1) Plan to use fresh inventory data. Sounds simple, but we many struggle trying to use “good enough” data.
2) Test your inventory data. More than 90% of customers think their information is correct when it really isn’t.
3) Plan to hire “Smart hands” that have experience with data center audits. The # 1 reason most implementations suffer (take longer to deploy and cost more than planned) is they try to reallocate very busy data center engineers. It is well worth the cost to have trained professionals who do this for a living do this task.
4) Go in up front realizing that purchasing an asset software solution or DCIM tool alone will not resolve your asset problems if you don’t have a solid process to support whatever you plan to put in place.
5) Concentrate on making sure you will end up with an automated repeatable process for data center audits. Having what you think is a good manual process is not generally cost effective in the long run. You often compromise data integrity and timely information.
6) Keep updated and accurate inventories. This can dramatically impact your ability to respond quickly to audits or requests for information by upper management and often is the cause of delayed projects or budget overruns.
7) Make auditing a routine. Consistent audits (annual, semi-annual or quarterly depending on your organization and needs) should be performed to ensure your information is up to date and accurate.
