Optimizing ITIL Best Practices with Mercury BTO. A White Paper Prepared for Mercury December 2005

Transcription

1 A White Paper Prepared for Mercury December 2005

2 Table of Contents Best Practices for IT: ITIL Market Trends...1 The Need for Best Practices...1 Technology Complexity Services vs. Silos...1 ITIL: The Leading Best Practice Reference for Services...2 ITIL Service Support and Service Delivery Backgrounder...2 Managing Services from a Customer-Business Perspective...4 Customer-Business Focus vs. User/Service-Desk Focus...4 Mercury Business Technology Optimization (BTO)...4 Mapping Mercury BTO to ITIL Best Practices...4 Key ITSM Capabilities...5 Incident Management (Service Desk)...5 Change Management...5 Configuration Management...6 Release Management...6 Problem Management...6 Availability Management...6 Service Level Management...7 ITSM Accelerator...7 IT Governance...7 Customizable Workflow Engine and Process Digitization...8 Managing the IT Portfolio...8 EMA Viewpoint...8 About Mercury...8

3 Best Practices for IT: ITIL Market Trends Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices have gained momentum among corporations seeking to advance Information Technology (IT) effectiveness and bottom line efficiencies. Compelling drivers for ITIL adoption include business and economic pressures incited by demand for high availability and performance of complex technology systems, financial accountability, and regulatory compliance. Such pressures necessitate that companies find efficient, repeatable ways of managing IT functions and controlling the flow of data through an organization. In complex environments, where inefficiency can mean chaos, it becomes even more critical that companies be able to integrate, track, and align IT with business requirements essentially, link IT to business performance. As software vendors expand their offerings to address multiple areas of ITIL, implementers can consider integrated solutions that address many if not all of the ITIL recommendations. Mercury, long known for its application management and testing software, offers a range of products that support ITIL best practices. Mercury s Business Technology Optimization (BTO) solution set in particular focuses on automating ITIL best practices in the support and delivery of IT services. In its latest release, BTO expands Change Management and Service Level Management (SLM) capabilities, integrates workflow capabilities, incorporates dashboards from Mercury s Business Availability Center (BAC), and includes an updated IT Governance (ITG) framework. Mercury ITG facilitates accountability and compliance efforts while incorporating SLM best practices. Drawing on Mercury s array of products such as BAC, ITG, and Mercury Application Management BTO maps to ITIL disciplines and enables users to tailor ITIL processes to meet particular business requirements. The Need for Best Practices The increasing demand for best practices corresponds to companies requirements to be more competitive while also holding down costs. IT solutions can be differentiators in terms of operational value such as efficiency and customer service, and strategic in delivery of new business requirements. Tactical value comes from making a decision to do something (such as update the configuration database to reflect changes); strategic value derives from acting on the driver behind the decision (for example, the need to consolidate data centers or to deploy a new application to meet new business requirements). By infusing discipline, order, and foresight into IT projects, best practices increase efficiency and ultimately competitiveness. Historically IT departments were self-directed and not viewed as contributors to the bottom line. Today, best practices help IT groups focus on meeting corporate objectives. By linking business drivers to IT objectives, companies can better assess the business value of IT investments. As a result, where IT used to be viewed as a costly albeit necessary investment, companies are beginning to view IT as a strategic player in the enterprise. In part, this thinking also is due to the demand for 24x7 availability and performance, the prominence of highprofile initiatives in security and compliance, and the fact that IT is driving new sources of revenue. As IT becomes more visible as a contributor to strategic business goals, the need to justify technology investments grows and the need for best practices becomes greater. IT investments have never been cheap, and costs are sometimes aggravated by poorly defined deliverables and unsound business practices. Without clearly defined goals and a repeatable process in place to assess and report on IT performance levels, IT managers often are challenged to build a business case that demonstrates how IT investments will contribute to the bottom line. It is difficult for companies to garner support from executives and lines of business or to justify labor and delivery costs when they are unable to ascertain Return On Investment (ROI). With best practices in place, companies are better positioned to apply rational thinking and metrics when assessing ROI and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of IT investments. Additionally, they are better positioned to meet IT governance expectations. Best practices take on strategic significance as companies recognize the value that these disciplines contribute to the overall landscape of IT Service Management (ITSM). Technology Complexity Services vs. Silos With multiple global locations and lines of business, it is no wonder that technology often is divided into silos of infrastructure. Companies develop and maintain systems and applications according to IT group or Line Of Business (LOB) rather than according to

4 business process or service resulting in a hodgepodge of packaged, custom and legacy applications. With their intrinsically narrow views of the enterprise, silos add to the complexity of managing enterprise applications and create a number of management problems. The lack of visibility across the enterprise hinders the ability to measure service levels and the business impact of problems, obstructs managing availability and performance, and limits the ability to isolate and resolve problems. Since each LOB addresses similar management concerns often in different ways management efforts are duplicated, economies of scale are lost, and any prospect of a big picture view of the business is negated by the lack of information sharing. ITIL best practices recommend using a collaborative approach to IT management that supports a businessprocess, service-oriented view of IT. In this approach, IT seeks broad views of the underlying systems that support the company s business processes with the goal of ensuring that IT meets the needs of the business. Service Support disciplines comprising Change Management, Configuration Management, and Release Management help companies see the intricacies of multiple systems and the effect of change across the enterprise. On the Service Delivery side of ITIL, Service Level Management adds business perspective to the delivery of IT Services, and focuses on satisfying end-users and customers while creating accountability for IT. Even though silos will continue to exist, the SLM overlay applies a business perspective that helps companies be more efficient in measuring, monitoring, adjusting, and controlling systems to meet business goals. A full system view enhances root-cause diagnostics, helping IT to isolate and resolve problems, and minimizing downtime while increasing productivity among IT users and business staff. Greater visibility helps companies assess IT performance in terms of supporting business goals. ITIL: The Leading Best Practice Reference for Services The ITIL process framework is a guiding methodology for planning, delivering and supporting IT applications and services. ITIL is not prescriptive it does not dictate how to achieve best practices. Rather, ITIL is an overall guideline that users can refer to in order to define and refine specific IT processes that address their particular needs. In addition to its focus on ITSM processes, ITIL offers guidance on best practices for developing manageable applications, implementing security procedures, managing projects, and managing IT infrastructure. ITIL helps companies ensure that they automate efficient processes in the context of best practices to increase competitiveness. ITIL has already figured out how to deliver services in a cost-effective and efficient manner. With its best practices, companies can streamline development and maintenance efforts, improving TCO while helping to ensure that IT deliverables represent business goals. In addition to the demand for 24x7 availability, quality performance, financial accountability, and regulatory compliance, companies face increased competition and, along with it, the need to satisfy customers. Applying best practices to tactical and operational processes in IT Service Management helps companies to manage these issues while differentiating themselves as service-driven organizations. Adherence to regulatory requirements such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) requires companies to exert tight control over information flow. Effective control of the Change Management process is essential to compliance. SOX mandates that companies manage the information stream through the organization with the ultimate goal of ensuring accurate financial reporting. Satisfying compliance regulations such as SOX poses a tremendous expense in terms of time and money. Infusing planning and discipline into the IT management processes helps companies streamline compliance efforts and avoid the chaos of ad hoc approaches. ITIL Service Support and Service Delivery Backgrounder ITIL emphasizes best practices in IT Service Management (ITSM), which encompasses Service Delivery and Service Support disciplines. ITIL s Service Delivery component includes tactical processes necessary for planning and delivering quality IT services. Service Delivery best practices address Availability Management, Capacity Management, Service Level Management (SLM), Service Continuity Management (contingency planning), and Financial Management for IT services. ITIL s Service Support component focuses on the operational processes that enable companies to provide IT support and maintenance activities on a day-to-day, around-theclock basis. Service Support disciplines include Change Management, Configuration Management, Problem Management, Incident Management (Service Desk), and Release Management (including software control and

5 distribution)). Table 1 summarizes the functionality and goals associated with each Service Delivery and Service Support component. One item that deserves further emphasis is the Configuration Management DataBase (CMDB). Tightly integrated with all the ITIL processes, the CMDB helps to ensure quality reporting and consistent information tracking. The ITIL goal of Configuration Management is Service Delivery Components Availability management Capacity management Service level management (SLM) Service continuity management (contingency planning) Financial management for IT services Service Support Components Change management Configuration management/configuration Management Database (CMDB) Release Management (including software control and distribution) Problem management Incident management (supported by the Service Desk function) to keep records of all IT data and to provide information to the other processes. Critical steps are the population of the CMDB and building the relationship between all the populated elements. The captured data can be for decision support, for change impact analysis, Release Management verification, identifying rogue changes, and any number of other information processing and analysis purposes. The CMDB is a key component of the Change-Configuration-Release Management processes. Tactical processes Measure and assess the availability of IT services defined in Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Monitor performance, workload, resources, demand, and other processes to determine IT service needs and ensure efficient IT delivery. Identify, monitor and review IT service levels, and assess service quality and status of Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Perform risk analysis and develop disaster recovery and business continuity plans, designed to recover IT infrastructure and resume IT service delivery in case of business disruption. Assess Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to ensure effective acquisition of IT infrastructure and provisioning of IT services. Operational processes Ensure prompt, efficient change while minimizing the impact of change-related incidents on service quality. Closely linked to Configuration Management and Release Management. Identify IT components (configuration items) for inclusion in the CMDB. Implement the CMDB to manage, control, maintain, track, and verify information on IT services and assets (including hardware, software, documentation, and staff). Manage the distribution and implementation of software configuration items in a production environment. Identify and resolve IT problems, and take steps to prevent recurrence of disruption to IT services. Incident Management s goal is to restore normal service as quickly as possible to minimize business impact and ensure best service levels. ITIL s best practices for Service Desk recommend a single point of contact for users of ITSM functions. Figure 1: IT Service Management Disciplines: Service Delivery and Service Support

6 Managing Services from a Customer- Business Perspective ITIL is not just about adopting best practice processes, but executing IT and business processes in the context of achieving business goals. Using ITIL as a guideline, common ITSM goals include: Providing and managing IT services that are appropriate to an organization s business needs, thus aligning IT capabilities to the needs of the business. Developing, delivering and maintaining repeatable processes that serve business needs, and also can be modified and improved upon as business needs and technology capabilities evolve. Improving IT efficiency to reduce operational costs. Improving quality of service in terms of application quality, performance, and availability. Implementing and managing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in a cost-effective manner. Another key goal, tied to the Change Management process, is to minimize the business impact of changes so there are as few incidents as possible. Customer-Business Focus vs. User/Service-Desk Focus A key trend in ITIL best practices is to embrace a customer-business perspective with the idea of better aligning technology to business needs. Managing services from a customer-business perspective requires viewing all users as customers, and focusing on the business impact of IT service and performance changes. For every change to application function, process or deliverable, companies must assess the effect in terms of overall system performance, functionality, and Service Level Agreement. Business-IT alignment requires effective Service Level Management, Change Management, and related processes such as Availability Management, Configuration Management, and Release Management. Customer-business focused service management contrasts with a common approach in which the IT Service Desk is central to managing IT activities. The Service Desk approach is more focused on measuring system availability, responding to user requests, maintaining system integrity, and ensuring system uptime. The Service Desk is not necessarily concerned with the effect of change on business services or business alignment. The customer-business focus is a broader approach as it encompasses the effect of change on both end users and customers. The adoption of best practices combined with strategic initiatives in Change Management and SLM helps companies realize the IT-business link. Managing from a customer perspective means being sensitive to the business needs of the customer the LOB Manager, VP of sales, the CIO, the external customer. Developing and maintaining efficient services improves quality of service and operational costs, and supports the goal of aligning IT services with business requirements. Measuring component or system availability may or may not relate to the user experience. Measuring the end-user experience allows IT to report back to customers what the business has achieved in terms of meeting SLAs. Mercury Business Technology Optimization (BTO) Mercury BTO supports a customer-business perspective aiding strategic decisions by performing enterprise-wide risk analysis and business impact analysis, measuring the effect of change, and summarizing the effects in easily understood graphical reports. Mercury s capabilities have been developed over the years, and expanded through acquisition (such as Appilog, acquired for its application mapping technology, Kintana for IT Governance capabilities, and SiteScope, for infrastructure monitoring). Mercury partners with third parties to enhance functionality in some of the ITIL disciplines, such as Capacity Management, Financial Management, and IT Service Continuity Management. Mercury s strategy is to continue to advance its functional scope through internal development and integration with best-in-class offerings. The Mercury BTO Lifecycle is illustrated in Figure 2. Mapping Mercury BTO to ITIL Best Practices With the goal of ensuring enforceable and repeatable IT processes, Mercury BTO solutions map to the key ITIL processes for ITSM. On the Service Delivery side, Mercury BTO automates processes in SLM and Availability Management. On the Service Support side, Mercury

7 data feed, and can be used to show the effect of IT expenditure on business objectives. Figure 2: Mercury s BTO Lifecycle BTO enables best practices in Change Management, Configuration Management, Release Management, and Problem Management. Mercury enables companies to encode processes and create executable workflows based on custom business processes, a capability it calls process digitization. Mercury has leveraged this core capability to provide out-of-the-box workflows for the key ITSM processes, which provides the process fabric to automate and enforce repeatable ITIL processes. The Mercury Application Mapping functionality enables BTO users to automatically discover the IT environment and to see dependencies between applications and infrastructure. Such visibility helps in measuring business availability. Mapping enables companies to access the CMDB to ascertain configuration items and dependencies. Mapping supports related Configuration and Change Management processes, such as change impact analysis and monitoring. Mapping is also the beginning phase of defining services in an automated way. Mercury BTO optimizes application quality, performance, and availability across the application lifecycle by embedding ITIL best practice recommendations for Service Delivery and support, application management, and business perspective. Optimization helps companies avoid automating inefficient business processes, and allows companies greater visibility and control of service levels, promotes higher quality deliverables, greater IT efficiency, and reduced costs. With expanded capabilities in Change Management and SLM, BTO provides the control needed to manage compliance and workflow activities. BTO s SLM capability works with any kind of Key ITSM Capabilities Mercury BTO provides a range of applications that facilitates deployment of ITIL best practices. Several BTO functions draw on Mercury Business Availability Center (BAC) to manage services from a business perspective. BAC offers role-appropriate dashboard views of enterprise-wide services. Using BAC helps different groups to view service levels according to their own needs, and to manage IT from a business perspective. BAC provides an enterprise-view of IT services and supports functionality across BTO, including transaction and infrastructure monitoring capabilities, application mapping, diagnostics, and Service Level Management. Mercury s Configuration Management database is at the heart of Mercury s applications. A listing of Mercury solutions that enable the following processes is given at the end of this document. Incident Management (Service Desk) Mercury supports Incident Management through its ITG Demand Management application. Incidents can be managed using the flexible Demand Management platform that allows users to create and modify forms. These forms can be designed to collect incident information and service requests that comes into the Service Desk. Incident tickets can also be generated automatically from information from the SLM module or other infrastructure management solutions. A key part of this capability is that the forms are connected to the workflow engine which can be used to implement notification and escalation procedures as well as spawn problem and change requests. To jumpstart this process implementation, Mercury s ITSM Accelerator package (discussed further below) includes predefined forms, workflows, portlets, and KPI metrics that serve as a starting point and can be modified to meet specific user requirements. Change Management Mercury BTO Change Management supports the key ITIL goal for Change Management, which is to ensure that changes to the IT infrastructure cause no disruption to services and are documented appropriately. The

8 Change Management process involves a series of steps to initiate change, assess the risk and potential impact on the business, approve the change through a predetermined process, implement the change, then review the effect of the change. BTO Change Management helps ensure a quality procedure by providing change impact analysis and monitoring, and enforcing a repeatable workflow composed of the change notification, review and approval process. The automated workflow helps to minimize risk and downtime, and improve service levels. BTO Change Management is tightly linked to release and Configuration Management processes as well as the Universal CMDB. Figure 3: Mercury Change Management Workflow Configuration Management The ITIL goal for Configuration Management is to identify and record all IT infrastructure components, and to share data with other processes. The benefit is efficient and effective control of IT services and infrastructure. Mercury BTO Configuration Management dynamically discovers application and service relationships, detects changes in services and configuration items, and updates the CMDB accordingly. In support of Change Management, BTO Configuration Management goes through the steps of auditing, reporting, and updating the CMDB, establishing a baseline, and verifying changes against the CMDB and a software library. In conjunction with Mercury s Application Mapping solution, BTO Configuration Management includes discovering and mapping configuration items and dependencies, and recording them in the CMDB. The CMDB acts as a definitive system of record for all IT Service Management processes. Release Management Mercury BTO Release Management addresses the ITIL requirements for software control and distribution. The ITIL goal is to implement quality procedures for distribution of changes and to ensure that the appropriate tested versions are installed. Release Management steps are: design, build, test, train, install, and verify. When testing, installing, and verifying changes, BTO Release Management coordinates with the BTO Configuration Management processes. Tapping into Mercury s historical strength in software testing, BTO Release Management automates functional and performance testing of IT services and applications. Another key capability of BTO Release Management supports automated software distribution to various test and production environments. Automated software distribution reduces the risk of downtime, lowers cost of distribution, and promotes a stable production environment. Problem Management Mercury BTO Problem Management supports the ITIL goal of identifying and preventing errors to minimize the adverse impact of errors and to ensure the stability of service levels. Problem Management is concerned with resolving the root cause of errors, and reducing the time it takes to resolve problems. BTO automates Problem Management processes to identify, classify, record, and diagnose problems. As with other BTO functions, Problem Management is closely linked to the CMDB, depending on it to help analyze changes using comparisons of baselines and snapshots of IT services and configurations. BTO Problem Management offers diagnostic solutions for J2EE,.NET, and ERP/CRM environments, enabling developers to drill down into application components to isolate components, perform triage, and resolve the root cause of problems. BTO Problem Management is a solution that the Service Desk team and other support teams can use to track known errors and create requests for change (RFCs) if needed. Availability Management In ITIL best practices, Availability Management optimizes IT infrastructure and services to ensure a level of IT service availability that meets business objectives. Mercury BTO Availability Management incorporates a real-time dashboard to assess business availability and performance thresholds from both end-user and system perspectives. Real-time notification of changes

9 in service availability helps companies resolve issues before customers experience problems. Service Level Management ITIL defines SLM as the process of defining, agreeing, documenting and managing the levels of customer IT service that are required and cost-justified, with the goal of maintaining and improving IT service quality. Through a cycle of agreeing, monitoring, and reporting on IT services, Mercury BTO Service Level Management helps companies to proactively manage service levels. SLM offers real-time visibility into current service levels, and enables companies to monitor and report on availability and response time. Links to BTO Availability Management and BTO Problem Management help companies assess service quality and the status of SLAs, resolve root cause of problems, and improve on services. BTO Service Level Management lets companies digitize business goals, transforming business objectives into executables that can be deployed. Effective SLM minimizes SLA breaches, and helps companies define quantifiable service-level objectives that reflect business requirements. ITSM Accelerator Towards the goal of accelerating ITIL implementations, the Mercury ITSM Accelerator provides out-of-the-box workflow templates and predefined KPIs that support the key ITSM processes of Incident, Problem, Change, Release, and Service Level Management. The ITSM Accelerator also provides the ITIL-compliant forms that collect relevant information to drive the workflows in a repeatable manner. Role-based dashboard views and reports of real-time data feeds can be viewed in various ways graphs, pie charts, bar charts to show KPIs and metrics for each process. For example, for the Change Management process, Mercury offers a Change Management workflow template that embeds the Figure 4: Mercury SLM Process appropriate roles (such as CAB and Change Manager) and business rules into the workflow. The template implements everything that ITIL recommends for Change Management, so companies can apply their own specific business rules to tailor them to their own particular needs IT Governance Mercury s IT Governance Center (ITG) is an integrated suite of software, services, and best practices that supports the governance of ITIL processes including the more strategic ITIL processes of Business Perspective and Application Management. Core ITG functions include Demand Management, Project and Portfolio Management, and Deployment Management. It features a configurable workflow engine and the ability to digitize processes. With ITG, companies can manage and monitor projects and track progress from inception to delivery. ITG includes a real-time dashboard that facilitates communication between IT and LOBs, and offers role-based, exception-oriented views of IT. Mercury takes a lifecycle approach to portfolio management beginning with strategic demand and following through to the delivery of projects. ITG Portfolio Management enables users to run initial project ideas and proposals through a project planning cycle, which includes process review and approval. ITG enables users to objectively compare one proposal with another, and choose the set of projects that match business needs and fit within budget boundaries. Using automated processes, the portfolio management function helps companies to narrow the proposal field to a manageable set of viable projects. Decision makers can then perform subjective and objective analysis, using a set of interfaces to perform a whatif analysis, compare ROI, measure cost-benefits, and other business considerations. Once the planning stage is complete, projects can be monitored and tracked. ITG Deployment Management helps govern the way projects are rolled into production. Completed projects become assets in production, and then come under the tactical or operational management function.

10 Customizable Workflow Engine and Process Digitization Business processes are digitized to create executables that help to automate IT and business processes, track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and enforce repeatable processes. Digitized workflows can be used to implement tactical, operational or strategic initiatives. As with any other data stream, the digitized processes can be pulled into a dashboard view or report. Managing the IT Portfolio Mercury s predefined workflow and reporting templates are part of the ITG Demand Management solution. Demand Management captures business requirements and uses them to digitize workflows in order to implement tactical and operational processes ( keep the lights on projects) as well as strategic initiatives. Strategic initiatives might include activities such as managing resources, budgets, or project portfolios. ITG Demand Management gives visibility to all sources of demand, and enables a single dashboard view of all types of initiatives tactical, operational, and strategic. The dashboard view also offers an aggregated view of the entire portfolio. ITG Project and Portfolio Management use demand management to drill-down to the level of individual projects, and manage them to completion. EMA Viewpoint Mercury brings strategic value to the operational and tactical processes of ITSM. Mercury enables ITIL best practices across the lifecycle, supporting ITSM, Business Perspective, and Application Management processes. Mercury treats its product lines as a media offering, where customers can mix and match functionality as appropriate. Users of Mercury BTO are likely to use elements of Mercury ITG and Mercury BAC. Although Mercury s ITIL support is not all encompassing the Service Delivery support is limited to SLM and Availability Management it supports most of the ITSM disciplines and partners with other leading vendors in providing full-bodied ITIL support. Mercury s focus on customer-business interaction rather than a user-centric, Service Desk approach to implementing ITIL is in keeping with the goal of aligning IT with business requirements. Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) sees Mercury s process digitization as an exciting capability that further supports the ITbusiness link. The ability to define a business process based on custom rules, and then create an executable that enforces and repeats those rules is a terrific competence. The downside is that companies can automate poor processes as well as efficient ones. However, Mercury s support for ITIL best practices should help companies to develop intelligent and business-appropriate applications, especially with its out-of-the-box workflow templates. With its underpinnings in interactive testing and a maturing solution set that supports ITIL best practices, key strengths for Mercury are its Change, Release, and Configuration Management capabilities, along with its comprehensive Service Level Management and Availability Management components. Mercury s focus on Change Management and SLM has empowered its product line, and will inspire interest among companies seeking value in those areas. BTO s emphasis on optimizing application quality, performance and availability across the lifecycle ensures a high quality of IT services. About Mercury Mercury s Business Technology Optimization (BTO) suite of application delivery, application management and IT Governance solutions enables companies to unlock the value of their IT investments by optimizing business and technology performance to meet business requirements. With Mercury, customers can measure the quality of their IT-enabled-business processes, maximize technology and business performance at every stage of the application lifecycle, and manage their IT operations for continuous improvement. Our leading-edge software and services, complemented by technologies and services from our global business partners, are used by over 30,000 customers including by 75% of the Fortune 500 to improve quality, reduce costs, and align IT with business goals.

11 Change Management Configuration Management Release Management Incident Management Problem Management Availability Management Service Level Management ITG Demand Management ITG Change Management ITSM Accelerator BAC Application Mapping ITG Demand Management ITG Change Management BAC Application Mapping ITG Demand Management ITG Change Management ITSM Accelerator ITG Demand Management ITSM Accelerator BAC End User Management BAC System Availability Management ITG Demand Management ITSM Accelerator BAC End User Management BAC System Availability Management BAC Application Mapping Mercury Diagnostics Performance Center Tuning Performance Center Capacity Planning BAC End User Management BAC System Availability Management BAC Application Mapping Mercury Diagnostics ITSM Accelerator BAC Service Level Management BAC End User Management BAC System Availability Management BAC Application Mapping Figure 5: Enabling ITIL Processes with Mercury BTO solutions

12 About Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. is the fastest-growing analyst firm focused on the management software and services market. EMA brings strategic insights to both vendors and IT professionals seeking to leverage areas of growth across e-business, network, systems, and application management. Enterprise Management Associates vision and insights draw from its ongoing research and the perspectives of an experienced team with diverse, real-world backgrounds in the IT, service provider, ISV, and publishing communities, and is frequently requested to share their observations at management forums worldwide. Corporate Headquarters: Enterprise Management Associates 2585 Central Avenue, Suite 100 Boulder, CO 80301, U.S.A. This report in whole or in part may not be duplicated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or retransmitted without prior written permission of Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. All opinions and estimates herein constitute our judgement as of this date and are subject to change without notice. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Phone: Fax: info@enterprisemanagement.com