Overview
One of
the key criteria for selecting and deploying enterprise systems is
the ability to effectively manage their operations. By ensuring
that critical business systems are healthy, responsive, and running
as expected, information technology managers and executives are
able to lower the total cost of ownership for their systems and
place more emphasis on the development and deployment of new
capabilities. In most organizations, this is the major focal point
to help drive efficiency. In this chapter, we cover the following
topics:
-
Systems management on the Microsoft
platform
-
Model-based operations management
-
Dynamic Systems Initiative
With the emphasis on Microsoft's management
technologies over the past few years, new releases of SMS and MOM,
and the evolution of the Microsoft Update platform, there is a
greater need for IT to understand how these products can work
together to provide a comprehensive systems management solution
that enables software deployment, systems monitoring for alerts and
exceptions, and access to the data that can help IT to prevent
problems in the future. Those who use the systems management tools
from Microsoft benefit from having Microsoft's knowledge of its own
tools baked into the products, which makes it easier to manage
their Windows desktop and server environments and provides the
capability to work in a heterogeneous setting.
The goal for this chapter is to provide a
basic overview of operations management and describe the problem
domain and then focus on the components of the Microsoft platform
now and in the future that will enable system administrators and IT
to effectively manage their technology operations. By examining the
current management tools and understanding Microsoft's Dynamic
Systems Initiative, you can better formulate your strategies for
deploying management solutions on the Microsoft platform.