By Fred Dirla, CEO & Founder, FieldView Solutions

Established in 2009 and headquartered in Edison, FieldView Solutions is an enterprise software company that provides a tool for data center managers, directors, IT managers, and facility managers to enhance capacity planning, energy management, and risk mitigation for critical assets. The company received a total of $4.75 Million from SJF Ventures, Milestone Venture Partners and Osege Ventures.

No matter where I go in my travels, here in the U.S., or around the world, I talk to engineers and other professionals involved in the Data Center business. And I’ve discovered a common thread among them. Everybody, everywhere, struggles at one time or another with: 1) How to save money on energy, and 2) How to maximize capacity. Here are five suggestions to help data center professionals keep control of costs and capacity.

1. Know What You have Got and What You have not
I am always surprised when I learn how many data center colleagues really don’t have a good handle on what kind of usable capacity they have got left in their facility. I hear that they have got a vague idea, or they just leave plenty of room for error.

To start, find out exactly how much real capacity is available in your data center. A clear and real-time picture will allow you to see how your space, racks, cooling and energy can be used more efficiently. Get every last bit of capacity out of the assets you already have, without loss of redundancy and maybe you can delay, or even eliminate the need for new building or expansion of your data center. With that kind of knowledge, you can plan proactively for your future.

I have heard it time and again, but it’s so true, it’s worth repeating – You can not manage it, if you can not measure it. But keep in mind that measuring is only half the equation. What you do with that information is also key.