity views provide a quick and detailed overview of the actual and target status.  
  • Netspider: Enables the graphical representation of objects in extensive networks and makes it easier for the user to recognize fundamental relationships.   
  • CI environment: Attributes such as location, relations, users, owners, etc. are recorded for each CI. This information can be evaluated and visualized with the help of comprehensive reporting functionalities.  
Import & Export
  • Table exchange format: Data can be exported and imported in CSV and XLS/XLSX formats.  
  • Interface administration & management: Predefined standard interfaces (API) to numerous commercially available software solutions are available, as well as the possibility to define and operate bidirectional interfaces to any application (reconciliation, FNT StagingArea) to ensure permanent data synchronization.  
  • Integration: The connection of different autodiscovery solutions offers extensive import functions (e.g. Excel) for easy integration/consolidation of already existing infrastructure data from other systems.  
Extensions
  • Server Management (Virtual Machines): Documents all aspects of the modern server and storage infrastructure as well as the distributed systems in the company, providing an important basis for mapping related IT management processes.  
  • Software management (versions, firmware, licenses): Complete and comprehensive documentation of all used and existing software installations and applications of your company, including the versions and licenses used.  
  • IPAM: Integrated IP address management for easy assignment, monitoring and planning of IP addresses and network segments as well as VLANs.
Platform Flexibility & Scalability
  • Multitenancy: Support multiple tenants in a common environment, with each organization or department having isolated data areas and customizable settings.  
  • Roles & Rights Concept: Flexibly configure and manage authorizations according to individual security requirements and other operational requirements.  
  • Configurability: Quickly deploy and individually adapt a flexibly configurable out-of-the-box solution.  
  • Web Application: Users can access and make changes to the modern, web-based HTML5 user interface from any device (PC, tablet, mobile) or workstation (home office, office).   
  • Installation variants & scalability: Implement as an on-premises, cloud or hybrid solution and scale for growing requirements and different company sizes. Option for customer to operate, have FNT host, or utilize as-a-Service.  

Companies use FNT software to manage their data center resources more efficiently by documenting, planning and managing all their resources and sites throughout their lifecycle.

DC Capacity Management

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FNT DC Capacity Management helps make sense of all the information flowing through the various systems that comprise the data center. With a clear view of current capacity status and forecasted requirements, management can determine the need for and prioritize investments in alternatives such as colocation, public cloud and managed hosting services, as well as operational considerations.

DC Connectivity Management

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FNT DC Connectivity Management solution provides the information and tools to manage connectivity requests and operations. Whether a physical cable connection or logical connectivity service (such as Ethernet or VPN), all connections go through the same phases: planning, rollout out, implementation and operation.

DC Management

FNT Data Center Management covers documentation, planning, and management of all data center resources and facilities throughout their entire lifecycle. The solution offers a comprehensive range of display and evaluation options for all aspects of your data center. The solution provides an instant overview of all relevant information on footprints, height units, weights, power consumption and cooling data - even across multiple data centers. It also enables management of all assets through a single, dynamically updated repository integrated with key systems. As a result, data centers not only have the information and tools to support the existing environment but are also able to leverage technologies of the future for digital transformation today.

Further Downloads

Would you like to know more about it? Then you might be interested in the following:

Whitepaper
DCIM Software Replacement
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How to Evaluate and Transition to a New Solution Whatever the motivating factor, every organization will at some point need to replace their DCIM software. Whether by choice or by force, there is a way to approach the process that will minimize the effort required and maximize the benefit not only to your data center, but to your organization overall. This guide is full of useful information that can facilitate the process. It details what to look for in a replacement solution and best practices for how to migrate. It also lays out the justifications you’ll need to garner management support for the change initiative.
Whitepaper
Rethinking DCIM
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Guide to understanding Top-Down DCIM and why it matters Data centers are essential for the success of any modern business. Accordingly, their performance and availability are increasingly moving up the agenda of customers and senior management alike. But it is no longer enough to simply use space, power, and cooling as metrics. Given digital transformation and the central role of IT in an organization’s ability to deliver, data centers need to provide maximum support for business transactions. Traditional tools for data center infrastructure management (DCIM) have reached their limits. What is needed are integrated tools, standards, and data models that enable seamless, efficient management of IT infrastructure from top to bottom. This white paper looks at the differences between tool generations, what characterizes modern DCIM solutions, and why managing isolated solutions soon runs up against functional limits. The core question is: How can I future-proof my data center?
Whitepaper
Why You Need a Digital Twin of Your Data Centers
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Digital twins play a pivotal role in managing today’s modern data centers. From design to operation to maintenance, using a digital twin in your data center management can make a huge difference in your ability to provide a resilient infrastructure, optimize resource usage, scale as needed – to name just a few concerns. This paper explores in detail what digital twin-enhanced data center management looks like, the value a digital twin adds to data center management, and how it is uniquely capable of overcoming the complex challenges of our increasingly digital world.
Whitepaper
The Sustainable Infrastructure
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Actions data center and network operators can take today for a more environmental-friendly tomorrow Businesses concerned about sustainability are taking stock of their current situation, identifying areas to target for improvement, and formulating plans for how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There are many strategies that can be used, and not all of them are obvious. This paper is an enlightening look at a number of different actions businesses can take to minimize the impact they are having on the environment.
Expert Paper
The Path to Sustainability and Carbon Neutrality in DCIM
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Our new expert paper details how companies can tackle decarbonization through better infrastructure management, and how FNT's new solution add-on helps by documenting, analyzing and reporting on the carbon emissions of your customer's infrastructure.
Partner Solution Paper
Hybrid Infrastructure Management: Know What to Manage and How
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In today’s dynamic IT environment, organizations face a daunting challenge: managing a hybrid infrastructure that blends physical, virtual, and cloud-based resources. This complexity often leads to inefficiencies, increased costs, and security vulnerabilities. But what if there was a way to turn these challenges into opportunities?
Success Story
Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency)
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Germany’s Federal Employment Agency runs one of Europe’s largest IT networks, supporting 120,000 employees across 1,680 locations. Previously managed with Excel and Visio, the IT infrastructure is now centralized on FNT Command, which records and manages IT and telecommunications components, software, and cloud applications. This platform allows flexible data handling and integration with existing systems, including ERP software, to automate IT procurement and inventory management.
Whitepaper
Data Centers on the Edge
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A Guide for Operating Remote Sites Current predictions by various experts indicate a rapid growth of edge computing. Many companies have now recognized the advantages of the edge and are in various stages of implementing their own edge strategies. This white paper discusses how organizations can keep track of and efficiently manage their geographically dispersed sites
Whitepaper
How Smart Integrations Enhance Data Center Management
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Taking data center automation to new levels with a combined FNT/ABB solution Managing data centers is complicated. It involves multiple tools, a combination of manual and automated processes that aren’t always in sync, and data that isn’t always available when needed. A single solution simply cannot handle the complexity of a modern data center. Integrating best-in-class tools is the key to increasing efficiency and productivity across all departments. It makes sure all are working together in an integrated way and not operating in silos. Read our new white paper to learn how FNT together with ABB have made data center management more efficient just by working together.
Whitepaper
The Future of DCIM
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The pandemic has heightened the need for digital transformation and is accelerating its mainstream adoption to support remote workforces, increased bandwidth, IoT, and virtualization. To ensure success in the aftermath of COVID-19 and remain competitive in a digital world, businesses must also understand how infrastructure management is evolving. In this white paper, we’ll discuss why today’s modern data centers need hybrid digital infrastructure management for greater visibility into digital infrastructure and to support increased mobility.
Whitepaper
Future-Proof Your Data Center Through Integration
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How to leverage the full potential of management tools and process with smart integration In this white paper, we’ll discuss how to drive growth and automate processes through smart integration. Combining a data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solution with other business-critical systems will simplify and unify operational processes and allow you to achieve high-caliber data center management.
Whitepaper
IT Infrastructure Management Tools
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Best Practices for Implementation Physical IT infrastructure resources and assets form the basis for all IT services and are thus fundamental for business success. Managing cables, servers, and switches has always been a complex challenge but digital transformation and its consequences now make deployment of specialist tools a prerequisite for efficient management. Many rollouts of such tools fail for various reasons, e. g., the strategy, choice of tool, goals, or data collection. The result is that solutions are either not used at all or not used effectively. In this white paper, we discuss the most common issues encountered when implementing IT infrastructure management tools and how to avoid them.
Whitepaper
Cable Chaos in Data Centers
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How a paradigm shift can fix cable chaos In our white paper titled The Nerve Pathways of Digital Transformation, we highlighted the strategic importance and value of data center cabling. The focus was on the challenges around managing data center cabling, the consequences of inadequate cable management, and the warning signs that urgent action is needed. In this white paper, we examine how to turn data center cable management into a technical and economic success factor. We present the necessary changes to the fundamental approach and the positive effects that result from this paradigm shift. This is accompanied by a look at the increasing importance of professionalization, the use of professional software, and the tangible benefits it delivers for data center managers.
Whitepaper
Structured cabling in Data Centers
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The nerve pathways of digital transformation. Few aspects of digital infrastructure are as undervalued as network cabling – yet few are as critical to the process. Cabling provides the essential foundation for all forms of connectivity, data communication, and digital value creation. At the same time, the cables themselves are largely invisible, with more and more IT services being consumed from the cloud via WLAN. The highly qualified teams that provide and operate the cabling also work behind the scenes. This is especially true of the cabling in data centers, which is often regarded as a black box.
Whitepaper
Digital Twins for Data Centers
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In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, data center operators are seeking ways to adapt and optimize their operations for increased efficiency, resilience, and security. A digital twin, a virtual counterpart of the physical data center, has emerged as a promising solution.
FNT Software Americas
Contact: Justin Menoche
Phone: +1 862 437 0682
FNT Software APAC
Contact: Leo Koh
Phone: +65 9128 4795
FNT Software Europe
Contact: Claudio David
Phone: +49 7961 9039 0