Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) Compliance

What is DCOI?

The Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) is a United States federal government mandate designed to improve the efficiency and performance of federal data centers. Established in 2016 and updated in 2019, DCOI aims to optimize and consolidate data centers across federal agencies.

Key DCOI Requirements

DCOI mandates several key optimization metrics:

• Virtualization: Increase virtual machine-to-server ratio
• Energy Metering: Install energy metering in all data centers
• Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE): Maintain a PUE of 1.5 or lower (1.4 for new data centers)
• Facility Utilization: Improve space utilization and maintain high server utilization
• Cloud Migration: Prioritize cloud-based solutions over on-premises infrastructure

Figure 3: Visual representation of key DCOI requirements and targets.

How CentralAxis Facilitates DCOI Compliance

CentralAxis offers a comprehensive suite of tools and features designed to meet and exceed DCOI requirements, helping agencies optimize their data center operations and achieve compliance:

• Power Management and PUE Tracking:
  • Real-time energy consumption monitoring across all data center components
  • Automated PUE calculation and trending
  • Alerts for PUE thresholds exceeding DCOI requirements (1.5 for existing, 1.4 for new data centers)
  • Power usage forecasting and optimization recommendations
• Virtualization Management:
  • Detailed VM-to-server ratio tracking and reporting
  • Automated VM allocation and load balancing to maximize efficiency
  • Idle VM detection and consolidation recommendations
  • Virtualization capacity planning tools
• Energy Metering and Environmental Monitoring:
  • Integration with facility-wide energy metering systems
  • Granular energy usage breakdown by equipment type and area
  • Environmental sensor data correlation (temperature, humidity) with energy usage
  • Automated reporting on energy metering coverage and accuracy
• Utilization Rate Tracking and Optimization:
  • Real-time server and storage utilization monitoring
  • Automated identification of underutilized resources
  • Capacity trending and forecasting to prevent over-provisioning
  • Recommendations for resource reallocation or decommissioning
• Cloud Migration and Hybrid Infrastructure Management:
  • Cloud readiness assessments for on-premises workloads
  • Cost comparison tools for on-premises vs. cloud scenarios
  • Automated workload migration planning and execution
  • Unified management interface for hybrid cloud/on-premises environments
• Compliance Reporting and Analytics:
  • Automated generation of OMB-compliant DCOI reports
  • Customizable dashboards for real-time compliance status monitoring
  • Historical trend analysis for all DCOI metrics
  • AI-driven predictive analytics for future compliance challenges
• Integration and Interoperability:
  • Seamless integration with existing government IT management systems
  • Support for standard data exchange formats and APIs
  • Compatibility with major hardware vendors and cloud service providers
  • Scalable architecture to accommodate agencies of all sizes