Asset management system and method

• US 20060085242A1
• Filed: 04/06/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nlyte Software Limited (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Global Datacenter Management Ltd.
• Inventors: Mark, Larry Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

An asset management system comprising data storage means capable of storing data and arranged to store asset data relating to a plurality of assets and datacenter data relating to at least one datacenter comprising at least one element, processing means capable of processing data and generating an output, the processing means being arranged to process the asset data and the datacenter data and generate an output comprising an acceptable location for each of said assets within at least one datacenter based upon a comparison of at least one asset parameter associated with the asset and at least one element of the datacenter, the system further comprising display means capable of displaying the output, the display means being arranged to display the acceptable location to a user of the system.

Claims

1. An asset management system comprising data storage means capable of storing data and arranged to store asset data relating to a plurality of assets and datacenter data relating to at least one datacenter comprising at least one element, processing means capable of processing data and generating an output, the processing means being arranged to process the asset data and the datacenter data and generate an output comprising an acceptable location for each of said assets within at least one datacenter based upon a comparison of at least one asset parameter associated with the asset and at least one element of the datacenter, the system further comprising display means capable of displaying the output, the display means being arranged to display the acceptable location to a user of the system.

2. A system according to claim 1 comprising input means capable of receiving an input and arranged to receive a user input accepting a suggested location for one of said plurality of assets.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the processing means is capable of allocating locations to an asset and of updating asset data and in which the processing means is arranged to allocate a location to an asset and further arranged to update the asset data each time one of said assets is allocated to a location within the datacenter.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the asset data for each of said assets forms an audit trail for that asset.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the asset parameters comprise at least one of each of the following:

height of asset, power consumption, heat dissipation, number of network connections, type of network connectivity, reliability.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one element of the datacenter comprises at least one of the following:

available space, power supply availability, ability to dissipate heat, number of network connections, type of network connections, required reliability.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein the data storage means is arranged to store workflow data indicative of a series of operations to be carried out in relation to at least one of the assets and the processing means is arranged to process the workflow data.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the output of the processing means comprises a critical path of operations generated from the workflow data.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein the processing means is capable of opening operations from said workflow data and is arranged to open a second operation in the critical path once a first operation has been closed.

10. A system according to claim 7 wherein the processing means is capable of receiving data from a user input, associating that data with workflow data and storing that data in association with the workflow data, and in which the processing means is arranged to receive comment data associated with an operation from a user input and to store the comment data in association with the workflow data for said operation.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein the processing means is capable of accessing data from the or a further data storage means and in which the processing means accesses recovery data from the, or a further, data storage means in response to an input that a failure of at least one of the system, and one of said assets, of the datacenter has occurred.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein, in the event of a failure, the processing means is arranged to generate an output comprising at least one message to be issued to the people listed in the recovery data in the form of at least one of each of the following:

e-mail, short messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), any other suitable format.

13. A system according to claim 11 wherein the processing means is capable of initiating a conference call and in which the processing means is arranged to initiate a conference call between the people listed in the recovery data.

14. A system according to claim 11 wherein the processing means is arranged to generate an output comprising a report data relating to at least one, or more, of the following:

nature of the failure, identity of the system, or asset, subject to the failure, details of communications sent to people named in the recovery data.

15. A system according to claim 1 wherein the display means is capable of displaying graphic data and is arranged to display a graphical user interface (GUI) representation of the datacenter which identifies at least one of each of said elements and said assets within the datacenter.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein the display means is arranged to output a graphical user interface (GUI) representation of either, or both, of the element of the datacenter or/and the asset, either, or both of which, can be manipulated about the display by means of a ‘

click and drag’

of a mouse by a user.

17. A system according to claim 1 wherein one or more of the data storage means, the processing means and the display means is remote from the other(s)

18. A system according to claim 1 wherein an asset comprises one or more of a server, a cabinet, a peripheral, a power strip, network equipment, other suitable datacenter asset.

19. A system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one element of the datacenter comprises a cabinet.

20. A system according to claim 1 wherein the processing means is capable of arranging assets and is arranged to automatically arrange assets within the datacenter according to its processing of the asset data.

21. A method of asset management comprising the steps of:

i) providing a data storage means capable of storing data;

ii) storing asset data relating to a plurality of assets upon the data storage means;

iii) providing a processing means capable of processing data;

iv) processing the asset data so as to determine an acceptable location for an asset within a datacenter based upon a comparison of parameters associated with the asset and at least an element of the datacenter at the processing means;

v) providing a display means capable of outputting data;

vi) outputting the acceptable location to a user of the system via the display means.

22. The method of claim 21 comprising providing a data input means capable of receiving inputs and inputting user acceptance of a suggested location for the asset.

23. The method of claim 21 comprising updating the asset data each time an asset is allocated to a location within the datacenter.

24. The method of claim 21 comprising forming an audit trail for an asset from the asset data for said asset.

25. The method of claim 21 comprising using at least one of, the following parameters associated with an asset at step (iv):

height of asset, power consumption, heat dissipation, number and/or type of network connectivity, reliability.

26. The method of claim 21 comprising forming using at least one of the following parameters of the element of the datacenter at step (iv):

available space, power supply availability, ability to dissipate heat, number and/or type of network connections, required reliability.

27. The method of claim 21 in which the processing means is capable of forming workflow data, the method comprising using the processing means to form processing workflow data indicative of a series of operations to be carried out in relation to at least one of the assets.

28. The method of claim 27 in which the processing means is capable of defining a critical path of operations and which method comprises using the processing means defining a critical path from the operations.

29. The method of claim 28 in which the processing means is capable of opening an operation and which method comprises using the processing means to open a second operation in the critical path once a first operation has been closed.

30. The method of claim 27 which comprises providing an input means capable of receiving data, the method comprising receiving comment data associated with an operation from the input means and to storing the comment data in association with the workflow data for said operation.

31. The method of claim 21 comprising storing recovery data on the, or a further, data storage means, the method further comprising accessing recovery data from a data storage means in response to an input that a failure has occurred, by the processing means.

32. The method of claim 31 comprising providing a message generation means capable of generating at least one message and issuing said at least one message, the method comprising generating messages to be issued to people listed in the recovery data in the form of at least one of the following:

e-mail, short messaging service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), any other suitable format.

33. The method of claim 31 comprising providing a means for initiating a conference call, the method further comprising initiating a conference call between people listed in the recovery data.

34. The method of claim 31 comprising providing a report generation means and generating a report data relating to at least one of the following:

nature of the failure, identity of the system, or asset, subject to the failure, details of communications sent to people named in the recovery data.

35. The method of claim 21 comprising providing the asset in the form of a server.

36. The method of claim 21 comprising providing the datacenter element in the form of a cabinet.

37. The method of claim 21 comprising outputting a graphical user interface (GUI) representation of the datacenter at the display means and identifying each element and/or asset within the datacenter.

38. The method of claim 21 comprising outputting a graphical user interface (GUI) representation of either, or both, of the element of the datacenter or/and the asset, either, or both of which can be manipulated about the display means by a ‘

click and drag’

of a mouse by a user.

39. A datacenter having assets managed according to the method of claim 21.

40. A data storage device readable by a signal processing device carrying a set of instructions which, when executed upon the signal processing device, causes the signal processing device to execute the method of claim 21.

41. A method of asset management comprising the steps of:

i) providing a data storage means capable of storing data within a datacenter and associated with a datacenter resource;

ii) storing asset data relating to a plurality of assets within a datacenter upon the data storage means;

iii) providing processing means capable of processing data to determine a usage for data;

iv) processing the asset data so as to determine the usage of any one or more assets of at least one datacenter resource;

v) providing charging means capable of charging an owner/user of a asset; and

vi) charging the owner/user of the asset for the asset depending upon the usage of the at least one datacenter resource.

42. A method of asset management of a datacenter comprising the steps of:

i) providing a data storage means capable of storing data;

ii) storing asset data relating to a plurality of assets upon the data storage means;

iii) providing disaster recovery data;

iv) associating the disaster recovery data with the asset data for at least some of the managed assets;

v) providing access means capable of accessing the disaster recovery data; and

vi) in the event of a disaster automatically accessing the disaster recovery data and contacting individuals detailed within that data to address the disaster.

43. An asset management system comprising a memory for storing data and arranged to store asset data relating to a plurality of assets and datacenter data relating to at least one datacenter comprising at least one element, a processor capable of processing data and generating an output, the processor being arranged to process the asset data and the datacenter data and generate an output, comprising an acceptable location for each of said assets within at least one datacenter based upon a comparison of at least one asset parameter associated with the asset and at least one element of the datacenter, the system further comprising a display means capable of displaying the output, the display being arranged to display the acceptable location to a user of the system.

44. A method of asset management comprising the steps of:

(i) providing a memory for storing data;

(ii) storing asset data relating to a plurality of assets in the memory;

(iii) providing a processor for processing data;

(iv) processing the asset data so as to determine an acceptable location for an asset within a datacenter based upon a comparison of parameters associated with the asset and at least an element of the datacenter with the processor;

(v) providing a display or outputting data;

outputting the acceptable location to a user of the system via the display.

45. An asset management system comprising data storage means capable of storing data and arranged to store asset data relating to a plurality of assets and datacenter data relating to at least one datacenter comprising at least one element, processing means capable of processing data and generating an output, the processing means being arranged to process the asset data and the datacenter data and generate an output comprising an acceptable location for each of said assets within at least one datacenter based upon a comparison of at least one asset parameter associated with the asset and at least one element arranged to receive one or more assets of the datacenter, the system further comprising display means capable of displaying the output, the display means being arranged to display the acceptable location to a user of the system and wherein the processing means is arranged to allocate a location within an element to an asset and further arranged to update the asset data each time one of said assets is allocated to a location within the datacenter such that the asset data for each of said assets forms an audit trail for that asset.

46. A method of positioning an asset with an element of a datacenter, comprising the following steps:

i. maintaining an asset database containing data for at least one asset;

ii. maintaining an element database containing data for at least element;

iii. displaying a graphical representation of the data within both the asset and element databases;

iv. allowing a user to manipulate the graphical representation to position at least one asset within at least one element; and

v. up-dating at least one of the asset and the element databases according to the manipulation performed by the user.

47. A method according to claim 46 in which the asset and the element databases are provided by the same database.