The Overview
A global investment banking and financial services firm with clients across the US, UK, EMEA, and Asia faced a critical challenge when an unexpected power outage struck a key network device. The team needed to quickly locate and restore it with minimal information.
Align's Asset Point and Asset Scan DCIM solutions provided accurate, real-time inventory data and mobile visualization capabilities that allowed engineers to locate the device and resolve the outage in under 30 minutes.
The Challenge
In 2025, the firm’s data center suffered an unexpected power outage on a critical device due to an engineering activity within the DC. The network device in question was responsible for routing traffic between various racks in the facility, as well as managing network traffic for several high-priority clients.
The outage affected a network switch that handled about 40% of the data center’s traffic. As a result, several clients experienced outages in their hosted services, including cloud-based applications and VPN connectivity. The longer the network switch remained offline, the higher the risk of widespread downtime for clients and further cascading failures.
The Solution
Despite receiving minimal details from the monitoring team, the Align team physically located the affected network switch and restored operations in under 30 minutes. Industry benchmarking shows that in high-business-impact outages, a meaningful portion of organizations take one hour or more. In our instance, because the Align DCIM platform provided the exact physical location (data-hall, row, rack, RU) of the affected network switch, the on-site team was dispatched immediately to the correct rack/circuit.
All and all, the rapid resolution was enabled by:
- Accurate Inventory Data
The Asset Point DCIM solution provides an accurate, up-to-date inventory of all data center assets, including hardware, power devices, network equipment, and other infrastructure components. It continuously monitors asset locations, configurations, and status changes, offering real-time visibility and precise resource management. - Data Validation Services
Align delivers quarterly Data Validation Services across the firm's multiple global sites. Our tools and processes ensure high data accuracy, which proved crucial during this incident. - Virtual Visualization
The Asset Scan DCIM app enabled engineers to visualize the data center on their mobile devices, providing a virtual and accurate mapping of dependencies between devices and power sources. Using the Asset Scan app, Align’s engineers were able to quickly locate the device, significantly reducing incident response time. - Device-Level Power Monitoring
With Asset Point DCIM in place, each PDU and asset power connection within the data center is continuously monitored for power usage. When the power failure occurred, the system provided the IT team with the crucial data needed to address the incident. - Incident Reporting
The DCIM system generated comprehensive reports after any power outage or incident, detailing the affected devices. This helped the IT team review and refine their incident response procedures. The reports also allowed the firm to provide detailed incident summaries to affected clients, increasing transparency and helping maintain client trust.
The Results
Beyond this particular downtime event, the Asset Point DCIM solution has transformed the firm’s incident response capabilities. Downtime has been reduced by 75%—from an average of 2 hours to under 30 minutes in subsequent events. Over six months, predictive maintenance capabilities reduced unplanned incidents by 50%, and uptime improved to 99.98%. The detailed reporting enhanced client communication and trust. Proactive maintenance has lowered operational costs and extended equipment lifecycles. By leveraging Align’s DCIM solutions, the firm now enjoys greater confidence in maintaining uninterrupted services for its clients!
“Align has become an extension of our operations team. Their tools give us the confidence that when something goes wrong, we can identify the issue quickly and take action before it impacts our business or our clients.”
About Align
Align is a premier provider of technology infrastructure solutions. For over 35 years, leading firms worldwide have relied on Align to guide them through IT challenges, delivering complete, secure solutions for business change and growth. Align is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has offices in New York City, London, Chicago, San Francisco, Arizona, New Jersey, and Virginia. Learn more at www.align.com.
To learn more, contact our team today: https://www.align.com/contact