Finding the right solution for system performance problems
by Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 7/1/2005 6:00:00 AM
Anyone who works on a computer has experienced the frustration of having an application respond slowly—or freeze altogether—just when they need a crucial piece of information. But most would be surprised to learn that poor application performance costs U.S.-based companies roughly $27 billion per year.
That number comes from a study conducted by Butler Group, a European IT analyst firm. The study was done for Wily Technologies, a U.S.-based company that claims to have a novel approach for solving the problem of application performance—at least for Java-based applications.
A number of companies offer tools for managing applications, and their varied approaches can make it difficult for IT executives to choose the right solution.
Some approaches are network-centered. "Rather than look at symptoms such as poor response times, you need to look for causes: 'chatty' applications, latency, and packet loss that impede efficient application data transfer," argues Adam Davison, an executive with Expand Networks. Using Expand Networks' approach, British automotive component manufacturer Precision Disc Castings, Dorset, U.K., has seen 10-second to 20-second response times and application "freeze-ups" almost completely eradicated, says Ray Courtney, the company's head of networking.
Other approaches aim to improve application performance by fine-tuning applications while they are still in development. Dow Chemical, Midland, Mich., employs tools from Mercury Interactive to test applications before they are rolled out to determine whether they meet agreed-upon service levels, explains global director of information systems Art Eberhart. The objective, he says, is to make sure "IT and business units are aligned around the same quality-centric goals."
A major problem with application management software is it soaks up resources, which can add to performance problems. In fact, system overhead of 15 percent to 20 percent has traditionally led companies to employ application management techniques during development and testing, but not in production environments, points out Matt Price, director of marketing and alliances at Wily Technologies.
Price claims Wily has reduced overhead to as little as 2 percent by employing a patented technology it calls Byte Code Instrumentation, which allows Wily's application performance management product to interact with applications while they are being compiled and interpreted on a Java Virtual Machine. Early interaction translates to earlier problem detection and a reduction in the processing power needed to monitor and analyze application performance.
The result, Price says, is fewer application hiccups, and less time spent tracking the root causes of performance problems. "Typically, what consumes IT department resources isn't fixing problems," Price concludes, "but trying to find out what causes them."
Other business performance management vendors not listed in the Global 100
| E2Open | e2open.com | Multicompany process management |
| Fuego | fuego.com | Business process management solutions |
| Ingenuus | ingenuus.com | Business process automation |
| NexPrise | nexprise.com | Document management, program management, process automation |
| Optio Software | optiosoftware.com | Document automation solutions |
| Promodel | promodel.com | Business process optimization & decision support |
| Silvon Software | silvon.com | Analytic applications for business performance management |
| Steelwedge Software | steelwedge.com | Enterprise planning and performance management |
| Symphony RPM | symphonyrpm.com | Real-time enterprise performance management |
