Backbone Connect this week debuted an iPhone (News - Alert) app to let its colo and data center customers track their cloud affairs from the comforts of their own smartphone.

The company claims the mobile app is the first of its kind, “and gives customers operating and environment monitoring capabilities while on the move. Customers get real-time information on key data center elements that have an impact on cost and system uptime.”

But to this cloud and management vet, the Backbone Connect isn’t the first of its kind, more like the 400th.


Image via Shutterstock

One thing that makes it unique in a swirling sea of mobile apps for management is that it is closely tied to Backbone’s own data center operations.

Whether first or 400th, the tool does lend valuable insight into how the racks are consuming power, what the environment is like in the data center (hot or cool, dry or humid), and tracks Internet traffic. 

One cool feature I guess I’ve never seen before is a camera feed so you can actually watch your racks in action.

“We have distilled the actionable information IT and data center managers need at their fingertips and made that information available anytime, anywhere,” argued David Mcleod, Backbone Connect Marketing Director. “We’ve taken monitoring one step further by providing really useful tools that help our clients manage their critical collocated infrastructure from anywhere.”

One customer likes to see how his system, which provides services to his clients, is operating. “Being aware of exactly what is happening in your data center – not only in the data room but at the racks – is vital for operational efficiency and continuity of service to all of our customers within Backbone Connect colocation centers. The app gives me a transparent view of what is happening in the server room at any time, whether I am on the road or at home in bed, giving me extra peace of mind at no extra cost,” said James Bishop, managing director at Skye Cloud.

The tool is a bit different from the myriad mobile management apps in that it focuses on some physical attributes, such as temperature and power use. But there are an array of tools that do much the same thing from major vendors such as CA (News - Alert) one can deploy.