|
|
| |
| |  |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
1
Organizational Impact of an
Enterprise Network Management Solution
Using NetIQ’ s AppManager
University of Maryland, University College
Adelphi, MD
Team J3E Members
Jeffrey Banks
Jeremiah (Pep) Brown
Evelyn Kimble
Jeffrey Sachsel
July 14, 2000
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
2
Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................... 3
Introduction to
Enterprise
Network
Management.......................................................................... 4
NetIQ
Biography .......................................................................... 6
AppManager
Software .......................................................................... 8
Business
Cases.......................................................................... 13
Relationship
To Service
Profit Chain .......................................................................... 19
Conclusions .......................................................................... 22
References .......................................................................... 23
List of Figures
NetIQ’ s
AppManager
Mulit-Tier
Architecture .......................................................................... 10
Heskett
Service
Profit Chain .......................................................................... 20
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
3
Abstract
As 21 st century organizations depend more heavily on their information
technology departments for critical business functions, management of IT resources
becomes a serious strategic concern. New solutions for monitoring, allocating and
troubleshooting IT resources are developed with enterprise-wide information systems in
mind. One of these tools is NetIQ’ s AppManager. The intent of the research is not to
tout the benefits of any particular software package, but rather to describe the
functionality of an all-encompassing solution to enterprise network management, and
analyze the benefits similar software tools can provide to an organization. The following
report will provide evidence that implementation of an enterprise network management
solution is essential to improving critical business processes of organizations that
depend on efficient operation of their computer systems.
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
4
Introduction to Enterprise Network Management
The role of an IT department is to ensure availability and performance of
business-critical systems and server applications. Throughout IT departments
distributed systems management is considered an essential ingredient for the
successful deployment and maintenance of these systems. The ability of IT personnel
to manage an entire enterprise-wide networked environment from one remote location
greatly increases their strategic value and productivity. Solutions such as AppManager
provide automation of repetitive network management tasks, monitoring of system
resources, automated fault detection and alerting and pro-active error correction
functionality. Another advantage provided by AppManager is the ability to store and
analyze data describing the state of the networked environment. These services
provide IT personnel with the information and control necessary to ensure transparent
management of an organization’ s networked resources.
According to Stallings and VanSlyke (1998) the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) suggests 5 categories that are essential to proper network
management. These categories are configuration management, fault management,
accounting management, performance management and security management. Each
of the 5 management categories have unique characteristics that cover a wide range of
business processes related to the use and availability of an organization’ s networked
assets. They are also interrelated in a way that a change in one area of management
can have an effect on any or all of the other categories.
Configuration management facilitates the continuous operation and
interconnection of networked assets. Control of the relationships between system Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
5
components is addressed at this level (Stallings and VanSlyke, 1998). The ability to
redefine default component attributes to enable improved information processing is
critical to the efficiency of the enterprise. Configuration management is closely related
to fault management since it is often necessary to reconfigure sections of a networked
environment to bypass component weaknesses or errors.
Fault management is the ability to detect, isolate and correct abnormal network
operations. Upon detection of a fault or component failure it is necessary for several
events to occur. The network must be isolated from the fault to allow continuation of
service without interference. The network must then be reconfigured or modified to
minimize the impact of the fault. Finally, the failed component must be repaired or
replaced in order to restore the network to its initial state (Stallings and VanSlyke,
1998).
Accounting management is the establishment, monitoring and distribution of
charges for use of networked resources. This is strictly an internal management
function of developing charge-back algorithms, identifying inefficient or abusive
resource usage and updating business plans that address resource allocation or
network expansion (Stallings and VanSlyke, 1998).
Performance management is concerned with monitoring the behavior of and
communications between networked components. By comparing network performance
statistics to an established baseline, situations can be identified as areas of present or
impending performance degradation. It is imperative to identify and correct potential
performance bottlenecks before they cause problems for either internal or external
customers (Stallings and VanSlyke, 1998).
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
6
Security management involves the protection of sensitive data and equipment
from unauthorized users. Businesses with a presence on the Internet are particularly
concerned with unauthorized access to data and network components (Stallings and
VanSlyke, 1998). Access control, data encryption and user authentication are the three
areas of concern when providing protection for network resources and user information.
An enterprise network management solution must address these 5 categories
efficiently in order for a business to profit from its implementation. Functionally, a
network management system should perform the following tasks in support of the 5
management categories:
· Collect Statistics on Communications and Network Activities
· Store Statistics Locally
· Respond to Network Control Commands
· Send Messages About Network Operations to the Network Control Center
(Stallings and VanSlyke, 1998)
The effective performance of network management tasks, application of network
management software, monitoring and analysis of collected management data and
application of that data to support strategic business goals is extremely beneficial to
organizations that are dependent upon IT resources for critical business functions. With
support from executive management, organizations can realize benefits that include
improved business processes, more efficient use of IT resources and increased
productivity within the IT department.
NetIQ Biography
NetIQ is a leading provider of e-business solutions management software. The
company provides application service providers (ASPs) with comprehensive
infrastructure management solutions encompassing application directory, server and Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
7
network performance management. NetIQ AppManager software helps organization
optimize the performance and availability of their Windows NT and Windows 2000
based systems. NetIQ is the first company to offer solutions that encompass system
administration, data center operations management and network performance
management.
NetIQ was established in 1995 to address the need of a strong Internet economy
and provides system and management solutions for the Windows NT environment.
NetIQ is privately held company with over 100 employees. The company is
headquartered in Santa Clara, California with personnel in Houston Texas, Raleigh,
North Carolina, and Bellevue, Washington. It has additional field offices in Washington
D.C., Dallas, Denver, New York, Chicago, London, Tokyo, and Sydney.
NetIQ is comprised of three distinguished companies collaborating to provide
eBusiness solutions and infrastructure management software. One these is Sirana
Software, Inc. of Bellevue, WA. Sirana’ s specialty is the development of web-based
enterprise analysis and reporting solutions for Microsoft BackOffice. Sirana Software,
based in Bellevue, Washington, builds web-based enterprise analysis and reporting
solutions for eBusiness applications like Microsoft Exchange and BackOffice. Sirana
Software delivers decision-making information to business and technical managers to
help them better understand and improve the performance of these important systems.
The addition of Sirana Software continues NetIQ's strategy to provide a complete range
of solutions for Windows 2000-based eBusiness software.
The second company in the NetIQ family is Mission Critical Software. Mission
Critical is a leading provider of systems management software for Windows NT and Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
8
Windows 2000. MCS is based in Houston, Texas, and operates regional offices in the
U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Mission Critical Software, Inc. recently acquired Ganymede Software. Ganymede
is located in North Carolina is the third member of NetIQ strategy. Ganymede products
provide for the end-to-end testing and monitoring of enterprise networks.
According to Mark Mager (1999) NetIQ has a very direct and unabmiguous aim
to focus its development resources on application management products running under
Windows NT/Windows 2000 systems. Its target customers are typically Global 1000
organizations that include Dell, Shell, Boeing, Phizer, BBC, Philip Morris, Adidas, Glaxo
Wellcome, Lloyds and Roche. Mager’ s (1999) report for the Butler Group estimates
future NT server deployments to exceed 2 million by the end of 1999, and exceed 2.5
million by the next year. These figures are based on the fact that 1.6 million NT servers
were deployed in the 3 years preceding 1999 with a reasonably constant increase
between those 3 years.
AppManager Software
NetIQ’ s AppManager is a comprehensive systems and application management
suite of products. According to Mager (1999), it can manage and monitor performance
and availability of distributed Windows NT/2000 systems and server products from
either a central location or from remote locations. AppManager provides an enterprise-wide
view of an organization’ s entire networked environment. With some customization
it can automatically perform a great number of network management functions with little
or no input from the network manager except for some up-front configuring. Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
9
AppManager is a robust enterprise network management solution that is able to
address the 5 categories of network management described above.
AppManager’ s multi-tier architecture is key to the robustness and scalability of
the management solution. As a networked environment expands, different tiers of the
architecture can be deployed at appropriate levels of the network to afford optimal
monitoring, processing and fault correction techniques. With AppManager’ s logically
deployed functional objects distributed across an entire network, monitoring, processing
and managing tasks are organized and efficiently executed. These functional objects
make up AppManager’ s 4 tiered architecture. The multi-tiered architecture provides
flexibility in distributing the process load across multiple networked components and
allows for efficient communication between components.
The first tier is the management console. This object is the primary interface
(GUI) between network administrator, AppManager and every object, either hardware or
software, connected to the network. It is from the console that pre-programmed
monitoring functions, known as knowledge scripts (KS), are configured and executed.
These scripts are written in Visual Basic for Applications, and are the business rules for
collecting and reacting to performance and event data. From this console, and by using
either supplied or customized knowledge scripts, the network administrator can address
the 5 categories of enterprise network management described above.
The second tier is the repository. It is a Simple Query Language (SQL) server
database that serves as the AppManager data repository. It stores all of the information
about the network to include configurations, knowledge scripts, events or alerts, graphs Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
10
Figure 1. NetIQ AppManager’ s Multi-Tier Architecture
and information returned from running knowledge scripts. The repository communicates
directly with the console and the third tier, the management server, using Open
DataBase Connectivity (ODBC).
The third tier, the management server, is the interface between the fourth tier,
management agents, and the repository. The management server distributed
knowledge scripts to their intended locations from the repository. It also directs
monitoring and event data returned from execution of knowledge scripts to the
appropriate locations in the data repository. The management server communicates Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
11
with the management agents using Microsoft’ s Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
technology.
The fourth tier is the management agent. This object can reside on any Windows
NT managed client and is used to monitor associated system and application resources.
The agent executes knowledge scripts that are either directed by the console or
scheduled in the repository. Upon completion of the requested script execution, the
agent communicates any relevant data or events collected back to the management
server. The agent can operate independent of control in the event of a network outage
between the management server and the agent. The agent will continue to collect and
store data, monitor objects and applications and execute knowledge scripts locally until
network services and normal network operating conditions are restored.
An additional advantage of this fourth tier is the ability to follow Liebmann’ s
(2000) “Follow the Sun” advice for battling increased management costs. Instead of
running second and third network management shifts to cover a 24-hour monitoring
period, agents can be installed at any location on a WAN, essentially monitoring an
internationally distributed network around the clock. Front line management
responsibilities are spread across the enterprise and data can be uploaded to the main
console for analysis during regular business hours.
A typical event that is initiated by the administrator to perform any type of
monitoring or processing function on the network proceeds as follows.
· At the management console, the administrator configures and executes the
knowledge script based job, initiating communication with the repository
· The repository sends the proper configuration and knowledge script to the
remote management server
· The management server sends the job to agents connected locally Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
12
· The agent executes the knowledge script, returning data requested by the
knowledge script back to the management server
· The management server sends the agent’ s data to the repository where it is
logged and stored
· The repository sends the saved data to the console where real-time graphs
and data analysis is updated with the new information
One can observe that the scalability of this architecture is very flexible. With the ability
to locate distributed repositories anywhere in a large enterprise network, the managing
team is able to scale the solution from a small network with servers numbering in the
teens to a large distributed network with hundreds or even thousands of servers.
An optional fifth tier, the Web management server, provides a set of Active
Server Pages that communicate with the repository. This tool aids the administrator by
allowing access to the network from any location equipped with a web browser,
eliminating the need to provide full-time (24/7) network management staffing. Liebmann
(2000) writes in Network Magazine that the effectiveness of network managers
increases when they can get the information they need about network status at any time
or place when their pagers go off. Liebmann (2000) also states that web based
management tools help avoid platform specific hardware requirements associated with
complex network architectures.
Finally, according to Mager (1999), organizations with ever increasing
investments in a Windows NT based computing infrastructure, and those contemplating
a move to such a topology, will require increasingly sophisticated application and
network management and monitoring solutions to “ease the administrative burden.” A
product such as NetIQ’ s AppManager, that eases the administrative overhead and
lowers costs while delivering efficient and superb functionality, is a “prime candidate for
serious consideration.”
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
13
Business Cases
Southern Company Services, Inc. (Southern) supplies electricity to eleven million
people in the southeastern United States. It has subsidiaries in South America, Europe,
and Asia. Currently their IT infrastructure is comprised of 600 NT-based systems, and
their main concern is server downtime. Southern searched for a management tool that
would render an early warning and provide automatic error recovery in case of system
problems. Southern is dependent on its information foundation and infrastructure to
support all of its strategic operations, employees, and customers. AppManager allows
Southern to manage the performance, dependability, and accessibility of distributed NT-based
systems. Southern chose AppManager because it integrated well with their NT
systems and provided the functionality they needed to manage a widely distributed
international system of networked resources.
While installing AppManager, Southern was surprised at how immediately
weaknesses were detected within the infrastructure. This has allowed them to make
much needed improvements in the way they operate. AppManager’ s early detection
and warning functions drastically reduced server downtime, provided the tools
necessary to monitor storage systems and quickly reported to IT staffers information
concerning network availability. AppManager also gave Southern the ability to centrally
monitor its vastly distributed NT-based systems.
In the fall of 1997 the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASDAQ),
combined with NetIQ to monitor the company's Web site (Nasdaq.com). NASDAQ Web
handles an extremely high traffic load of over eight million hits per day. The reliability of
Nasdaq.com is paramount for hundreds of thousands of users seeking information, Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
14
stock quotes and other investor services. NASDAQ’ s decision to use AppManager to
manage its web site was made with the intent of improving the reliability and
performance of their Microsoft Windows NT servers. NASDAQ was in the market for a
solution that could proactively manage its web site.
AppManager exceeded all of the stringent requirements NASDAQ had for
monitoring their web site. Before selecting NetIQ and AppManager, NASDAQ decided
to first monitor their web-based infrastructure with custom built fault monitoring
solutions. But as the web grew in popularity, a more reliable and scaleable solution was
needed. As the site grew and hits increased, AppManager's highly scaleable multi-tiered
architecture could adapt with NASDAQ’ s rapid growth.
Another reason for selecting AppManager, was its ability to store its performance
and event information directly in a SQL Server database. This feature made it easy for
NASDAQ personnel to extract key data for reporting and trend analysis purposes.
NASDAQ discovered another advantage in the fact that AppManager adheres to de-facto
Microsoft standards such as Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as a scripting
language. This ability gives NASDAQ a method of extending AppManager to meet
specific management needs, without having to learn any proprietary technology.
Harris Corporation is a communications, electronics and information systems
company with more than 27,000 employees worldwide. Headquartered in Melbourne,
Florida, the company provides a wide range products and services for wireless and
personal communications, digital television, healthcare records management,
multimedia communications, automotive electronics, transportation communications, Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
15
office document management, and defense communications and information
processing.
Harris is a leader in using innovative information technology and actively
participates in trend-setting organizations such as Gartner Group's Best Practices
Group for automated, lights out Microsoft Windows NT data center operation. The fully
automated facility provides 24x7 computer services to 7,000 on-line users working in 13
business divisions. Forty-four Compaq ProLiant Windows NT servers bring
manageability, reliability and high performance to the clean-room operation. To keep
pace with growing IT needs, the center is designed and pre-wired to accommodate 110
servers.
Compaq solutions support a unique lights out operation. There are no other-lights-
out data facilities in the world that have all Windows NT servers in a fully
automated center, Bob Reynolds, senior group leader at Harris explained. The
servers operate in a dark room, without human intervention. All necessary
management and troubleshooting functions are done remotely. The data center has no
consoles, and the only time people enter is during regularly scheduled outages, which
take place once or twice a month, and only for a couple of hours, or when atypical
problems occur.
Streamlining and consolidating performance management functions in the new
facility was a project priority. Harris selected NetIQ's AppManager to provide single-piont
monitoring of all Windows NT operating systems, Microsoft BackOffice services,
application functions and server hardware components in the data center. NetIQ's
management software is tightly integrated with Compaq Insight Manager. Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
16
Compaq Insight Manager is integral to our operation, says Reynolds. We use
it to feed NetIQ alerts, which then feed our HNM network management product. Insight
Manager give us the appropriate alerts, so we know when something happens and can
start corrective action immediately rather than wait until one of our internal customers
notifies us that something is wrong.
Gary Drack, Project TNT Program Manager states, Having these two products
work seamlessly together was a clear win for Harris. Dave Jensen, Director of Harris'
Windows NT Corporate Data Center touts the efficient operation by stating, Our backup
capability is outside the room and we have a build and-repair area and certification
center outside of it. This allows us to apply a strict set of rules and discipline to the
server environment, which, in turn, allows us to provide the world's best service.
MicroStrategy is an international organization. It supplies DSS (decision support
system) software and other associated services throughout the world. MicroStrategy
combined Dell servers and storage solutions along with AppManager as a tool to
manage their software system. This combination aided in enhancing system
performance and dependability benefits, heightened productivity, and improved
competitive advantage.
MicroStrategy has used Dell OpenManage for sometime now. OpenManage is
very useful when managing servers, especially Dell servers. Because MicroStrategy
uses a distributed server network (worldwide), it needed a system not only to effectively
manage their remote servers, but also to manage the entire infrastructure.
They incorporated NetIQ’ s AppManager with Dell OpenManage. Using these two
tools together allowed MicroStrategy to watch the performance and accessibility of the Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
17
programs in their system. AppManager uses an event driven communication that is
automated. This allows the necessary parties to be notified, which allows for an
expedient solution to the problem. AppManager works very well with Dell OpenManage.
Scripts are used to allow MicroStrategy to observe and manage their servers.
One of the main reasons MicroStrategy adopted AppManager was to improve
customer satisfaction with customers being any person who works for MicroStrategy.
They now have the capability to issue “internal Service Level Agreements” to the whole
organization. These agreements guarantee uptime and minimum response times.
AppManager has allowed MicroStrategy to increase the reliability of their server
infrastructure. Without AppManager MicroStrategy would not be able to maintain the
level of reliability they currently have, and systems reliability has a direct impact on
MicroStrategy’ s bottom-line.
Glaxo Wellcome (Glaxo) is headquartered in the UK. It is one of the world’ s
largest pharmaceutical companies. Glaxo wanted to replace17 of their global
messaging systems with an operative alternative. They decided on an NT-based system
employing MS Exchange Server. They implemented an AppManager solution because
it allowed them to combine the system management components in one place, which
includes the management of Hewlett Packard Net Servers. It gave Glaxo the same
monitoring capabilities mentioned in the MicroStrategy case.
In this case AppManager was to work specifically with MS Exchange. The
implementation of the Exchange servers and AppManager was a $28.8 million dollar
project. It covered seven different places in the UK and a number of Exchange servers Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
18
all over the world. Now Glaxo has 50,000 Exchange users, 15,000 of which are based
in the UK, the center of operations.
AppManager allows Glaxo the power to effectively and economically manage
their global network. The integration of the global messaging system has greatly
increased efficiency. Support elements at Glaxo now have the capability to remotely
make repairs. As a failsafe, AppManager’ s early detection facility will alert an engineer
of a system problem. Glaxo also implemented internal Service Level Agreements much
like MicroStrategy.
The BBC implemented what they call their Internal Digital Infrastructure (IDI)
project, at the steep price of 70 million pounds. IDI includes email services with internal
and external messaging via the Internet. There are thousands of messages per hour,
so they needed something to make sure the messaging foundation could handle that
amount of traffic. The BBC chose AppManager.
The BBC considers itself a pioneer in the digital broadcasting arena, that being
their reasoning behind a sizable IT investment. The project entailed converting from
Novell to NT and using a Win95 desktop and Exchange/Outlook messaging system.
AppManager was the tool of choice because of its integration possibilities, central
management prowess with NT-based systems and sever programs to include Lotus
Domino, performance optimization, and its automated problem detection.
Three networked NT servers were used to test AppManager while the prototype
network was in final beta version, over a period of six days of continuous running. The
BBC concluded that the system proved to be very stable and any minor technical issues
were quickly addressed and cured in the final version. They began the actual Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
19
implementation using some non-critical Exchange servers allowing them to train the IT
staff, and implement at the desired rate. The BBC has approximately 50 Exchange
servers, serving about 7,500 users. The number of users increases at approximately
200 users per day.
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) purchased AppManager licenses for
every Exchange server on its classified network because it wanted to monitor how many
messages were going inside and outside the agency, the number of massages per hour
on each server, and identify high volume users. AppManager provided that information.
DIA tested AppManager on operational systems. This allowed DIA to configure its
Compaq ProLiant 6500 servers for their Exchange users and all of their data.
Operations managers started out using the basic monitoring tools in NT and Exchange.
Shortly thereafter, they went to full implementation of AppManager. As the other
organizations have stated, AppManager give them the flexibility and scalability to locally
manage a widely distributed network.
Relationship to the Service Profit Chain
Increasing customer and job satisfaction by empowering employees to perform
their duties using the best tools available is important to the Service Profit Chain.
Heskett addresses this issue specifically in his final comments where he states that the
means by which successful organizations ensure growth, high profit levels and future
success is by increasing levels of customer and employee satisfaction and loyalty, and
by enabling the continuance of outstanding service delivery. The business cases
presented above are examples of organizations providing exactly those key factors Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
20
through the use of innovative technology to manage and improve their information
technology services.
Figure 2. Heskett Service Profit Chain
The improvement of information processing services provided by the IT
department has a net effect on the entire enterprise. As service availability and
performance improve, employees are better able to serve their clients. Employees who
can better serve their customers, both internally and externally, become more satisfied
with their performance. Frustrations that accompany network and application problems
disappear. Organizations that provide for customer access to their computer networks
increase the value of their products when information and services requested by their
clients are dependably and efficiently delivered. With the overwhelming increase of
eBusinesses and eCommerce, an efficiently managed network leads to satisfied
customers, suppliers and employees.
Both MicroStrategy and Glaxo Wellcome provide internal service level
agreements to their in-house customers. These agreements guarantee a certain Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
21
availability and functionality of the IT infrastructure. As employees come to depend
upon a certain level of service from their information systems, they become more
confident in their ability to perform the tasks assigned, and increase the level of their job
satisfaction, as well as improving the quality of service to their customers. As described
in Heskett (1997), the level of customer loyalty, or intent to repurchase services,
increases exponentially with respect to customer satisfaction. And customer loyalty is
key to increasing the lifetime value of a service and increased profitability within a
competitive industry.
For Web based organizations, like NASDAQ above, and businesses that perform
critical business functions using Internet technologies, the ability to monitor, analyze
and improve the performance of public network hardware and software services is a key
advantage. As the information and communication flows within the organization,
delivering vital services to internal and external customers, the value of the service
increases, correspondingly increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction. Revenues
generated by this increased profitability are then “pumped” back into the IT
infrastructure to further improve the system.
Finally, in Heskett (1997) the USAA case is a good closing example of using
information systems to empower employees and deliver the highest quality service
possible. Heskett (1997) states that USAA outpaces their competition in investing in
information systems. This gives USAA’ s employees the ability to provide services to
their clients resulting in some of the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty levels in
the industry. Additionally this accounts for increased levels of job satisfaction among
USAA employees. Although USAA does not implement the specific software solution Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
22
described in previous sections, it does demonstrate the strategic advantages to
providing both internal and external customers with the best tools possible that will
increase the value of services rendered.
Conclusions
The advantage gained by using enterprise network management tools can
be beneficial to an organization with substantial monetary and strategic investments in
information technology. With the expansion of the Internet and the drive toward
eBusiness/eCommerce, the ability to monitor and respond to complex internal and
external customer demands is essential. As techniques and tools improve the delivery
of services to the vital customer base, improvements in the quality and value of the
services improves resulting in growth and profitability.
As Heskett’ s Service Profit Chain shows, the success of a service organization is
dependent on many factors relating to the value and quality of the services provided.
NetIQ’ s AppManager empowers information technology professionals, giving them the
ability to increase levels of service, meet the ever-increasing internal demands for
information and processing power, and provide external customers with around-the-clock
satisfaction. As the business cases have shown, many large international
corporations have not only invested in a system to improve internal processes, but have
initiated their investments because of a need to serve their customers better than the
competition. Strategically, this is a win-win situation, satisfying an organization’ s
internal requirement to improve the service delivery system while, at the same time,
providing customers reasons to remain loyal to a business dedicated to quality, value
and satisfaction.
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
23
References
Butler Group. (1999, February). AppManager 3.0. Hull, UK: Mager, M.
Dryden, P. (1997, March 27). Monitors Provide Views of NT Servers. Computer
World. [on-line serial]. Available: mdusa.lib.umd.edu/webZ [Computer Database].
Fawcett, N. (1999, June 20). Charles Schwab e-Commerce Goal Aided by
AppManager. Network Week. [on-line serial].
Available: www.networkweek.com/enterprise/story/NWW19990528S0009.
Harper, E. (1997, September 23). The Three-Level Approach. PC Magazine.
16(16). [on-line serial]. Available: mdusa.lib.umd.edu/webZ [Computer Database].
Heskett, J., Sasser, W., Schlesinger, L. (1997). The Service Profit Chain. New
York: The Free Press.
Kimber, L. (1997, March 7). NetIQ Takes Monitoring Tools to New Extremes.
Network Week. [on-line serial].
Available: www.networkweek.com/applications/story/NWW19990316S0003.
Liebmann, L. (2000, July). The Battle of the Bulge. Network Magazine. Vol. 15,
No. 7, P110.
NASDAQ Selects NetIQ AppManager. (1997, September 17). [Press Release].
Santa Clara, CA: Author.
Available: www.netiq.com/newsevents/pressreleases/1997/pr08.asp.
NetIQ Keeps BBC’ s Internet Email System Online. (1996). [Case Study]. Santa
Clara, CA: Author.
Olsen, F. (1998, December 14). Utilities Ride on NT Coattails. Government
Computer News. [on-line periodical].
Available: 206.144.247.86/archives/gcn/1998/december14/13.htm.
Pace, M. (1998, February 2). AppManager Reins in More Apps. InfoWorld. [on-line
serial]. 20(5). Available: mdusa.lib.umd.edu/webZ [Computer Database].
Reid Moomaugh & Associates. (1996). TQM and Organizational Change and
Development. San Diego, CA: Packard, T.
Smith, C. (1997, April 8). NetIQ AppManager Gives Back Office a Brain. Network
Computing. [on-line serial]. Available: www.nwc.com/807/807sp2.html.
Enterprise Network Management
J. Banks, J. Brown, E. Kimble, J. Sachsel
24
References (continued)
Southern Company Ranked Best. (2000, June 13). [Press Release]. Atlanta, GA:
Author. [on-line]. Available: www.southernco.com/article.asp?id=904&co=southernco.
Stallings, W., VanSlyke, R. (1998). Business Data Communications. (3 rd ed.).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.
Sturdevant, C. (2000, February 9). Top of NT Management Class. eWeek. [on-line
serial]. Available: www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2428575,00.htm.
Sturdevant, C. (1999, February 8). Keeping Track of Apps Made Simple. eWeek.
[on-line serial].
Available: www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,388218,00.htm.
Symoens, J. (1999, March 15). Review: AppManager 3.0 Sharpens NT
Management. InfoWorld. [on-line serial]. 21(11).
Available: archives.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayArchive.pl?/99/11/nr04-11.52d.htm.
Turban, E., McLean, E., Wetherbe, J. (1999). Information Technology for
Management (2 nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Bibliography
As 21 st century organizations depend more heavily on their information
technology departments for critical business functions, management of IT resources
becomes a serious strategic concern. New solutions for monitoring, allocating and
troubleshooting IT resources are developed with enterprise-wide information systems in
mind. One of these tools is NetIQ’ s AppManager. The intent of the research is not to
tout the benefits of any particular software package, but rather to describe the
functionality of an all-encompassing solution to enterprise network management, and
analyze the benefits similar software tools can provide to an organization. The following
report will provide evidence that implementation of an enterprise network management
solution is essential to improving critical business processes of organizations that
depend on efficient operation of their computer systems.
Word Count: 5347
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Can't find your paper? Order it from us!
We offer best quality custom research paper writing services. You
can request
custom research papers on any topic or subject. Our writers will
be ready to help you with any form, level and number of pages.
Request your paper now by filling this
research paper writing ordering form!
|
| |
| |
