Partnership with FNT Software to Transform Data Center Processes with AR Technology
Through AR and a Digital Twin, FNT Command and DC Vision® Optimize Productivity and Reduce Downtime
Ottweiler, Germany (September 12, 2023) – DC Smarter, a provider of highly skilled data center field engineering services, augmented by Mixed Reality Technology, today announced its partnership with FNT Software, a leading provider of software solutions for the integrated management of IT, data center, and telecommunication infrastructures worldwide. Together, FNT and DC Smarter are enabling customers to utilize innovative Augmented Reality (AR) software to optimize data center infrastructure management (DCIM).
DC Smarter’s AR software, DC Vision®, has been combined with FNT's DCIM solution, FNT Command, to enhance data center processes. Based on a digital twin, mapped by the full documentation of all assets in FNT Command, DC Vision® visualizes a wide range of information via AR glasses, smartphone or tablet, which simplifies access to existing data and makes the implementation of planned changes and repairs in data centers more transparent. With FNT Command, important data pertaining to individual devices or connections in the racks, such as repair instructions, work instructions, functions for temperature monitoring or features for reporting and error management, can be easily accessed and updated.
"We’re pleased to welcome DC Smarter, a very experienced partner in terms of field engineering services and mixed reality technology, to our network. The partnership will result in valuable synergy effects. With FNT Command, for example, we offer a solid foundation for a joint solution that brings a wide variety of information in the data center to life using AR technologies. Our customers will benefit from completely new and fascinating possibilities for data center infrastructure management," states Wolfgang Schaupp, Global Channel Manager at FNT.
Jörg Hesselink, CEO at DC Smarter, adds: "We see a clear added value for customers in the partnership with FNT: They can now use our AR software DC Vision® in combination with the versatile capabilities of the FNT Command Platform to make the management of their data center processes more transparent and easier based on a digital twin. As a result, this leads to significant efficiency improvements and cost savings."
AR provides valuable services for process optimization. For example, various resources in the data center, such as servers, switches, and storage systems, can be displayed and managed transparently by visually overlaying the real view. AR can also be used to assist with maintenance and repair tasks, such as replacing a malfunctioning component, onto the AR glasses. Technical specialists on site can immediately see which tools they need and what steps to follow, significantly reducing errors and accelerating the maintenance process. Additionally, AR can identify emerging problems within data centers by visualizing metrics and alerts. In doing so, the system shows precisely which resources are affected and where they are located, then recommends appropriate countermeasures.
Edge datacenters, with their highly distributed footprint, present the newest challenges to CSPs. Technician travel times must be highly optimized in order to reduce costs as well as carbon footprint. This can be accomplished by combining network digital twin data with AR technology, which is the first use case put forth by the FNT and DC Smarter partnership.
Visit FNT and DC Smarter at DTW 2023
See FNT and DC Smarter's solutions in action at DTW 2023 Booth #320 on September 19-21, 2023. The companies will also demonstrate how to enhance edge data center operations with AR and a digital twin on September 20 in the Loft at 3pm. In this session, visitors will experience how edge data center operations can be enhanced through an augmented reality solution and data enrichment from a network digital twin. Used together, task resolution can be improved and unnecessary return site visits can be avoided. For more information, visit: DTW 2023 - FNT Software
About DC Smarter
Founded by Jörg Hesselink and Ismar Efendic, DC Smarter is a brand of FacIT FixIT GmbH, a managed service provider based in Germany. The company’s DC Vision® software is based on the concept of the digital twin and uses augmented reality glasses, smartphones, or tablets to optimize the maintenance and care of the IT infrastructure in data centers. For more information, visit https://dc-smarter.com/ or follow DC Smarter on LinkedIn.
About FNT Software
FNT is a leading provider of software solutions for the integrated management of telecommunications, IT and data center infrastructure. FNT’s solutions are cloud ready and can be used worldwide as an OSS/IT management application for communications service providers, enterprises and government organizations. Over 500 companies and public authorities rely on FNT to plan, document and manage their passive and active physical, logical and virtual IT, telecommunications and data center infrastructures, from the physical level to business services. FNT’s unified resource management capabilities store this information in a vendor-agnostic uniform data model that builds a central system of record of a hybrid infrastructure. Whatever mixture of traditional on-premise IT and private, managed and public clouds an organization uses, the single source of information about all network assets that FNT provides is the key to gaining a clear understanding of overall utilization, capacities and asset status for more efficient planning, service assurance and fulfillment processes.
FNT is headquartered in Germany and has offices in the USA, Singapore, and the UK. FNT offers its software in numerous countries through partnerships with market-leading IT service providers and system integrators. Further information can be found at www.fntsoftware.com.