Not everyone has this capability and this is where BMC consulting (such as discovery and dependency mapping with BMC ADDM) comes into play. Through discovery and mapping coupled with business application modeling, users can track IT infrastructure dependencies, reduce a data center’s risk and simplify IT infrastructure management.

Armed with this important information, IT associates can employ BMC ADDM to manage:

• Data quality
• Change control
• Application availability
• Data center optimization
• Data center virtualization
• Data center standardization

The “ADDM” in BMC ADDM stands for BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping. With this powerful tool, a BMC consulting professional can quickly draw a precise map of a company’s IT infrastructure.

And the map is detailed. Companies can understand the dependencies between:

• Servers
• Applications
• Switches
• Software
• Operating systems
• Configuration files and logs

The map includes clear dashboards, change intelligence, and dependency graphs. The system can provide real-time reports to help trouble shoot and make key IT infrastructure decisions.

Information from a BMC consulting engagement can help companies apply business application modeling, which in turn helps IT departments develop a deep understanding of the application and the infrastructure around it, and then set the stage for real bottom-line benefits.

It’s vital to understand the structure, components, dependencies, and communications of the application. IT associates generally create “patterns” to recognize applications based on rules the IT associates define; the next step is to create a representation of these in a data store. Visualization is key—and a key to successful business application modeling.

Clients who leverage BMC consulting services to optimize BMC ADDM quickly realize significant IT infrastructure savings. Companies can remove outdated servers, reduce energy usage, decrease repair time, cut downtime, and enjoy fully automated audits. Companies no longer need to document IT infrastructure manually—saving precious IT man hours. Coupled with business application modeling, companies can also benefit from standardization, virtualization, and optimization of IT infrastructure. Internal and external customers also benefit from a significantly improved user experience.

BMC consulting can be time consuming if it’s not organized efficiently and without using the right approach—and tools. The goal of effective BMC consulting services is simple: Provide clients with maximum delivery speed augmented by full utilization of resources.

Want to take full advantage of business application modeling? Datatrend’s BMC consulting experts provide clients with a portfolio of BMC ADDM services and applications.

Business Application Modeling Benefits was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

To introduce IBM PureSystems, we thought it was a great idea to invite a guest blogger—Mark Hennessy who is General Manager, IBM Global Business Partners and Midmarket.

Introducing IBM PureSystems
Thanks for the introduction, Phil.  And thanks for the opportunity to speak directly to Datatrend’s readers.

The launch of PureSystems represents a big moment for IBM; but more importantly, it represents a turning point in the IT industry.

We live in a world of constant sharing and exchange of information. Today, consumers use smart phones for everything from shopping to sharing pictures to soliciting advice on buying a product or service — and they want all of these activities done in a matter of seconds. In other words, they want simplicity—and fast!

When you think about it — underneath the covers there is a complicated engine running that transfers pixels, and captures and analyzes information … but for the consumers it’s as simple as clicking a few buttons. It’s this level of simplicity being delivered in consumers’ lives today that is now being demanded by business clients all over the world.

As we speak of simplicity in business, I’m excited about the recent launch of IBM PureSystems, which has created a new computing category that breaks down the barriers and removes the IT headaches so executives can focus on their core business. This simplified approach to IT will help free up time and money for clients—so they can focus on innovation. Successful businesses will be the ones that can:

• Distill Science
• Package business expertise
• Provide intelligently processed and actionable information.

The packaging of business expertise becomes increasingly important as problems become even more complex. For example, retailers can now more economically and effectively detect repeatable consumer buying patterns as they prepare for high traffic seasonal events, or healthcare professionals can survey large populations and analyze the prevalence of a chronic disease and assess the success of treatment patterns.
Simplification has significantly collapsed the amount of time and cost it takes for organizations to reveal the key trends impacting a business – trends that might not have been seen otherwise. A major challenge facing companies worldwide is the need to spend 70 percent (or more) of their IT budgets on simple operations and maintenance – leaving little to invest in innovation. And, again, today’s companies need to be innovative because consumers have become so accustomed to easy-to-use and intuitive technologies in their personal lives that they expect the same level of simplicity in business.

It’s a key turning point in our industry. We must take the lessons learned from the consumer world and apply them to businesses—thus making technology more consumable for business success.

Simplicity: The New Norm in a Complicated IT World was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

Many of the world’s largest companies are combating this problem by installing a digital variation of the old “now serving customer number #45” system. Using that system, a customer would take a ticket with a number on it then wait for one of the attendants to call their number. Using the latest checkout lane systems, companies like Marshall’s organize their customers into a single line then call the next customer using a “call forward” system.

Through this electronic queuing system, agents can hail customers using a push-button wireless remote device. The system automatically calls the next customer forward using lighted signs, often accompanied by audio/voice prompts. The system:

• Increases customer satisfaction
• Decreases the time customers spend in a queue
• Increases the number of customers a checkout agent can process

In many cases, retailers are using their “call forward” signage systems to increase upsells and impulse buys. Signs can be configured to play videos and other “buy now” messages. Managers and associates can adjust signage messaging. Some systems can increase impulse buys by up to 400% and decrease perceived wait times up to 40%.

A properly designed and installed system can reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. It can also be designed to run independently of other systems.

A proper design includes the underlying structured cabling and network infrastructure to support an optimum electronic queuing system. For enterprises with many sites, such as a bank with several branches, or a department store with many locations, the implementation is really a multi-site rollout, so an installer with resources across geographies and project management expertise is vital for a successful result.

Datatrend can help ensure a successful implementation of electronic queuing systems in retail, transportation, banking, government and other environments, especially for multiple sites. To discover more about Datatrend’s electronic queuing systems solutions, call (800) 367-7472 or contact us here.

The Electronic Queuing Revolution was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

In the “home software” environment, most consumers expect to be able to use their software directly out of the box without any assistance. However, BMC software usually requires expertise to help companies make the most of the awesome power and capacity of this software. And while BMC has around 6,000 employees, the company does not provide experts who will be on-site 40 hours a week.

Many companies rely on staff augmentation to help them optimize the power and scope of their investment in BMC software.  Staff augmentation is also known as technical staff augmentation or IT staff augmentation and companies that utilize it typically enjoy the following benefits:

• In-house IT staff can focus on core tasks.
• Projects stay on schedule.
• Companies make the most of their investment in BMC software.
• Faster time to value.

Companies in the commercial and public sectors can enjoy the staff augmentation benefits listed above. Private sector companies that may gain the most from a more focused IT workflow include large financial institutions, telecom providers, and health care providers. Many state governments have also used staff augmentation to enhance the value of BMC software.

Datatrend provides staff augmentation services specific to BMC software for many of the world’s largest and most respected companies including retail, financial, and health care sectors. The goal of these services is to help clients optimize the value of their commitment to BMC products including:

• ADDM
• BladeLogic
• Atrium CMDB
• BPPM/PATROL
• Remedy ITSM

Through its network of software professionals and its recruitment office, Datatrend can also help with hard to find resource needs as they pertain to BMC software staff augmentation. Datatrend associates have a long track record of providing companies and agencies with the human capital they need to make the most of BMC software.

In addition to BMC staff augmentation, customers can take their investment in BMC technologies to the next level with business application modeling, which enables customers to derive the deeper benefits of improving application availability, managing change control, improving data quality, and being well positioned for cost-saving initiatives such as data center optimization, standardization, and virtualization.

Datatrend has multiple services available to help you make the most of your investment in BMC software. To discover more about Datatrend’s IT staff augmentation, business application modeling and more, call (800) 367-7472 or contact us here.

Making the Most of Your Investment in BMC Software with Staff Augmentation was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

At its most elemental, cloud computing involves migrating computer services off-site. For example, instead of using computer and IT resources in house, the company decides to use IT resources that another company provides. Cloud computing services can be broken down into three categories.

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
• Software as a Service (SaaS)

Infrastructure as a Service
With infrastructure as a service, a company outsources all the IT equipment. So instead of buying expensive hardware, a company pays to use a portion of an IT company’s storage, hardware, servers and networking components.

Platform as a Service
With platform as a service, a company can rent (over the Internet) a computing platform and/or solution stack which typically includes the operating system, a programming language execution environment, database, and web server, plus the network capacity. In some cases, the underlying storage and compute resources scale automatically to match application demand. PaaS is great for companies who want to rent virtualized servers and associated services to run existing applications or develop and test new ones. Think of PaaS sitting between the IaaS and SaaS layers.

Software as a Service
With software as a service, software applications are hosted by a separate vendor or service provider and supplied through the Internet. For example, a company can purchase a license to use software at its location or it can use the software through the Internet. Software as a service is proving increasingly popular with enterprise and home-based software.

It’s also important to understand two further categories: a private cloud and a public cloud. The former is a proprietary network or a data center that provides hosted services to a limited number of clients or customers. The latter provides services to anyone with an Internet connection—the general public. There are several combinations of public/private clouds (known as hybrid clouds).

To understand the cloud, think of a homeowner deciding if they want to maintain their yard themselves and buy all the equipment or hire a company to cut the grass and trim the hedges using the company’s equipment. Some homeowners prefer to handle all their yard maintenance while others are only too happy to outsource the work.

For businesses, the advantages of cloud computing include:

• Easy installation of new IT technology
• Freeing up of internal resources
• Lower IT costs
• Time savings
• Mobility

Possible disadvantages may include:

• Security—data leaves the company’s site
• Risk from a third-party data disaster
• A potential lack of flexibility.

For many companies, cloud computing provides significant benefits. However, it’s vital that a company find an IT provider with full cloud building capabilities. Working successfully and securely in the cloud requires a very specific set of skills. In the next part of this series, we’ll discuss what a successful cloud building team looks like.

To discover more about Datatrend’s cloud computing services, call (800) 367-7472 or contact us here.

Datatrend on Cloud Computing: Part 1 was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

To harness the power of today’s communication methods, it’s vital for a company to use Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC). UCC helps companies integrate and coordinate their communications into a single platform that’s customized to meet the company’s needs and geographic scope. UCC also helps companies communicate in real time so decisions can be made faster and with current data and information.

When communication is totally integrated, exchanging information becomes considerably easier. Employees and associates can communicate in real time, experts are instantly available, and information from clients and customers can also be integrated. This can lead to significantly improved service.

To make the most of UCC, many companies use the industry-leading IBM Sametime platform. Options are available based on whether a company needs video; with the latter, a company can benefit from access to Glowpoint’s Virtual Video Room, which is also built on the IBM Sametime platform. The video solution means that companies can benefit from video communication without a massive investment in video equipment.

A UCC system can be coordinated to satisfy a customer’s collaboration, network integration, IT, voice and data requirements. A UCC system can be designed and created so it’s significantly easier and faster for IT staff to configure, administer, and maintain the company’s communications infrastructure.

One company that’s benefiting from UCC, is Terna, an Italian company that operates high-voltage and very high-voltage electrical grids. Employees can now communicate in real time across all platforms and managers can make decisions based on accurate information. Travel costs have also decreased. The UCC system helps the people who work at the company to collaborate in real-time and ensure that the power grid distributes electricity properly every day.

UCC helps Terna meet supply demands, as well as plan and maintain the grid. The technology also helps the company meet its environmental goals and achieve maximum efficiency. Because the grid crisscrosses the country, many locations are remote; UCC helps Terna monitor remote company outposts and make key decisions without having to travel; employees in remote locations can also communicate more easily with employees in central locations. Additionally, UCC helps Terna improve data privacy and security by providing capabilities for authenticating, recording and tracking phone calls.

For companies that want to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of their communications, Unified Communications and Collaboration is a must. To discover more about the benefits and cost savings, visit our UCC page.

Unified Communications and Collaboration Means Faster and Clearer Communication—And Real-Time Benefits was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

Instead of having to purchase all the components of a solution, a company can purchase a complete system that includes everything they need to serve their users and customers. The typical integrated appliance solution includes servers, operating system, middleware, configuration, integration, testing, plus application software setup followed by deployment. International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that the adoption of integrated appliance solutions will increase in the near future because they address many of the key challenges facing IT organizations, as well as help customers improve availability, simplify management, and lower total cost of ownership.

Software providers don’t necessarily have the expertise or desire to find all of those hardware and services components for their clients. That’s when an integrated appliance solution partnership can efficiently, and profitably, fill the gap. Essentially, an enterprise like a software provider contracts with a systems provider/integrator and says, “we need to provide this service to our clients” or “we need to be able to provide that specialty application with customized hardware.” The integrator then designs and builds a system to meet whatever the specific need.

The benefits for the software providers and end-users include:

• Simple for customers to acquire and deploy
• Purpose built (with optimized hardware) for solution assurance
• Flexible and scaleable approach to solution selling and implementation
• Combines expertise from complementary providers (software app provider + hardware provider/integrator = best use of resources)
• Faster implementation = faster time to value
• Enhanced profitability and revenue potential for software providers and their customers alike

Integrated appliance solutions can make life significantly easier for the company’s IT personnel because they receive an entire “ready to go” system instead of having to select and purchase the different components—then assemble them all. The same can be said for software developers because these solutions offer readily-available platforms for their products to offer their customers.

There’s an easy comparison. Let’s say a photographer wants to buy a system with the requisite capabilities for their profession. They will likely purchase a laptop pre-loaded with the software so it’s ‘plug and play,’ easy-to-use right out of the box. The photographer is not going to buy an outer case, motherboard, screen, hard drive and other vital components, then assemble the computer – then individually purchase all the software. The photographer wants to be able to go to a computer store and purchase something ready for use.

Integrated appliance solutions provide the same ease of use for organizations in a variety of fields. You’ll find integrated appliance solutions in hospitals, VoIP systems, security systems, and many other applications – nearly anything one can imagine. The engineers build custom-made systems for clients based on whatever end result is desired. In the case of a hospital, the doctors want an imaging system to help them with fast and accurate diagnosis. The doctors and administrators are not concerned with choosing software, servers, and other components – they are experts at saving lives, not designing IT network infrastructure. One of the major benefits of integrated appliance solutions is a significant time saving by simplifying the design and software implementation phases so doctors can work more efficiently.

Software vendors can benefit because integrated appliance solutions can be designed around the needs of their clients and customers. This streamlines every business function on the back end and also makes service and customer support much easier on the front end. Customers and clients receive superior service because the system platform is designed around their needs—plus it includes the requisite components “right out of the box,” resulting in faster time to value after implementation.

With integrated appliance solutions, companies that provide software can focus on their core competencies without having to worry about their platform. They can also expand quickly, bring new applications to the market, focus on their clients and customers, reduce the complexity of their systems, and look for ways to increase revenue and profit. While companies of all sizes and in all business categories can benefit from integrated appliance solutions, software companies and Integrated appliance solutions are an especially good match.

Are you a software provider whose customers can benefit from a workload optimized platform for your software solution? Contact Datatrend to learn more about our integrated appliance solution partnership opportunities.

Why Integrated Appliance Solutions Are A Good Match for Software Vendors was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

Keeping up with the complexity of a network can be extremely challenging, and it’s even more challenging when the system goes down. What’s causing the problem? Where is the problem? How can the problem be fixed quickly?

One of the core responsibilities of an IT department is to map the company’s server configuration throughout the entire network. The map must be constantly updated. In the past, this created a significant amount of work for several IT professionals. That’s because they would have to configure server information manually and they would have to perform this work regularly. Let’s say a company had more than 100 machines; this would require manually checking each machine and thus eat up valuable IT man hours extremely quickly.

Thankfully, automatic server discovery makes the process significantly easier. Using specific tools, the company that’s providing server discovery services sends messages to available license servers. The servers respond with information about server location and configuration. This makes what used to be a labor intensive process much faster and easier. With the increasing complexity and scope of networks, network mapping is even more important.

One problem that emerges in large networks is fragility. Sometimes, a malfunction in a server or a simple network connection can crash even a relatively small system. Finding this malfunction or bad connection can take hours if the company does not have an accurate map of their systems.

However, with an accurate map, the IT team can quickly locate a problem. The map also helps a company fully understand its IT infrastructure so it can make important decisions that will improve internal efficiency and customer/client service. Again—it’s vital to identify the dependencies of each server and connection between every application, switch, operating system and configuration. Automatic server discovery makes this a reality.

If a company does not have the internal technology or expertise to run its own automatic server discovery, it can hire an IT company that specializes in the service. Through automatic server discovery and related services, a company can repair or replace bad servers, create accurate reports, install a dashboard to track system metrics, and handle emergencies quickly.

Automatic Server Discovery – A Powerful Network Troubleshooting Tool was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

1. Budget – The fastest way to fail at a digital signage project is to under-budget and over-expect.  Your budget should be commensurate with the desired project outcome.  Often the desired result involves more robust hardware and software technologies.  In addition, it’s important to budget for maintenance based on the life expectancy of equipment, such as replacement monitors, etc.
2. Technology – Failure to identify your digital signage needs/expectations up front can limit your capability later.  Many companies assume that digital signage is simply an extension of static signage.  This misconception not only impacts the budget, but also growth as the DOOH medium expands to offer great user interactivity and social technologies. Acquiring an upfront needs assessment and working with a provider that is keenly aware of trends in digital signage technology can go a long way towards optimizing your investment.
3. Installation – A landmine of failure potential, installation covers a lot of digital signage ground from backend wiring and hardware to software and display location.  Digital signage systems can be as simple as a single computer feeding multiple monitors, each displaying the same information, or as complex as multiple unique messages fed to each display based on location.  Your digital signage system requirements will drive the selection of signage control software as well as hardware installation, including cabling requirements (coax vs. CAT-5) and video distribution technologies e.g., VGA, HDMI, or DVI.  And remember: Not all digital signage software and hardware is compatible.  Your provider can help determine the right combination.
4. Security – Ignorance of your network and its security protocols is a common cause of failure in digital signage deployments.  Work with your service provider to understand software application requirements such as the need for designated ports, use of browsers and getting around firewalls.  Project planning and implementation should include technicians who are most familiar with your network and its security policies.
5. People – Failure to involve the people who will work with and benefit from the system is another significant potential for failure.  Let’s face it, you’re implementing digital signage for a business benefit and expect a return on that investment.  Beyond the initial budgetary approval phase and the folks who control the monetary side of the project, there’s the technical team including IT and AV.  Based on our experience, working with a team that represents partners, stakeholders and customers early in the project helps ensure a successful implementation and reduce total cost of ownership.

These represent some of the most common considerations when planning for a successful digital signage implementation. So whether you’re operating your own digital signage server or using hosted, software as a system (SaaS) solution, talk to a Datatrend expert and learn how you can benefit from the rapidly growing trend in digital signage.

5 Ways to Fail at Digital Signage was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it

We’ve worked with a number of retailers and their most pressing concern is downtime.  They simply cannot afford lost business as a result of a shutdown during transition.  So careful site planning enabled us to transition to the upgraded network in a live retail environment.   However, even in new construction, thorough upfront site planning goes a long way toward optimizing the user experience and potential for expansion, particularly in wireless networks.

Network Cabling Helps Comply with PCI DSS

Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) provides guidance for wireless access point authentication and encryption; however, the network cabling installation, which forms the backbone of your wireless network, contributes to the security of the wireless network.  In some retail network configurations, for example, WPA or WPA2 encryption still relies on Ethernet to connect the wireless access point to the wired backbone.  Use of optical fiber cabling can provide added data transmission security than typical twisted pair wiring.

Avoid Common Retail Network Cabling Obstacles

When you consider the numerous retail configurations from restaurants to grocery stores to consumer products, the potential for obstacle and electromagnetic interference is great.  In the case of wireless table-top kiosks, network cabling installation must take into account the size of the wireless network and the distance from the wiring closet to the wireless access point(s).  If the distance is greater than approximately 300 feet, consider using Cat 5 twisted pair cabling.

When it comes to electromagnetic interference in a retail environment, items such as RFID scanners for retail anti-theft devices or large metal displays and shelving can pose a threat to data communications in your wireless network.  In addition to hardware adjustments, such as changing wireless signal type or frequency, consider cabling changes that can also minimize interference.  Individually shielded twisted pairs, found in Cat 7 network cabling, can improve performance in retail areas prone to high electromagnetic interference.

These are just a few network cabling considerations when planning your retail wireless network. Schedule a network cabling consultation and learn how Datatrend’s retail network services experience can enhance your online or self-service capabilities.

Network Cabling Installation Helps Retailers Optimize Wireless Performance was posted at Optimize IT. | http://www.datatrend.com/optimize-it