IT performance management

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This entry describes performance management in an Information Technology context. See Performance Management for a description of performance management in a more general context.

Contents

IT performance management is a term used in the Information Technology (IT) field, and generally refers to the monitoring and measurement of relevant performance metrics to assess the performance of IT resources. It can be used in both a business or IT Management context, and an IT Operations context. Companies who offer IT performance management tools include Xangati, TeamQuest, IBM, CA, BMC, Sightline Systems, SevOne and HP Software Division. [1]

Some of the different types and categories of IT performance management include those related to networks, applications, self-learning, information security, and business transactions.

Business vs. operations context

In a business or IT Management context, IT performance management is concerned with measuring the expenditure of capital and human resources on Information Technology projects. This allows the business to determine how these expenditures improve strategic and operational capabilities of the firm in designing and developing products and services for maximum customer satisfaction, corporate productivity, profitability, and competitiveness. [2] This type of IT Performance Management is usually of interest to executive level IT personnel, all the way up to the Chief Information Officer (CIO), and is related to IT Portfolio Management.

In an IT operations context, IT performance management is the subset of tools and processes in IT Operations which deals with the collection, monitoring, and analysis of performance metrics. These metrics can indicate to IT staff whether a system component is up and running (available), or that the component is behaving in an abnormal way that would impact its ability to function correctly—much like how a doctor may measure pulse, respiration, and temperature to measure how the human body is "operating". This type of monitoring originated with computer network components, but has now expanded into monitoring other components such as servers and storage devices, as well as groups of components organized to deliver specific services and Business Service Management).

Types and categories

Types and categories of IT performance management include:

Benefits

The benefits of IT performance can be broken down into a business context as well as an operations context:

Business Context

Direct financial gains

Improved management control

Operations Context

Outage prevention or remediation
Service Level Management
Capacity planning

Information Security Context

Information security performance management is the process of designing, implementing, and managing the use of all data elements to determine the effectiveness of the overall security program. Performance measurements are data points or computed trends that may indicate the effectiveness of security countermeasures or controls as implemented by the organization. A critical task in this measurement process is to assess and quantify what will be measured. It is essential to obtain detailed measurements when assessing the effort spent to complete production tasks and the time spent on project tasks. This depends heavily on the number of systems and users of those systems. [6]

Benchmarking for many organizations can be difficult as many organizations do not share results. Successful cyber attacks are perceived as an organizational failure, and are kept secret if possible. No two organizations are alike, and may differ dramatically in size, composition, management philosophy, and infrastructure. [6] However, any information can provide insight for companies to leverage their own resources accordingly, and for internal audits allows them to be prepared for any contingencies that might arise.

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ Network World. “HP redefines IT performance management. New software suite and other tools aimed at helping IT show its value to the business.” Beth Schultz. June 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ M.K. Badawy (1998), Technology Management Education: Alternative Models. California Management Review. 40 (4), pp. 94–115
  3. ↑ PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the General Services Administration document: "Federal Standard 1037C".(in support of MIL-STD-188)
  4. ↑ Amies A, Sanchez J, Vernier D, and Zheng X D, 2011. Monitor services in the cloud IBM developerWorks, February 15
  5. ↑ Williams, David - Gartner Analyst Research Profile; retrieved 7/15/09 online at http://www.gartner.com/AnalystBiography?authorId=14134
  6. 1 2 Whitman, Michael (2019). Management of Information Security, 6th Edition. Course Technology, Inc. ISBN   978-1337405713.
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