Unifying IT and Building Management with Vendor-Neutral DCIM
Bridging the Divide: How a Major UK Bank Unified IT and Building Management
When a major UK bank set out to unify its IT infrastructure and building management systems, it quickly encountered significant technical and operational barriers.
Legacy building systems operated in isolation, while IT teams lacked visibility into critical environmental controls such as cooling. Without proper Data Centre Infrastructure Management, teams struggled to correlate IT performance with facility conditions.
The bank needed a solution that could deliver a single pane of glass view—without compromising system control or team autonomy. This would be possible with Sensorium DCIM.
Overcoming Integration and Operational Challenges
System Compatibility with Legacy BMS
The bank’s CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioning) units relied on Trend controllers, which were only accessible through the existing Building Management System (BMS).
This created a major integration challenge. The new platform needed to communicate with legacy systems without disrupting operations—a common issue when modernising data centres.
Maintaining Clear Team Boundaries
The bank also needed to enforce strict access control between teams.
- Facilities engineers could not risk altering IT systems
- IT teams could not interfere with building controls
Any unified solution had to preserve these boundaries while still enabling shared visibility—something often addressed through integrated monitoring and access control.
Delivering a Vendor-Neutral DCIM Solution
To solve these challenges, the bank partnered with Advanced Datacentre Systems and deployed Sensorium DCIM.
Seamless Integration with Existing Systems
Sensorium’s vendor-neutral DCIM architecture allowed it to integrate directly with the bank’s Trend-controlled CRAC units. This removed the need for costly system replacements and enabled immediate visibility across both IT and building environments. This level of integration is critical for organisations looking to modernise without replacing existing infrastructure.
Custom Dashboards for Every Team
ADS designed bespoke dashboards tailored to each department:
- IT teams gained real-time visibility of infrastructure and cooling performance within data hall floorplans
- Facilities teams accessed detailed controls and operational data for CRAC units
For organisations looking to enhance environmental insight further, combining DCIM with iSensor Environmental Monitoring enables even more granular data collection across temperature, airflow, and air quality.
Secure, Role-Based Access Control
The platform ensured strict separation between teams through role-based permissions. Users could only view and interact with data relevant to their responsibilities—maintaining operational integrity across the organisation.
For environments requiring tighter physical security, solutions such as iAccess Rack Access Control can extend this principle down to the rack level.
Achieving Centralised Visibility and Faster Decision-Making
Single Pane of Glass Across IT and Facilities
By implementing vendor-neutral DCIM the bank successfully unified its IT and building management systems into one centralised platform. This meant teams no longer worked in silos. Instead, they accessed a shared, accurate view of the data centre environment.
Improved Cooling Insight and Troubleshooting
IT teams could now monitor CRAC performance in real time.
When hotspots appeared, they quickly identified the root cause:
- CRAC unit failure
- Airflow inefficiencies
By combining DCIM visibility with environmental monitoring, organisations can significantly improve cooling optimisation and airflow management strategies.
Focused, Role-Specific User Experience
Custom dashboards eliminated information overload. Each user saw only the data they needed, improving productivity and clarity across teams.
Key Outcomes
- Centralised management of IT and building infrastructure
- Vendor-neutral integration with legacy systems
- Role-based dashboards for IT and facilities teams
- Faster identification and resolution of cooling issues
- Improved visibility across the entire data centre