Application service architecture
Encyclopedia
Application service architecture (ASA) is an emerging discipline within IT that involves a top down approach to monitoring, controlling, securing, and optimizing applications in transit. This Application layer
approach allows companies to manage the application service independently of the infrastructure to promote flexibility in the deployment, use, and provisioning of their application infrastructure. It also allows companies to better align IT with the business by bridging the gap between infrastructure and applications.
A properly designed ASA solution will enable companies to more effectively manage and secure applications across any kind of network medium. As such, ASA can be broken down into specific categories that represent the primary disciplines associated with managing applications as they transit network resources. Those disciplines include:
This approach to managing applications provides a comprehensive strategy for delivering any application to any user. This focus is especially important for initiatives like virtualization, cloud computing, software or infrastructure as a service, and any external applications, like Web 2.0, that are used by the business.
This framework is focused on the application delivery process not the application server environment, which becomes an important distinction when contrasted against application performance management solutions.
Disciplines incorporated in ASA:
Application layer
The Internet protocol suite and the Open Systems Interconnection model of computer networking each specify a group of protocols and methods identified by the name application layer....
approach allows companies to manage the application service independently of the infrastructure to promote flexibility in the deployment, use, and provisioning of their application infrastructure. It also allows companies to better align IT with the business by bridging the gap between infrastructure and applications.
A properly designed ASA solution will enable companies to more effectively manage and secure applications across any kind of network medium. As such, ASA can be broken down into specific categories that represent the primary disciplines associated with managing applications as they transit network resources. Those disciplines include:
- Monitoring: Real-time information, as well as detailed reporting are the keys to supporting the other three principals, and ensure end-to-end visibility on the different components of the application service (application and network performance, backend infrastructure health, application security, trending, capacity planning, etc.)
- Controlling: Understanding the different aspects of a service, through monitoring, helps define specific behaviors in the interactions between the customers and the service provider. These behaviors can be mapped to specific use requirements, and further enforced.
- Securing: Protect against application layer attacks such as; malware, botnet, SQL injectionSQL injectionA SQL injection is often used to attack the security of a website by inputting SQL statements in a web form to get a badly designed website in order to dump the database content to the attacker. SQL injection is a code injection technique that exploits a security vulnerability in a website's software...
s, cross-site scriptingCross-site scriptingCross-site scripting is a type of computer security vulnerability typically found in Web applications that enables attackers to inject client-side script into Web pages viewed by other users. A cross-site scripting vulnerability may be used by attackers to bypass access controls such as the same...
, etc. In conjunction with traditional network layer security solutions; application aware security is quickly becoming an important part of a comprehensive defense-in-depth strategy. - Optimizing: In this new paradigm, the underlying networks used to deliver the business applications can change from one end to the other. Network optimization is there to maintain end-to-end consistency, and allow optimal performances when delivering the service to the customer.
This approach to managing applications provides a comprehensive strategy for delivering any application to any user. This focus is especially important for initiatives like virtualization, cloud computing, software or infrastructure as a service, and any external applications, like Web 2.0, that are used by the business.
This framework is focused on the application delivery process not the application server environment, which becomes an important distinction when contrasted against application performance management solutions.
Disciplines incorporated in ASA:
- Infrastructure: Application monitoring, Layer 4 -7, quality of serviceQuality of serviceThe quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
, application optimization, network behavior analysis, application delivery controllers - Security: Secure web gateways, web application securityWeb Application SecurityWeb application security is a branch of information security that deals specifically with security of websites and web applications.At a high level, Web application security draws on the principles of application security but applies them specifically to Internet and Web systems...
, network behavior anomaly detection, content filteringContent filteringContent filtering is the technique whereby content is blocked or allowed based on analysis of its content, rather than its source or other criteria. It is most widely used on the internet to filter email and web access.- Content filtering of email :...
, malware protection