Application monitoring challenges are faced by almost all business organizations which utilize applications for their daily business. Any problem that interrupts performance of business-critical applications affects the bottom line of the business as well. It is hence necessary to identify the major challenges of application monitoring before figuring out how to deal with them. The following are some challenges which are faced by organizations using applications for conducting business:
Monitoring Applications Proactively
In order to prevent and solve application problems from affecting end users, proactive application monitoring needs to be undertaken. But ensuring application availability is only possible if a certain threshold level has been defined. A major challenge in proactive monitoring is studying the performance of applications in order to set a threshold. In case this threshold is surpassed, the monitoring tool generates a real time alert. The IT department thus needs to first figure out how many processes need constant monitoring based on which the threshold can be set.
Monitoring of Multiple & Complex Applications
If an organization has global users then the applications may become very complex. This is due to the fact that applications have to support multiple locations, languages and cultures. For effective application monitoring of such global applications, understanding the interconnectivity of the applications and their flow becomes necessary.
Monitoring Shared Applications
Applications are often shared in order to have optimum utilization of resources. Monitoring a single application is a relatively simple task. But when an application is shared, application monitoring becomes a challenge in which logs, memory, disk resources etc. need to be tracked constantly. For example, one single application sucking up all the resources would affect other applications and thereby pull down their performance. Only a perfect APM solution combined with rigorous monitoring can spot this problem and resolve it.
Clustered Application Monitoring
Applications are many a times hosted in clustered environments with systems located at separate places. This poses a challenge in application monitoring of tracking failure logs, resources like disk, memory etc. Only after monitoring these various components can the IT team determine which application is causing the problem.
To overcome all these challenges of application monitoring, a strong monitoring tool is required. There are many service providers available in the market, which offer APM solutions including application monitoring, which help ensure that service level agreements are met. Hiring only the best APM solution provider can help simplify the monitoring process and also meet all the challenges of application monitoring.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
5 Tips for Effective Application Monitoring of your Business Applications
Application monitoring of business applications ensures that any problem can be apprehended before it starts affecting end users. Monitoring also ensures application performance so that business activity keeps running smoothly. In spite of its importance however, many organizations do not take action until a serious problem occurs that impacts business efficiency badly. The following are 5 tips for application monitoring that are recommended by industry experts:
PLAN IN ADVANCE
In case of a new application or software, application monitoring needs to begin right from the initial assessment phase. In many cases, application monitoring alone might not be enough and may require additional time, support and resources to make it effective.
MONITOR PROACTIVELY
As mentioned before, many organizations ignore the monitoring of applications until a serious problem occurs which affects their business output or revenues. Application monitoring should be a proactive, all-time effort, so that the IT team can foresee and deal with problems before they start affecting end users. Proactive monitoring can be done by observing the threshold values of IT infrastructure like CPU memory, bandwidth, application health parameters etc. If it exceeds the threshold value, the IT team may need to perform a system health check to prevent problems.
CREATE A SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT
By having a service level agreement in place, organizations can emphasize the scope of application monitoring. A written agreement provides the IT team with the requirements as well as measurement techniques for monitoring. The IT team can work in advance to create a recovery plan which can help meet the service level agreement.
HAVE A RECOVERY PLAN READY
Ideally, an organization should have a recovery plan handy so that minimum time is wasted in correcting errors. This way, in case of application failure, the steps for recovery are planned well in advance so that if and when an error occurs, it can be swiftly rectified without a major impact on the bottom line.
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
Application monitoring is a tough task; hiring a professional for the task can make the process simple and easy. There are niche companies in the market today which offer specialized APM solutions including application monitoring which can help businesses avoid downtime and prevent end users getting affected. With the guidance of such experts, organizations can ensure that applications are always available, healthy and performing optimally.
PLAN IN ADVANCE
In case of a new application or software, application monitoring needs to begin right from the initial assessment phase. In many cases, application monitoring alone might not be enough and may require additional time, support and resources to make it effective.
MONITOR PROACTIVELY
As mentioned before, many organizations ignore the monitoring of applications until a serious problem occurs which affects their business output or revenues. Application monitoring should be a proactive, all-time effort, so that the IT team can foresee and deal with problems before they start affecting end users. Proactive monitoring can be done by observing the threshold values of IT infrastructure like CPU memory, bandwidth, application health parameters etc. If it exceeds the threshold value, the IT team may need to perform a system health check to prevent problems.
CREATE A SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT
By having a service level agreement in place, organizations can emphasize the scope of application monitoring. A written agreement provides the IT team with the requirements as well as measurement techniques for monitoring. The IT team can work in advance to create a recovery plan which can help meet the service level agreement.
HAVE A RECOVERY PLAN READY
Ideally, an organization should have a recovery plan handy so that minimum time is wasted in correcting errors. This way, in case of application failure, the steps for recovery are planned well in advance so that if and when an error occurs, it can be swiftly rectified without a major impact on the bottom line.
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
Application monitoring is a tough task; hiring a professional for the task can make the process simple and easy. There are niche companies in the market today which offer specialized APM solutions including application monitoring which can help businesses avoid downtime and prevent end users getting affected. With the guidance of such experts, organizations can ensure that applications are always available, healthy and performing optimally.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tevron Announces Full Support for Google Chrome for its flagship End-To-End Monitoring & Testing Solutions
Tevron, a global provider of Testing, APM & business service monitoring solutions, today announced the continued & expanded support for the comprehensive End-To-End Monitoring for all applications accessed via Google Chrome for its flagship monitoring solution, CitraTest APM. Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier (http://www.google.com/chrome). Through the deployment of Tevron’s APM solutions for all environments, every application across the enterprise, including applications accessed via Google Chrome, can be accurately measured and actively monitored. Further, Tevron’s unique technology will deliver the ability to enforce all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for any application deployed via any browser technology. “Because Tevron’s APM solutions are completely independent of the application they are monitoring and how that application is delivered, for the first time, every application across the enterprise can be monitored with one cost effective solution, including all web browser environments.
Every organization has numerous applications they need to monitor and our APM solutions can monitor them all. No other vendor offers such vast and all encompassing support. The days in which organizations have to pay a licensing fee for each application, each protocol they need to monitor, and each methodology of application delivery are over. This will result in the potential savings of millions of dollars in licensing and maintenance fees. Through the use of Tevron’s APM solutions, organizations now have one all encompassing solution with one licensing fee that can monitor any and every application across the enterprise. This includes all legacy applications, client server applications, all web browsers, Citrix or Terminal Server hosted applications, XenServer, XenApp, XenDesktop, VMware hosted applications, terminal emulation...every application. This flexibility is a must to meet the demanding needs of today’s global enterprises”, explains Jay Labadini, Vice President at Tevron.
To learn how CitraTest APM can assist you with your APM & monitoring requirements, call 1.603.595.9301 or visit www.tevron.com.
ABOUT TEVRON, LLC
Tevron, LLC is a pioneer in a new class of all encompassing APM solutions. Tevron’s mission is to provide automated monitoring solutions that support every application across the enterprise while seamlessly integrating into current management methodologies. Tevron’s technology has completed the complex APM puzzle.
Every organization has numerous applications they need to monitor and our APM solutions can monitor them all. No other vendor offers such vast and all encompassing support. The days in which organizations have to pay a licensing fee for each application, each protocol they need to monitor, and each methodology of application delivery are over. This will result in the potential savings of millions of dollars in licensing and maintenance fees. Through the use of Tevron’s APM solutions, organizations now have one all encompassing solution with one licensing fee that can monitor any and every application across the enterprise. This includes all legacy applications, client server applications, all web browsers, Citrix or Terminal Server hosted applications, XenServer, XenApp, XenDesktop, VMware hosted applications, terminal emulation...every application. This flexibility is a must to meet the demanding needs of today’s global enterprises”, explains Jay Labadini, Vice President at Tevron.
To learn how CitraTest APM can assist you with your APM & monitoring requirements, call 1.603.595.9301 or visit www.tevron.com.
ABOUT TEVRON, LLC
Tevron, LLC is a pioneer in a new class of all encompassing APM solutions. Tevron’s mission is to provide automated monitoring solutions that support every application across the enterprise while seamlessly integrating into current management methodologies. Tevron’s technology has completed the complex APM puzzle.
Tevron Announces Full Support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 for its flagship End-To- End Monitoring & Testing Solutions
Tevron, a global provider of Testing, APM & business service monitoring solutions, today announced the continued & expanded support for the comprehensive End-To-End Monitoring for all applications accessed via Microsoft Internet Explore 8 for its flagship monitoring solution, CitraTest APM. Internet Explorer 8 includes the latest protections against a range of security and privacy threats on the Internet, tools and resources to plan a deployment of Internet Explorer 8, new features to help users complete browsing tasks more quickly and easily (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/cc889349.aspx). Through the deployment of Tevron’s APM solutions for all environments, every application across the enterprise, including applications accessed via IE 8, can be accurately measured and actively monitored. Further, Tevron’s unique technology will deliver the ability to enforce all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for any application deployed via any browser technology. “Because Tevron’s APM solutions are completely independent of the application they are monitoring and how that application is delivered, for the first time, every application across the enterprise can be monitored with one cost effective solution, including all web browser environments.
Every organization has numerous applications they need to monitor and our APM solutions can monitor them all. No other vendor offers such vast and all encompassing support. The days in which organizations have to pay licensing fee for each application, each protocol they need to monitor, and each methodology of application delivery are over. This will result in the potential savings of millions of dollars in licensing and maintenance fees. Through the use of Tevron’s APM solutions, organizations now have one all encompassing solution with one licensing fee that can monitor any and every application across the enterprise. This includes all legacy applications, client server applications, all web browsers, Citrix or Terminal Server hosted applications, XenServer, XenApp, XenDesktop, VMware hosted applications, terminal emulation...every application. This flexibility is a must to meet the demanding needs of today’s global enterprises”, explains Jay Labadini, Vice President at Tevron.
To learn how CitraTest APM can assist you with your APM & monitoring requirements, call 1.603.595.9301 or visit www.tevron.com.
ABOUT TEVRON, LLC
Tevron, LLC is a pioneer in a new class of all encompassing APM solutions. Tevron’s mission is to provide automated monitoring solutions that support every application across the enterprise while seamlessly integrating into current management methodologies. Tevron’s technology has completed the complex APM puzzle.
Every organization has numerous applications they need to monitor and our APM solutions can monitor them all. No other vendor offers such vast and all encompassing support. The days in which organizations have to pay licensing fee for each application, each protocol they need to monitor, and each methodology of application delivery are over. This will result in the potential savings of millions of dollars in licensing and maintenance fees. Through the use of Tevron’s APM solutions, organizations now have one all encompassing solution with one licensing fee that can monitor any and every application across the enterprise. This includes all legacy applications, client server applications, all web browsers, Citrix or Terminal Server hosted applications, XenServer, XenApp, XenDesktop, VMware hosted applications, terminal emulation...every application. This flexibility is a must to meet the demanding needs of today’s global enterprises”, explains Jay Labadini, Vice President at Tevron.
To learn how CitraTest APM can assist you with your APM & monitoring requirements, call 1.603.595.9301 or visit www.tevron.com.
ABOUT TEVRON, LLC
Tevron, LLC is a pioneer in a new class of all encompassing APM solutions. Tevron’s mission is to provide automated monitoring solutions that support every application across the enterprise while seamlessly integrating into current management methodologies. Tevron’s technology has completed the complex APM puzzle.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Manage your Service Level Agreement Easily through Business Transaction Management
Business Transaction Management – An up and Coming Paradigm in Systems and Application Performance Management
Technological environments across businesses are getting more complicated by the day; this is resulting in IT professionals facing a tough time with Service Level Agreements. SLA management is a major part of any IT service management and is required to make sure that applications are available according to the SLA requirements. IT environments are also required to be dynamic and capable of handling the fluctuating demands of business. In such a scenario, it becomes necessary for IT to be aligned with business needs closely. Business Transaction Management (BTM) is a concept which is capable of handling the complexity as well as business requirements of IT. It is hence the first step towards Service Level Management. BTM supports the management of Service Level Agreements in each of the following steps:
Step 1: Reviewing your Existing Services
The first step in effectively managing Service Level Agreement is the review of existing services provided by the business. Business Transaction Management traces all the services provided by the business in the form of business transactions and makes information related to it easily available. Hence, the services provided, resources consumed, users of the services etc. can be accessed through BTM.
Step 2: Negotiations with Clients
Most businesses are unaware of the services levels they provide and most clients are unaware of the service levels they receive. BTM provides in depth data of all service levels and hence makes all metrics available for accurate negotiations.
Step 3: Service Level Management and Monitoring
Service Level Agreements provide the base for the quality and level of IT services. Business Transaction Management assists transaction monitoring in a more efficient way, so that any deviations from the SLA can be monitored before they occur and alerts can be sent out.
Step 4: Implementation of Policies for Service Improvement
Business Transaction Management helps improve the service to be delivered so that the conditions of Service Level Agreements can be met without any omissions or deviations. In addition to SLA reporting, BTM solutions show the breakdown of every business transaction so that service flaws can be identified and improved.
Step 5: Establishment of Priorities
Business Transaction Management helps in establishing priorities by providing valuable metrics like which users are using which specific services and how many times, which services need improvement etc.
Step 6: Service Growth Plans
Business Transaction Management solutions help in making service capacity planning easy by providing resource consumption metrics of services across the servers that are being used. The resources being utilized by each service across all tiers can be seen by IT managers through BTM. According to the data, they can then plan for service growth which can be in line with the Service Level Agreement.
In conclusion, Business Transaction Management makes management of Service Level Agreements easier by:
Technological environments across businesses are getting more complicated by the day; this is resulting in IT professionals facing a tough time with Service Level Agreements. SLA management is a major part of any IT service management and is required to make sure that applications are available according to the SLA requirements. IT environments are also required to be dynamic and capable of handling the fluctuating demands of business. In such a scenario, it becomes necessary for IT to be aligned with business needs closely. Business Transaction Management (BTM) is a concept which is capable of handling the complexity as well as business requirements of IT. It is hence the first step towards Service Level Management. BTM supports the management of Service Level Agreements in each of the following steps:
Step 1: Reviewing your Existing Services
The first step in effectively managing Service Level Agreement is the review of existing services provided by the business. Business Transaction Management traces all the services provided by the business in the form of business transactions and makes information related to it easily available. Hence, the services provided, resources consumed, users of the services etc. can be accessed through BTM.
Step 2: Negotiations with Clients
Most businesses are unaware of the services levels they provide and most clients are unaware of the service levels they receive. BTM provides in depth data of all service levels and hence makes all metrics available for accurate negotiations.
Step 3: Service Level Management and Monitoring
Service Level Agreements provide the base for the quality and level of IT services. Business Transaction Management assists transaction monitoring in a more efficient way, so that any deviations from the SLA can be monitored before they occur and alerts can be sent out.
Step 4: Implementation of Policies for Service Improvement
Business Transaction Management helps improve the service to be delivered so that the conditions of Service Level Agreements can be met without any omissions or deviations. In addition to SLA reporting, BTM solutions show the breakdown of every business transaction so that service flaws can be identified and improved.
Step 5: Establishment of Priorities
Business Transaction Management helps in establishing priorities by providing valuable metrics like which users are using which specific services and how many times, which services need improvement etc.
Step 6: Service Growth Plans
Business Transaction Management solutions help in making service capacity planning easy by providing resource consumption metrics of services across the servers that are being used. The resources being utilized by each service across all tiers can be seen by IT managers through BTM. According to the data, they can then plan for service growth which can be in line with the Service Level Agreement.
In conclusion, Business Transaction Management makes management of Service Level Agreements easier by:
- Ensuring that Service Level Agreements are achieved within the resources defined by the IT Service Management
- Providing data which helps maintain service catalogs
- Ensuring that IT services are delivered on time and at the right place
- Helping businesses provide cost effective, efficient and timely services
Friday, May 1, 2009
Application Monitoring and the Types of Monitoring Available for Applications
Application monitoring is undertaken by various organizations to know the performance of their applications as well as network. Application monitoring software helps IT professionals to check for any unauthorized access or possible data theft within the business network. Application monitoring helps IT managers in judging application performance and their conformance with service level agreements. A major challenge in monitoring applications is gaining adequate visibility into all applications and network technologies of the business. To manage the increasing complexity and diversity, a business needs a custom-made monitoring solution that covers the entire organization. However, there are different types monitoring for applications and IT professionals need to judge the type of application monitoring applicable for the monitoring to be precise and complete.
Types of Monitoring for Applications
Types of Monitoring for Applications
- Security Monitoring
Today business applications are connected to each other globally; they hence need to be monitored for security. Application monitoring for security purpose ensures that application, database as well as web servers are implemented with security patches. The security warnings included in software products should be carefully studied and implemented to ensure that they comply with security standards and the application is protected against hackers. Software versions should be monitored in order to understand if they pose any threat to security. Application monitoring should also ensure that applications are updated with secure and latest versions of softwares. Security monitoring is a very important aspect of business service management for business organizations. Security teams of companies, in addition to monitoring hardware and software applications, should keep themselves updated on ongoing security threats through newsletters and other mediums. - Application Monitoring for Errors
An end user can be impacted adversely in case of an application error. Any error in an application can cause errors like failure to submit or display the requested information. Errors in applications can arise due to a software issues relating to application code or application, database and web servers. They can also arise due to hardware problems of CPU processing, network or memory. Application monitoring for errors is done by understanding the error message and finding the root of the error. For example, if an application has stopped processing new errors, one can find out through the log files whether the errors are due to resource shortage like bandwidth, memory, CPU, database performance etc. One can design application monitoring tools as well as requirements by studying the application architecture, platform, documentation, error messages etc. Error monitoring in applications is especially important in companies involved in IT service management. - Performance Monitoring
Application performance is vital for a good end user experience. Application monitoring for performance is derived from the code of the application as well as the supporting hardware. The code of the application ensures that its program routines are capable of handling at least the desired number of actual user requests and the hardware provides the necessary capabilities like memory, processing etc. Application monitoring can determine the performance of applications by noting the time taken for access and request processing in the logs. One can judge the actual user experience by sending requests to applications for different location and then observing the real response time. - Health Monitoring
IT professionals can judge application health by undertaking health monitoring. To address any problem before it becomes a serious issue, application health has to be monitored constantly. Application monitoring for health consists of comparing snapshots of system and application parameters to the standard benchmarks. For example, as part of application monitoring, IT professionals can set up alerts in case response time for transactions increases than the normal level. Application monitoring can be done best when it is automated and checks constantly to ensure application health. - Configuration Monitoring
Configuration monitoring is a very important factor in application monitoring and avoids undocumented and untested configuration elements. New application releases and operating system changes can have an impact on the software and hardware configuration of a machine; in such a case, each configuration change needs to be monitored for unauthorized change. The best application monitoring for configuration is a change control process in which a change is approved on submission and only then implemented. Such application monitoring allows the people responsible for application to know exactly what changes have taken place in configurations.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tevron Releases Centralized APM Enterprise Alerting Console
Nashua, New Hampshire, USA, April 3, 2009 – Tevron, the global leader in APM and testing solutions, today announced the release of the Centralized APM Enterprise Alerting Console for its APM solutions. This solution delivers sophisticated, global, centralized real-time alerting when application and system health begin to perform poorly or below acceptable SLA levels. Every environment, every business process, and every application can be monitoring and supported. Compared to the legacy management products available on the market, this solution is more scalable, more flexible, support all environments with a single technology, more cost effective, and easier to maintain and deploy.
“Through the use of Tevron’s APM Solutions, IT Managers can better manage and enhance the overall customer experience in regard to application availability and performance . As a result, Business Managers get an IT environment that is aligned with the business along with increased IT efficiency and profitability,” says Jay Labadini, Vice President.
Tevron offers the ONLY testing and End to End performance monitoring solutions that fully support EVERY enterprise application that is accessible from a Windows based machine. No application is left behind.
ABOUT TEVRON - Tevron® is a global leader in APM and Automated Testing. Through our all encompassing customer-centric vision and advanced technology, our APM and Testing Solutions allow the unique flexibility of supporting every application across the enterprise with one methodology delivering the ability to test, monitor, enforce SLAs, and optimize performance with confidence and ease. Founded in 2001, Tevron® is a global organization and is privately held. Our vast and diverse range of customers are global leaders and include companies such as Citigroup, DaimlerChrysler, Alcon, USPTO, Siemens, DeuBa, Lockheed Martin, and hundreds of others.
“Through the use of Tevron’s APM Solutions, IT Managers can better manage and enhance the overall customer experience in regard to application availability and performance . As a result, Business Managers get an IT environment that is aligned with the business along with increased IT efficiency and profitability,” says Jay Labadini, Vice President.
Tevron offers the ONLY testing and End to End performance monitoring solutions that fully support EVERY enterprise application that is accessible from a Windows based machine. No application is left behind.
ABOUT TEVRON - Tevron® is a global leader in APM and Automated Testing. Through our all encompassing customer-centric vision and advanced technology, our APM and Testing Solutions allow the unique flexibility of supporting every application across the enterprise with one methodology delivering the ability to test, monitor, enforce SLAs, and optimize performance with confidence and ease. Founded in 2001, Tevron® is a global organization and is privately held. Our vast and diverse range of customers are global leaders and include companies such as Citigroup, DaimlerChrysler, Alcon, USPTO, Siemens, DeuBa, Lockheed Martin, and hundreds of others.
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