Business needs more than reliable infrastructure

Zatni Arbi ,  Contributor ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 04/14/2008 11:52 AM

"Do you know that HP makes software?" That was the question that Jonathan Tan, software director, HP Indonesia, asked me during a lunch recently in Jakarta.

That was a fair question. Most people know Hewlett-Packard for its laser and ink-jet printers and, of course, scanners. A lot of people are also familiar with HP -- and Compaq -- lines of desktop and notebook PCs. Who would think that the company also developed software?

I answered triumphantly, "Well, at least I've heard of OpenView." And we both laughed. OpenView was a set of software tools introduced in the mid 1990s. What it did was to ensure that all infrastructure elements were working well together. That was when network managers still had to deal with different standards and managing all the network resources was still a nightmare.

OpenView is still widely in use today. However, according to Paul Schroeter, HP Software's solution marketing manager for Asia Pacific and Japan, what is needed now is a set of software tools to ensure that IT contribute to the business.

It reminds me of my own experience. If God allows, I'll be traveling with my wife to London on Singapore Airlines at the end of this month. We are paying for her ticket using the KrisFlyer mileage points that I have accumulated throughout the years. We booked the ticket, even requested the seats online. It was quite an eye-opening experience for me. And, of course, Singapore Airlines would not be as great as it is now if it didn't have equally great online services.

But what if the network suddenly went down when I was trying to get the best seats on the aircraft? What would I think of the airline's online service? Wouldn't it reflect the service that we'd get during the flight?

Or, what if you pay your bills using your bank's Internet banking services and the facility goes down just with the due date on your credit card bill just a couple of minutes away? Wouldn't it be very frustrating? Would you consider moving to another bank known for its reliable online banking services? You probably would, especially if you have often experienced this problem with your existing bank.

Undoubtedly, businesses need IT to operate and grow. While some companies still use computers as glorified typewriters or as a tool to manage their cash flow and produce reports, in large enterprises such as banking and financial services, businesses can no longer rely solely on their infrastructure, but also on the services that their IT provides.

As HP provides a good part of the infrastructure components, particularly the servers, it is not surprising at all that HP has seriously gone into Business Services Management (BSM) through its HP Software unit. BSM was the topic being discussed during the lunch, which was also attended by reporters from two business newspapers.

It was an interesting topic. Often, people don't have any idea of the risk of IT downtime for their business, because they have never done a business impact analysis. And when a customer calls them complaining that he has been unable to use the online services, they may not even care. Doesn't this remind you of what our utility companies are known for?

Traditionally, OpenView managed the servers, the network devices and the storage devices. The new generation of software has gone up to the higher levels and now manages the applications, operating systems and databases. Today, it is important to monitor how the system works to improve business.

Today, for example, a company wants to be notified if a problem has occurred in the services provided by their IT. They want to know what has gone wrong, what has to be done and how long it will take until the system is up again.

This can be done, for example, with a scripted simulation that will constantly monitor the entire system and alerts the company if it experiences a hiccup. And the company wants to have all this information earlier than their customers, so when the customers call they will have the answer. They no longer have to wait for inquiries from their customers before taking action.

"Oh, our network is down? We were not aware of it. Let me check and call you back," Paul said, mimicking the response of a call-center operator at a company that fails to have the information already on hand.

The lunch interview was a side event of HP's introduction of four new products in its Business Software Management portfolio. These were HP Network Management Center 8.0, HP Operations Center 8.0, HP Business Availability Center 7.0 and HP Universal CMDB 7.0 -- CMDB stands for Configuration Management Database.

HP is definitely not the only game in town. Other companies have also entered the same area, including, to an increasing degree, Microsoft. This means that it should be easier for companies to provide their customers with excellent service.

How we wish that monopolistic enterprises such as our state-owned electricity company could provide us with world-class electricity supply now that their business management job has become so much easier with these new tools.

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