Setting the stage for managing on-demand computing

Many organisations today are discovering that resource utilisation of their IT systems is low. It is not unusual to find average NT server utilisation of 10% or Unix server of 20%.

IT managers are, therefore, increasingly expected to identify problems - finding underutilised resources in the enterprise and then setting-up and provisioning a server to handle the functions, a process that can take days, even weeks.

And to ensure the smooth-running of operations, companies then opt for over-capacity, which explains the low levels of server utilisation in the first place.

Research authority Gartner estimates that over the next three years, 80% of infrastructure efficiency improvements will be a direct result of IT management, with only 20% based on technology.

More and more, the prevalent guidance in the business community is that IT must be "managed as a business" rather than a technology showcase with unclear, near-term, bottom line value.

But to get there will take some doing, especially in a time where companies have to deal with the pressures to do "more with less".

This brings us to on-demand computing. The vision of on-demand computing sees customers reaping the awards. With better alignment between IT and business, companies can enjoy significant levels of empowerment and greater responsiveness from their IT infrastructures.

However, managing on-demand computing is different challenge altogether. It is important that companies realise that in order to reap the rewards from it, they have to embark on management strategy, deployed in stages.

Indeed, managing on-demand computing can enable organisations to become agile and capitalise on the same change that causes their competitors harm.

Managing on-demand computing is based on the belief the operational management must be driven by business needs, rather than the other way around.

Therefore, a close alignment between the IT infrastructure and business objectives is a fundamental requirement.

CA believes that managing on-demand computing incorporates three major benefits:

• .         Alignment of IT with business: The IT infrastructure is managed to support real-time business objectives efficiently - contributing to a business` competitive-edge.
• .         Efficiency: Offering authorised users easier access to role-relevant services and information in an easy-to-use fashion, streamlining IT resources and maximising operational and capital investment.
• .         Responsiveness: IT infrastructures will have the capability to adapt automatically to technical malfunctions through analytics and diagnostics.

These benefits will bring the entire mix of infrastructure, management and processes and even organisational dynamics in line with real-time business demands.

In order to benefit from managing on-demand computing, companies must go through a systematic, staged approach.

Firstly, companies need management within the enterprise. A system that has the ability to recognise - dynamically and automatically - what resources are being used to handle order processing, identify which resources are at capacity, scour the enterprise for resources - all in a matter of minutes.

Indeed, the first stage is managing computing like a utility within the enterprise. The goal is to dynamically pool computing resources to create a larger computing utility that encompasses all interaction within the enterprise.

Second, managing on-demand computing beyond the enterprise to create a community utility, in which companies can draw on computing capacity and power from a grid.

To achieve this, organisations must be able to deliver services in a heterogeneous and complex environment - brining together all the diverse technologies used by customers, suppliers and partners.

As we`ve clearly demonstrated, on-demand computing can be achieved largely through IT management, not extensive overhauls of IT infrastructure.

It`s not about switching out servers, it`s not about the latest generation hardware; it`s about using what you have more efficiently and effectively.