Applications monitoring involves the continuous surveillance of data networks and their components, and the reporting of potential problems so they can be resolved quickly. Organizations can monitor applications with standard network management tools and resolve problems with in-house technical staff. Alternatively, the organization can outsource the applications monitoring function to a third-party network management firm or carrier.
Among the types of applications monitoring offerings that are available are WAN circuit management and remote network monitoring services. WAN circuit management enables organizations to easily and cost-effectively manage the performance of wide-area networks by providing real-time information about data traffic flow. The service provides customers with instant access to reports and information about their WANs. Remote network monitoring services provide complete and continuous surveillance of data networks and their components, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Customers are quickly alerted to potential problems. Both services lower a customer’s operating and capital costs by eliminating the need to build expensive in-house systems or hire and train staff.
This approach to network management empowers organizations with the information they need—anytime, anywhere, via the Web—to plan for future network demand. Access to this information offers customers flexibility greatly improving their overall efficiency and productivity.
Bell Atlantic is among the first carriers to address the growing challenge among its customers of how to optimize their networks to support crucial business functions in this era of IT skills shortage. Bell Atlantic’s Network Integration (BANI) unit offers a portfolio of services that enable customers to better leverage their networks to achieve their financial and competitive objectives.
The services are packaged to support specific applications, including Internet and corporate applications. Bell Atlantic engineers oversee the day-to-day management and operations of a customer’s data network, leaving companies free to run their business and serve the needs of their own customers. Companies can view information on network performance, as well as analyses and recommendations from the engineers, via secure Web access.
For example, a company might receive feedback on how a new application affects network performance or how peaks in activity affect communications with customers. A company could use this information to avoid potential problems and improve network performance, or get details on what parts of the financial accounting software are being used. In knowing what part of the financials are getting the most traffic, business decision-makers can take steps to optimize their network to facilitate access to the application and improve response time by such means as increasing server capacity, adding a network cache, or segmenting the network.
Among those that are watched are SAP, Baan, PeopleSoft, and other Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications. The service provides customers with immediate Web access to performance statistics and reports for planning and troubleshooting purposes. This relieves the strain on IT departments that are strapped for staff, while giving executives decision-making information.
BANI also gives corporate managers a real-time view of their networks, which BANI also installs and maintains. BANI delivers its analysis of customer networks and recommends improvements based on current and projected network usage. Customers can accept recommended upgrades via the Web.
Bell Atlantic is not the only carrier that monitors customer applications. AT&T also offers a server monitoring service as part of its Managed Network Solutions. Initially, these offerings have focused largely on configuration and monitoring of routers and frame relay access devices. Now, technicians at AT&T’s Global Client Support Center monitor corporate application servers across dozens or even hundreds of sites. AT&T watches for such things as excessive CPU usage, disk space exhaustion, performance degradation, and other problems that can affect the performance of applications. AT&T also assumes responsibility for distributing software electronically and tracking hardware and software inventories.
Last Word
Many companies monitor applications through third-party tools that are integrated into the major network management platforms. A growing trend among large companies is to outsource applications monitoring because there is a serious shortage of skilled IT staff, which is expected to continue through 2003. By outsourcing this task, companies can focus on core business issues without worrying about attracting and keeping qualified technical staff.
