Cloud Management - Deploying and Managing a Cloud Infrastructure - page 109

Trending Capacity is important, and it sometimes seems that demand is growing so
rapidly that attempts to improve capacity can't keep up. You might think that blindly
increasing capacity through upgrades is the way to go. But increasing capacity means
change; it means additional costs and time, all of which will go to waste if the demand
does not increase enough to even warrant that upgrade.
That is why analyzing the trends by using present and historical data can help with the
optimization of capacity and performance. Following the trends and increasing capacity
during periods of high demand and decreasing it during periods of low demand will ensure
the ratio of proper service delivery and the cost associated with it.
Managing the Systems Life Cycle
Systems life cycle management is a collection of processes that are meant to aid in the
development, control, coordination, management, delivery, and support of any configura-
tion items, from their initial requirement inception until they reach the end of their life.
There are two frameworks for life cycle management: there is the Information Technology
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework and the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF),
which is based on the ITIL framework.
The ITIL framework emphasizes service delivery and is composed of five phases:
Service Strategy This is essentially the service planning stage, where the organization
focuses on the goal and how to get there. This is done through planning what types of ser-
vices to offer, based on current trends and demands as well as from projected market shifts
and business changes. This phase, of course, is aligned with the organization's mission and
vision and its set policies and procedures.
Service Design When the services to be offered have been formulated and the question of
“what” has been answered, it is time to figure out the “how.” In this phase, the services are
designed based on current and projected future capacities, IT asset performance, resource
availability, and manpower resources.
Service Transition This phase bridges the gap between projects and operations effectively in
the period between when the development phase is concluded and the service is implemented.
It aims to improve the service by improving on changes that will be part of the live service.
This stage brings together all the relevant assets and ensures that they are all integrated and
tested together. It serves as the quality assurance phase, where we can make sure we have a
quality product and impose control of the delivery of a new or revamped product or service.
Diligence in this phase will ensure that there is less variation to the expected outcome of the
service to be launched.
Service Operation This phase takes over when the service has already been launched and
there are customers and end users being supported. Operational teams must ensure that
services and the infrastructure supporting them are based on robust end-to-end practices
and procedures and support responsive and stable services. It serves as an ongoing support
unit and strongly influences the perception of the service that is being provided.