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Capacity Management

The process of tracking, forecasting and planning available power, cooling, space and network resources in a data centre to meet future demand.

Unit: kW, kVA, U, kg/m²

Full Definition

<p>Capacity management ensures that a data centre has sufficient physical resources — power (kW and amps), cooling (kW thermal), floor space (cabinet positions, weight loading) and network connectivity — to meet current and projected demand. It bridges operational monitoring with strategic planning.</p><p>Effective capacity management requires accurate real-time metering (via DCIM or PODVIEW), a clear asset inventory, and forecast models tied to customer pipeline and contract commitments. Stranded capacity — power circuits provisioned but unused — is a common hidden cost in colocation facilities. Good capacity management practice includes tracking committed capacity vs installed capacity vs actual draw, identifying stranded resources, and providing headroom analysis for new deployments.</p>

Also Known As

IT capacity planninginfrastructure capacity planning

Source Reference

ITIL 4 — Capacity and Performance Management Practice; Uptime Institute best practices

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