There's a process to be followed when providing a turnkey performance monitoring solution, and this article aims to provide an overview of the various steps, as well as things to look out for along the way. Andrew Cole, Managing Director of Concilium Technologies, lends his insight to the topic.
Step 1: Scoping
First and foremost, the solution architect needs to establish the customer's end goal, their business model, why they want the solution, what the customer's pain points are and, finally, what the proffered solution can and can't do for the customer.
Cole says, "On the latter point, it might be necessary to integrate two or more products to ensure a complete solution is found for the customer. It's essential that any such integration be effective and efficient, using common interface standards such as REST, for instance.
"There may be instances where two best-of-breed products, although each brilliant in its own right, don't integrate well with other components required to make up the entire solution. This is where the solution architect's in-depth knowledge of the available technology solutions can add significant value to the customer."
Step 2: Statement of work and contract
Once the final solution has been fully scoped and agreed upon, this solution makes up the skeleton of the statement of work (SOW). This document needs to clearly state exactly what will be delivered by the supplier and what can be expected by the customer. "I have seen too many occasions where the SOW has been glossed over and the actual team delivering on the SOW doesn't have the same view of what the solution architect had intended. This results in a solution that doesn't provide the functionality or user interfaces envisaged by the solution architect," says Cole.
Much time and focus is often spent between the legal teams on both sides agreeing on the legal aspects of the contract, with less time spent on the actual deliverables. Often this is because the legal team rely on the technical end-users to review the SOW as they don't have the technical know-how to confirm what is being stated.
Although the contract is an important document, it tends to focus on the formal processes to be followed if there are major deviations from the agreed SOW that negatively impact the deliverables. Cole points out: "If the project is going well, and the contractor and customer are working closely together, there should be no need to refer to the contract during the deployment. The focus should firmly be on the SOW rather than contract terms and conditions. It's the working relationship between the two parties that determines the project's success."
Step 3: Installation
"Modern IT solutions containing commercial off-the-shelf hardware have become a lot simpler to install than solutions from yester-year," says Cole. "Almost all physical layer infrastructure is now Ethernet with a mix of fibre and copper."
However, it's still important that the entire solution is properly installed and documented. Cables need to be properly laid and labelled in a logical manner that makes it clear where the cable is being routed. Poorly installed infrastructure can have a significant performance impact on a well-designed system and this becomes even more important as network speeds increase. This is especially true for fibre-based networks where traditional copper thinking is applied when terminating fibre with less than ideal results.
Step 4: Commissioning
Commissioning can only take place once the entire system has been full installed, properly cabled and is running off a correctly-sized uninterruptible power supply. The company providing the solution will often make use of third-party specialists to commission certain components of the system, especially when it comes to databases. "These specialists need to understand exactly what is required and how they need to configure their component for maximum performance," advises Cole.
Components of the system are often commissioned individually and milestone payments are often linked to the successful commissioning of each major component. It's important that the customer's support team work hand-in-hand with the system provider during the commissioning phase as this will provide them with a good understanding of the different components of the system and how they have been designed to interact with each other, making it easier for the support team to solve simple problems and troubleshoot issues once the entire system has gone live.
Although there is very likely to be a service level agreement (SLA) in place for the support of the system, these SLAs often require the customer to provide the initial troubleshooting function and to identify the component or programme that's causing the problem before escalating back to the supplier. This is why it's essential for the customer's support organisation to understand how the system was installed and configured.
Step 5: End user buy-in
All too often, a new system is met with scepticism. The longer someone has been using the previous system, the less likely they are to be positive about the new system. A few simple workshops and information sessions for the end users during the build process can make a world of difference as they will be able to see what the new solution can do and how it'll make their lives easier. These sessions should be fully supported by senior management and be part of the overall project plan.
Step 6: Training
"Although the shadowing of the installation team by the customer's support engineers is important, formal training is essential," says Cole.
Typically the training will be broken down to address different departments, with the support or engineering teams receiving their training first and then the end-users being trained on how to use the system. There may also be other training courses depending on the nature of the system, for example, the training of creative end-users if the product has that type of functionality.
Cole continues, "We've found that a second set of training a couple of months after the system has gone live can also be very beneficial. By then, the end users are comfortable with the system, but are still trying to use it in the same way that they used their previous system. This advanced training workshop allows them to get the full functionality out of the system."
Step 7: Go-live
During the switch over to the new system, it's critical to have a full team of engineers on-site and available to assist, especially if the system is mission-critical. Although these engineers aren't trained to be efficient operators, they should have enough knowledge of the front-end to assist the operators and understand their frustrations, at the same time as troubleshooting the technical components of the system. Often a reduced number of these engineers should remain on-site for a couple of weeks after go-live to assist, before the system is handed over to the support organisation.
Step 8: Post-sales SLA
Ongoing support is expensive, but needs to be factored into the total cost of ownership when deciding on the best solution for a company's needs. It is important that the customer understands exactly what the SLA covers. For example: is the support during working hours only, or 24/7? It's also vital to provide contact details and response times for support teams for after-hours failures.
Step 9: Partnerships
Often much time is spent choosing the best solution for a specific purpose, but of equal importance is ensuring that the company that will deliver an effective solution will also provide back-up support has the right reputation for being there when most needed, especially with mission-critical systems. Choose a partner that continually invests in upgrading its in-country technical skills to reduce reliance on expensive foreign-based support.
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