Building a data center is one thing. Making it work right is a completely different business, one that requires a variety of tools. Those tools are primarily software applications that help monitor data center functions to ensure power, cooling and other variables are as expected. More importantly, those tools notify administrators when something is not working properly. Many also provide data on potential fixes or, in the case of the most sophisticated, automatically take the required actions to keep the data center running smoothly. The more simple tools can be a good way for solution providers to start a data center management business, but the sophisticated tools are best left to experts.

Check out the top tools providers from this year's Data Center 100.

CEO: Sumir Karayi

1E helps identify and eliminate unused IT equipment and software licenses while optimizing data centers, with solutions for measuring, monitoring and increasing server efficiency; managing PC power use; and reclaiming and recycling licenses.

CEO: Derek Alber

Alber specializes in storage battery monitoring and test equipment, with tools including test and diagnostic products, data acquisition systems, continuous load units, single cell test systems and chargers, and battery-monitoring systems.

CEO: Robert Beauchamp

BMC's Business Service Management platform aims to simplify and automate IT processes and orchestrate business services and applications across cloud, virtual, distributed and mainframe environments to help cut costs and reduce risks.

CEO: Michael Gregoire

CA develops IT management software and solutions for mainframe and physical to virtual and cloud environments, including solutions for transforming data operations into cloud offerings and for improving performance and energy efficiency.

CEO: Michael Dell

Software from Dell's acquisition of Quest includes tools for monitoring and managing ERP and web-based applications, for database development and administration, for extending Microsoft infrastctures, and for virtualization and cloud management.

CEO: Srinivas Ramanathan

eG Innovations develops intelligent performance-management solutions to simplify and accelerate the discovery, diagnosis, and resolution of service performance issues in virtual, cloud and physical service infrastructures.

CEO: Fred Dirla

FieldView, a browser-based software platform, helps clients manage data centers more efficiently and demonstrate environmental and social responsibility by providing information about their facilities’ capacity, energy and space use.

President: Matt Lane

Geist designs and manufactures intelligent hardware and software for what it calls the four data center cornerstones—power, cooling, monitoring and management—with scalable systems for single cabinets, an entire enterprise and all in between.

CEO: Ginni Rometty (IBM)

IBM Tivoli Software helps customers understand business infrastructure in realtime with a range of cloud and data center management, asset and facilities management, and endpoint and mobile device management solutions.

CEO: Elizabeth Given

The data center infrastructure management provider helps drive efficiency, performance and cost savings with converged physical infrastructure management, which offers a holistic view of the data center using an interactive, navigable 3-D model.

CEO: Craig Compiano

Modius software optimizes the infrastructure and operations of critical facilities, including OpenData, a vendor-neutral and scalable software application that integrates power and environmental intelligence with other management applications.

CEO: Doug Sabella

Infrastructure Lifecycle Management, a DCIM offering from Nlyte, orchestrates the end-to-end process for deploying new assets in the data center, including planning, execution and orchestration capabilities for all departments.

CEO: John Caveney

Unified physical infrastructure solutions from Panduit deliver integrated services and complete product systems to help enterprises optimize physical infrastructures through simplification, agility and operational efficiency.

CEO: Guy Archbold

Rackwise provides software and services that help clients optimize and improve the management of components such as power, cooling, space, servers, networks and cables to increase the return on investment in data center infrastructures.

CEO: Ching-I Hsu

Raritan develops hardware and software power management, infrastructure management, KVM and serial solutions, including intelligent rack PDUs, energy management software, DCIM software, and KVM-over-IP and serial-over-IP access products.

CEO: Mike Kaul

Sentilla provides insight into physical and virtual IT systems and facilities equipment including analysis of available headroom, usage, consumption, peak demand, and load limits of CPU, memory, storage, network and power resources.

CEO: Carrel Ewing

Rack-mount power distribution and monitoring solutions from Server Technology help customers manage power capacity, reduce downtime and improve energy efficiency.

CEO: Bart Tichelman

SynapSense's platform is a DCIM solution offering provides visibility, resiliency and energy optimization in data centers in 25-plus vertical market segments. The company engages energy utilities to help clients earn energy conservation subsidies.

CEO: Mark Housley

Vigilent's intelligent energy management systems for data centers, telcos and large commercial buildings includes both ready-to-install systems and managed services such as measuring cooling data in realtime.

CEO: Vikas Aggarwal

Integrated IT infrastructure and cloud-monitoring software developer Zyrion offers realtime, correlated, end-to-end, serviceoriented views of the performance of the entire IT infrastructure via its Zyrion Traverse integrated solution.