Software

6 Tips for Proper Application Monitoring

In today’s digital age, practically all businesses rely on at least one computer application to ensure smooth operations. It is important not only for the application to perform as it should, but to do so at all times; any issues encountered with said application has to be addressed immediately, or the business is likely to suffer some significant consequences. It is for this reason that most businesses these days have a person or a team in charge of constantly monitoring their applications. It is also for this reason that application monitoring solutions were created.

It may seem easy enough to keep an eye on a certain application and make sure it fulfills the functions for which it was made and to always be on top of potential issues involving that application, but in reality, monitoring an application and ensuring it is always in top condition is a bit more complicated than it seems. And no matter how advanced your monitoring tool is, it will only be as good as the person or team doing the monitoring.

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If you happen to be in charge of monitoring applications for your company, you definitely could make use of some very useful reminders as to what the best monitoring practices are. These best practices will help streamline the monitoring process for you and maximize the use of your monitoring solution.

Configure Your Software

Monitoring software have default settings, but these settings are simply an educated guess as regards what you may want the tool to do for you. You know the specific needs of your business, particularly where the monitoring of applications is concerned, so it only makes sense for you to tweak the settings of the monitoring software to suit your needs. Before you pay for a monitoring solution, therefore, you have to make sure it can be tweaked to your liking.

Rank Your Systems

If your company relies on more than one application, there is always a possibility that two or more of them will develop issues at the same time. You have to be ready to address the most pertinent issue first. To do away with having to make split-second decision as regards which problem to address first, it’s a good idea to rank your systems in order of importance relative to overall business operations, right at the outset.

Be Steadfast in Your Application Monitoring Process

A lot of monitoring teams assign only one person to oversee alerts and notifications. The problem with this setup is that it leaves no one in the post whenever the assigned person goes on break or on leave. This can derail the entire monitoring process. To prevent this from happening, it’s best to assign two or more individuals to each part of the monitoring process; that way, you ensure there isn’t a single point of failure that’ll cause problems for the whole process.

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Test and Improve

Of course, you can only truly streamline your monitoring process by testing the first process you set up, refining it, testing it further, and then improving it again until every member of the team is able to carry out his/her responsibilities intuitively. Run through each step in the monitoring process until it is perfectly honed and the people in charge are all well-practiced in responding to potential issues.

Monitor the Monitor

Your monitoring solution is basically just another tool, which means it also needs to be kept in excellent condition. You need to make sure you get the necessary alerts and notifications as you should, so you need to constantly test your monitoring tool to make sure it works properly at all times. This is why the effectiveness of the monitoring tool depends largely on how conscientious the team is in doing their job.

Use Vendor Support

If, despite all the precautions you’ve taken, something still goes wrong (as it often does), don’t hesitate to contact vendor support. After all, that’s part of what you paid for when you bought the tool. This also makes it necessary for you to understand what are included in the vendor contract before you pay for the tool so you can be sure you get all the support you need when the need arises. Additionally, you need to make sure every member of your team is aware of what steps they need to take to claim the support you’re entitled to.

Certain applications can indeed be quite difficult to manage and monitor, especially if you’re new to the world of application monitoring. But by applying the above best practices for monitoring applications, you can make the entire monitoring process a whole lot easier for you and your team. The more applications your company relies on for smooth operations, the more important it becomes to keep your applications in perfect condition and the more important your role is as the monitoring expert. Good luck!

by http://www.ca.com/

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