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| Today’s modern business application is a complex beast – running as virtual machines, with each application server possessing multiple dependencies upon several other applications & servers, for a particular function or piece of data.In many cases, the other required IT resources may not even be on the same premises. As cloud computing takes hold, the scenario of going out of the network to obtain what your application needs will become more commonplace, leading to more headaches for the struggling art of application performance monitoring.
Too often, performance monitoring of the enterprise IT infrastructure is limited to the network only. With respect to analyzing performance, the natural inclination is to focus on the servers, routers, switches, and other equipment that comprise the physical network architecture, as well as the protocols, links, and circuits that allow these components to communicate. What’s often overlooked, or treated as a separate issue, is performance monitoring of the application itself, especially from an end-user’s perspective. The modern application performance management (APM) system requires an ability to see an application and its dependencies, compile statistics on normal operations, perform real-time analysis to detect anomalies, and do diagnostics to determine how best to correct any problems. Application performance management is essential to monitoring and maintaining the health of critical business applications throughout the enterprise. To ensure application availability and the successful achievement of service level agreements (SLAs) with all relevant parties, IT personnel must have their fingers on the pulse of who is using the application, when they are accessing it, where they are located, what they are doing, and much more. Application performance analysis and other management capabilities become even more critical as application complexity grows in N-tier environments, as the number of users rises, as applications and their associated traffic are segmented into distinct classes of service so they are prioritized to meet SLAs and deliver a positive quality of experience for users, and as plans are formulated to incorporate new applications into the architecture. APM tools, combined with Network Performance Management (NPM) capabilities, have yielded even more significant benefits from an IT operations perspective. Network performance management allows administrators to monitor and fine tune the way their applications use the network, for best efficiency and reliability. The APM and NPM features address different areas of IT operations and combine to deliver the best overall application experience for the business. Key Topics of Discussion:
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