by Jim Metzler Critical Strategies Every Network Manager Needs
Always a demanding profession, network and application management is growing ever more important as application performance becomes one of Information Technology’s central concerns. The reason for this shift is easy to discern: senior business managers don’t particularly value the network itself, which they view as just another utility, like electricity. These managers do value the applications that they use to run their business. Thus, when reviewing the IT budget in terms of business relevance, application performance—which governs the ability of employees to get their jobs done—is a critical metric.
Cognizant of this fact, leading edge IT organizations are transforming how they define their role. In particular, until recently it was common to have an IT organization be comprised of an application development function and an infrastructure function. Now leading edge IT organizations are evolving to where they are comprised of an application development function and an application delivery function. This is not a subtle transformation. Whereas the typical IT infrastructure function was comprised of myriad technologies that were managed as individual stove-pipes based on metrics that were relevant for that particular technology, the application delivery function is managed holistically with metrics that are intended to ensure acceptable application performance.
Fortunately, the management tools available to IT professionals are improving, making much more information available in a far more timely fashion and hence easing the burden of the transformation. Unfortunately, it’s hard to keep up with all the new tools and capabilities. Those who don’t keep up run the risk of seeing their career choices dwindle, while IT managers who adapt to and properly leverage these new offerings will find themselves increasingly valued as part of the business team. This white paper examines the changing landscape of network and application management and the impact of the new tools and information sources that are available to you, and suggests some steps you can take to keep your career going strong.
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