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Information is Power, But Only If ...

Robin Lyon

IT has access to an amazing amount of data. Often we collect hundreds of data points on one server such as individual processor load, thread state, disk throughput both in and out etc. We then store this in a bin and use this to create a metric called something similar to server performance. When it comes time to provide reports (weekly, monthly and so on) IT then assigns some poor person the job of collating this information. This is usually done by running a report and importing it into a spread sheet and then combining various servers and metrics into some grouping and calling it an application. Then some numbers are calculated and saved in the spreadsheet to create a performance over time graph. The same is done with database numbers, application performance, network statistics etc. This process is then repeated by levels of management combining more numbers into a single number to represent service performance to allow reporting to more senior levels of management.

Given that IT is all about automating processes, this has struck me as somewhat backwards.

Data Management and IT – Operational Intelligence

IT by and large is staffed by realists – the type that don’t respond well to marketing, want solutions and have little time for repetition.

A second reality is that IT is a fledgling science. While it has a century under its’ belt, it has not developed some niceties like the common taxonomy of biology; every company creates its own rankings and groupings of IT functions. Quite often a great deal of resources are used in creating the custom taxonomy.

To add to the frustration of IT managers everywhere, different off the shelf applications also present data in the taxonomy that is coded specific to that application. It becomes more and more difficult to extract and combine data in a meaningful way.

An IT user friendly application should allow its user base to create rules for the grouping of data for reports. By allowing atomic bits of data, such as unused server capacity for a select group of servers, it now can report on the unused server capacity for an application. Using this application data as a new data point, the well-designed application will allow another ad hoc grouping to provide information on an over-all service.

This process of using groups to create other groups goes on as needed until the application is configured to match the taxonomy the company has designed. Instead of complex calculations each month, a one-time setup is created and automation is achieved.

By allowing different data elements to be members of more than one group, we can avoid a second common pitfall such as the question of factoring the time of DNS queries or a multi-application database server.

IT needs to save time, and its internal applications need to accept the reality of reporting against an ever changing data set that is custom to each company that uses it.

Robin Lyon is Director of Analytics at AppEnsure.

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In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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Information is Power, But Only If ...

Robin Lyon

IT has access to an amazing amount of data. Often we collect hundreds of data points on one server such as individual processor load, thread state, disk throughput both in and out etc. We then store this in a bin and use this to create a metric called something similar to server performance. When it comes time to provide reports (weekly, monthly and so on) IT then assigns some poor person the job of collating this information. This is usually done by running a report and importing it into a spread sheet and then combining various servers and metrics into some grouping and calling it an application. Then some numbers are calculated and saved in the spreadsheet to create a performance over time graph. The same is done with database numbers, application performance, network statistics etc. This process is then repeated by levels of management combining more numbers into a single number to represent service performance to allow reporting to more senior levels of management.

Given that IT is all about automating processes, this has struck me as somewhat backwards.

Data Management and IT – Operational Intelligence

IT by and large is staffed by realists – the type that don’t respond well to marketing, want solutions and have little time for repetition.

A second reality is that IT is a fledgling science. While it has a century under its’ belt, it has not developed some niceties like the common taxonomy of biology; every company creates its own rankings and groupings of IT functions. Quite often a great deal of resources are used in creating the custom taxonomy.

To add to the frustration of IT managers everywhere, different off the shelf applications also present data in the taxonomy that is coded specific to that application. It becomes more and more difficult to extract and combine data in a meaningful way.

An IT user friendly application should allow its user base to create rules for the grouping of data for reports. By allowing atomic bits of data, such as unused server capacity for a select group of servers, it now can report on the unused server capacity for an application. Using this application data as a new data point, the well-designed application will allow another ad hoc grouping to provide information on an over-all service.

This process of using groups to create other groups goes on as needed until the application is configured to match the taxonomy the company has designed. Instead of complex calculations each month, a one-time setup is created and automation is achieved.

By allowing different data elements to be members of more than one group, we can avoid a second common pitfall such as the question of factoring the time of DNS queries or a multi-application database server.

IT needs to save time, and its internal applications need to accept the reality of reporting against an ever changing data set that is custom to each company that uses it.

Robin Lyon is Director of Analytics at AppEnsure.

Hot Topics

The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...