Self-healing systems are the lifeline of your company. A holistic in-depth understanding of your business, its workflows, processes, and the drivers of revenue are needed to realize the benefits of self-healing systems. The basic premise is standardization, which is achieved through building this six-point framework.
1. Policies - Clearly defined policies should link your business and technological arms. It includes written agreements, and provides a flow for standardization of business procedures.
2. Asset Inventory - Asset inventory is determining the value of each technological component your business has in place, as it relates to the bottom line. The goal is to meet the full requirements of your drivers to optimize the assets of your business.
All assets are not created equal. One asset may only contribute 5 percent towards revenue, whereas another may have the capability to contribute 85 percent if utilized correctly. Analysis of each asset allows management to increase profitability and improve efficiency.
3. Application Inventory - Application inventory takes a detailed view at all the available functions of each application. This step involves communication between the IT department and business managers on the full capability of each function used by your company.
Many business managers are not adept in the full functionality of each application. By taking inventory and reviewing the assets and applications, business drivers have a better understanding of the interconnectedness between applications.
4. Correlate Business Requirements With Available/Implemented Technology - By initiating communication between the IT department and the leadership team, your company has the capability to capitalize and maximize the technological tools already in use.
If you take a holistic view of the drivers needed to perform at full capacity, a discussion can be initiated on what additional technology is needed to keep your business operational in the event of a catastrophic event -- whether it be forces of nature or a malware attack. This holistic approach makes your company more efficient and increases productivity. It also protects the reputation of your company because customers are not forced to endure a disruption in services.
5. Application Profile - An application profile allows users to obtain a standard of predicative outflows from entered data. These profiles are used as a tool to provide a benchmark for the final step.
6. Defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - KPIs are necessary for setting benchmarks for success. When information technology is maximized, it provides a strategic advantage to companies that integrate it into their daily operations. Understanding the outputs allows your management team to isolate problem areas and make the needed adjustments.
Executing the six-point life cycle above will result in a streamlined approach with predictable output based on the collected data. This can be integrated into an existing environment where the current data is collected without context on how to implement it into the business workflow.
Patrick Duroseau is the Director of Systems and Infrastructure for CohnReznick, LLP, and has over 20 years of technical and managerial experience as both an entrepreneur and consultant. Download his whitepaper on optimizing application infrastructure delivery at PatrickDuroseau.com.