Get an integrated IT solution that not only tells you how your Application Servers are performing, but how much they cost for Web Service Delivery to your business. The current major concern is “Green Computing” costs, but there are other substantial costs related to any Application Server. Add in the need to perform Capacity Management for Web Services and you easily see the requirement for several products.
Until now, no product has integrated the business cost of the Web Services with the Server’s (both File and Application) performance information. The result is an IT costing metric for the Web Services that is based on a Total Cost of Ownership model, and is totally transparent. This not only provides an understanding of the processing costs but allows for the comparison of service costs within/between systems – even if the systems are of different types or architectures.
This simplified design allows for a low cost alternative to any monitoring program that is primarily being used for Capacity Management.
Key Business Values
- Measures IT for the Business. Contains the traditional information required for Capacity Management, but also includes the related business costs of the processing.
- Identifies the Functional Web Services cost for different types of services. With companion data, unit service cost can be established for pricing models (i.e. cost per claim, inquiry, etc.).
- Integrates tiered (File and Application Server) processing and costs for complete Service and Application Server profiles.
- Automatically calculates the “Green Costs” of the system based on local power rates. Cost amounts include the related infrastructure costs (i.e. cooling, etc.) as related to the Server.
- Cost and performance information for Usage, Demand, and Life Cycle evaluation of Web Services.
Level 2 Costing
The Application Servers provide the processing foundation for Level 2 of the Costing Maturity Model. This level is the best known and most understood as it is the traditional basis for Capacity Management. (It should be noted that most Capacity Management was and is still done on mainframes. Traditional mainframe processing is a combination of Level 1 and Level 2 processing). With the advent of cheaper hardware and open architectures (in the late 1990’s), Capacity Management skills were lost. The situation was further complicated by using “tiered” processing (File and Application Servers) to perform the Web Services function. These skills and processes must now be reconstituted and revised in a manner that integrates with the current popular frameworks (ITIL, COBIT, etc.). The knowledge may be gone but the requirements that need it are still there.
RG Solutions® has a long history in Capacity Management and its evolution has bridged the gap between business management and truly understanding IT. Current frameworks form a solid foundation for decisions pertaining to new applications or systems, but they lack measurement and cost related processes for the post implementation life cycle. The reason for this shortcoming is quite simple; the frameworks are based on “best practices”. For more than ten years, there has been little attention paid to the post implementation issues pertaining to critical IT assets, and there really has been no attempt to understand IT costs – EVER!
What It Does
For Level 2 processing, RG Solutions® uses the same Resource Catalog and Repositories for its processing as it uses for the Level 1 processing. (Please see Costing or File Servers for more information). For each system in the Resource catalog that represents an Application Server, a Repository can be created that will contain the underlying performance information for the Server. This Repository will contain the same information as the Level 1 processing.
In addition to the Repository, a Service Directory for that Application Server can also be created. This Service Directory will identify the Web Services provided by the Server, and will provided functional (Service) processing information regarding the service. The functional information includes performance and cost data regarding the Application Server and other “shared” (i.e. File Server, SNA devices, etc.) systems.
For the Level 2 Processing, RG Solutions® also maintains a Service Catalog that contains information about all Web Services. This catalog is hierarchical in nature and contains summary and detailed information regarding all services that are provided on all Application Servers. The Service Catalog supports single or partitioned service processing and allows for the comparison of services between systems.
For Web Services, RG Solutions® first and foremost provides information that can be used for traditional Capacity Management. Native technical information is presented in a manner that is easy to navigate and understand. For Service information, a Functional view of the processing provides cost and performance information related to the operations of the Application Server.
Business Benefits
RG Solutions® provides the opportunity for business management to have a more active role in IT decisions. Post implementation decisions are usually highly technical, and in the past these decisions were made by individuals who did not communicate well with business management. It was a highly complex process and the results were not structured for a business management mindset. RG Solutions® reduces the technical complexity and injects cost information for more business relevance. The following are just some of the benefits that can be realized using RG Solutions®:
- Business costs and Web Services data are integrated for a true understanding of the cost of Web Service Delivery.
- Web Service costs are aggregated based on the sources of cost, and may be based on more than one system’s processing for a total understanding of business cost.
- Costs are transparent and are not bound to a particular service. RG Solutions® uses a costing algorithm that allows calculated costs to be compared or transferred to different systems, even if they are different types.
- Cost information can be used for a Chargeback / Showback system. The resulting Chargeback / Showback process would be based on Total Cost of Ownership rather than annual budget recovery.
Technical Benefits
RG Solutions® enables a Capacity Management process that will take little time and can be performed by a junior person. RG Solutions® will provide the knowledge and skills required for the process. A wide range of reports are available on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, but some of the most valued reports contain the following:
- Includes all the Level 1 reporting.
- Functional cost and technical data pertaining to the services provided by the Application Server.
- Cost and technical data for services within the individual Service Directory and Service Catalog. Information can be “supplemented” by companion data to extend the measured values.
- Usage and Demand Metrics allow for long term analysis and projection of future demand and costs.
