Application Service Management
Encyclopedia
Application service management (ASM) is an emerging discipline within systems management
that focuses on monitoring and managing the performance
and quality of service
of business transactions.
ASM can be defined as a well-defined process and use of related tools to detect, diagnose, remedy and report the service quality of complex business transactions to ensure that they meet or exceed end-user
s’ Performance
measurements relate to how fast transaction
s are completed or information is delivered to the end user by the aggregate of applications, operating systems, hypervisor
s (if applicable), hardware platforms, and network interconnects. The critical components of ASM include application discovery & mapping, application "health" measurement & management, transaction-level visibility, and incident-related triage.
ASM is related to application performance management
(APM), but serves as a more pragmatic, "top-down" approach that focuses on delivery of business services. In strict definition, ASM differs from APM in two critical ways.
Application service management extends the concepts of end-user experience management and real user management
in that measuring the experience of real users is a critical data point. However, ASM also requires the ability to quickly isolate the root cause of those slow-downs, thereby expanding the scope of real user monitoring/management.
The use of application service management is common for complex, multi-tier transactional applications
. Further, the introduction of hypervisor
-based virtualization technologies has proven a catalyst for the adoption of ASM technologies, as complex applications are disproportionately impacted by the introduction of hypervisors into an existing environment A study by the Aberdeen Group
indicates that most deployments of virtualization technologies are hampered by their impact on complex transactional applications
Systems management
Systems management refers to enterprise-wide administration of distributed systems including computer systems. Systems management is strongly influenced by network management initiatives in telecommunications....
that focuses on monitoring and managing the performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
and quality of service
Quality of service
The quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
of business transactions.
ASM can be defined as a well-defined process and use of related tools to detect, diagnose, remedy and report the service quality of complex business transactions to ensure that they meet or exceed end-user
End-user
Economics and commerce define an end user as the person who uses a product. The end user or consumer may differ from the person who purchases the product...
s’ Performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
measurements relate to how fast transaction
Database transaction
A transaction comprises a unit of work performed within a database management system against a database, and treated in a coherent and reliable way independent of other transactions...
s are completed or information is delivered to the end user by the aggregate of applications, operating systems, hypervisor
Hypervisor
In computing, a hypervisor, also called virtual machine manager , is one of many hardware virtualization techniques that allow multiple operating systems, termed guests, to run concurrently on a host computer. It is so named because it is conceptually one level higher than a supervisory program...
s (if applicable), hardware platforms, and network interconnects. The critical components of ASM include application discovery & mapping, application "health" measurement & management, transaction-level visibility, and incident-related triage.
ASM is related to application performance management
Application Performance Management
Application performance management, or APM, refers to the discipline within systems management that focuses on monitoring and managing the performance and service availability of software applications....
(APM), but serves as a more pragmatic, "top-down" approach that focuses on delivery of business services. In strict definition, ASM differs from APM in two critical ways.
- APM focuses exclusively on the performance of an instance of an application, ignoring the complex set of interdependencies that may exist behind that application in the data center. ASM specifically mandates that each application or infrastructure software, operating system, hardware platform, and transactional "hop" be discretely measurable, even if that measurement is inferential. This is critical to ASM's requirement to be able to isolate the source of service-impacting conditions.
- APM often requires instrumentation of the application for management and measurability. ASM advocates an application-centric approach, asserting that the application and operating system have comprehensive visibility of an application's transactions, whether on-machine or off-machine, as well as the operating system itself and the hardware platform it is running on. Further, an in-context agent can also infer network latencies with a high degree of accuracy, and with a lesser degree of accuracy when the transaction occurs between instrumented and non-instrumented platforms.
Application service management extends the concepts of end-user experience management and real user management
Real user monitoring
Real user monitoring is a passive web monitoring technology that records all user interaction with a website. Monitoring actual user interaction with a website is important to website operators to determine if users are being served quickly, error free and if not which part of a business process...
in that measuring the experience of real users is a critical data point. However, ASM also requires the ability to quickly isolate the root cause of those slow-downs, thereby expanding the scope of real user monitoring/management.
The use of application service management is common for complex, multi-tier transactional applications
Multitier architecture
In software engineering, multi-tier architecture is a client–server architecture in which the presentation, the application processing, and the data management are logically separate processes. For example, an application that uses middleware to service data requests between a user and a database...
. Further, the introduction of hypervisor
Hypervisor
In computing, a hypervisor, also called virtual machine manager , is one of many hardware virtualization techniques that allow multiple operating systems, termed guests, to run concurrently on a host computer. It is so named because it is conceptually one level higher than a supervisory program...
-based virtualization technologies has proven a catalyst for the adoption of ASM technologies, as complex applications are disproportionately impacted by the introduction of hypervisors into an existing environment A study by the Aberdeen Group
Aberdeen Group
Aberdeen Group Inc. is a provider of fact-based research helping organizations and individuals make better business decisions. Founded in 1988, Aberdeen Group tries to understand the implications and results of process innovation, methodology advancements, technology deployments, and business...
indicates that most deployments of virtualization technologies are hampered by their impact on complex transactional applications
See also
- Application performance managementApplication Performance ManagementApplication performance management, or APM, refers to the discipline within systems management that focuses on monitoring and managing the performance and service availability of software applications....
- Business transaction managementBusiness Transaction ManagementBusiness transaction management , also known as business transaction monitoring, application transaction profiling or user defined transaction profiling, is the practice of managing information technology from a business transaction perspective...
- Systems managementSystems managementSystems management refers to enterprise-wide administration of distributed systems including computer systems. Systems management is strongly influenced by network management initiatives in telecommunications....
- Integrated business planningIntegrated business planningIntegrated business planning refers to the technologies, applications and processes of connecting the planning function across the enterprise to improve organizational alignment and financial performance...
- Network managementNetwork managementNetwork management refers to the activities, methods, procedures, and tools that pertain to the operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning of networked systems....
- System administration