WHITE PAPER Reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for Application Management through the use of Application Packaging, Release Management & Deployment Strategies Application packaging can be an important component for efficiently managing the increased volume of software on desktop and notebook systems. By streamlining software installation, un-installation, repair, and patching, application packaging can help reduce costs associated with each phase of the application deployment and support life cycle Dell Power Solutions, November 2005
ABOUT US Application Packaging & Engineering Desktop Imaging & Build Process Engineering Release Management Uni-Data & Communications Application Management Solutions (AMS) division specializes in the creation of custom solutions for small, medium and large organizations using application packaging best practices, release management and operating system build automation. Our team has designed, implemented and managed custom packages for companies ranging from large Fortune 50 companies to companies with as few as fifty seats, leveraging the latest technologies towards circumstantially appropriate solutions. APPLICATION MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS Application Packaging is a set of business or business unit level rules that govern where and how software applications are deployed on a desktop or notebook computer in a particular environment. Why MSI? Microsoft s Windows Installer service, the de facto standard, offers the following features that streamline application deployment Powerful self repair Rollback capabilities Install & un-install logging On demand installations AMS delivers a cost effective proven method that can substantially reduce overall Total Cost of Ownership¹. Our application packaging, release management and deployment services are grounded in a proven process-driven 2 methodology that begins early in the application development lifecycle. We use a blend of the latest Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) technology and industry best practices, providing a process that can be optimized for any custom requirements. As a result of the s role as software integrators for the Fortune 100, our packaging engineers, release managers and deployment specialists work closely with the leading developers and software vendors to ensure that both custom and shrink wrapped applications are deployed to client specification. The packages are crafted according to time-tested methodologies and best practices that keep critical success factors of automation, application management, ease of deployment and end user support in mind. AMS can support the application packaging process according to our client s specific needs regardless of whether that s on site, remotely, or as part of a staff augmentation initiative to handle a large application/operating system project. Our engineers can reduce demands on internal IT resources by providing automated application installation packages built to specification. We then deploy these packages via third party distribution facility such as Microsoft s SMS, LanDesk, Novell s ZENworks or Altiris Deployment Solution, as appropriate to the scale, situation and client requirements. THE CHALLENGE Maintaining desktop and notebook systems has become an expensive proposition for many corporate networks. New application management techniques are being developed to help enterprises administer their existing PC investments more efficiently, reduce end-user support costs, and minimize end-user business disruptions Dell Power Solutions November 2005 One of the most critical but underestimated tasks for organizations with respect to application management, is the application packaging component. Whether an organization is in the midst of a Windows OS migration or involved in the day to day process of updating their applications, application packaging is always important. To compound the challenge, true application packaging can be complex and requires a staff of highly skilled application engineers which can significantly increase an organization s Total Cost of Ownership. Large companies may have multiple teams dedicated to packaging and testing of applications, addressing software conflicts, maintaining standard desktop OS configurations & builds as well as deploying applications to the enterprise. 1 See Appendix A 2 See Appendix C
"Enterprises that do not dedicate resources to packaging applications will fail at software distributions " Gartner Group However, regardless of the size, a company may recognize they don t have the necessary know how in house and feel the pressure to continue looking at their staff count and overall bottom line. The availability of cost effective alternatives offered by Uni-Data Services makes maintaining these specialized functions in house difficult to justify. Organizations are opting to carry small internal system administrator teams to partner with solution providers like Uni-Data Services AMS to augment staff and handle special projects. In addition, companies recognize that the manual installation of software and patches, combined with the lack of a standardized desktop, will result in additional elevated cost of IT ownership and excessive man hours to support. HOW AMS CAN HELP Packaging should be treated as a strategic and separate process from the overall software configuration process. Administrators should be trained or, in larger enterprises, dedicated to this process. If enterprises cannot allocate appropriate resources for packaging and extensive testing, outsourcing should be considered, ensuring that enterprises receive proper skills transfer and the. Gartner Group Research Note April 2003 Uni-Data s Application Management Solutions can help by providing scalable, cost effective solutions that can be requested as needed and won t drain in-house IT resources. Our customized solutions can be crafted to address any specific need: Application Packaging & Engineering Desktop Imaging & Build Process Engineering Release Management Infrastructure Engineering Software Distribution & Deployment Post Deployment Application Support & Troubleshooting To be truly successful, partnering early in the application lifecycle and garnering a grassroots understanding of the business needs is critical. We recognize the inter-dependence of all stakeholders within a company to the overall success of a project. We understand that service delivery starts with a true understanding of our customers needs and as such our release managers engage developers and application owners early in the process to perform a pre-request needs analysis. AMS: TIGHT INTEGRATION OF CORE SERVICES 2 RELEASE MANAGEMENT APPLICATION MANAGEMENT OS BUILD STANDARDIZATION APPLICATION PACKAGING Our Triadic approach to holistically manage computing environments wherever possible has been the fundamental basis for success. It provides a balanced blend of the three components that are required for true strategic application management. Application packaging, Release Management and Operating System Build Standardization, as illustrated above, are the core of our highly successful solution. 1 See Appendix B 2 See Appendix E
THE BENEFITS It has been demonstrated that approaching application management strategically and utilizing best practices around application packaging and release management can lead to the following benefits which translates into a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TOC). Lower helpdesk call volume and talk time as a result of application, distribution and OS Build standardization Minimal client down PC downtime due to the standardization and automation of the OS build and application installations Higher helpdesk first calls resolved Staff level optimization as a result of a standard desktop environment and managed application deployment Packaged applications lead to consistent user experience Management of application and middleware conflicts when multiple version reside on the same PC Dynamic application repair and rollback for failed MSI installations Elevated privileges Installer technology allows the user to install applications even if that user is not an administrator Install on Demand for additional application features to quickly respond to user demand Application self healing deleted or corrupted files can be automatically and quickly re-installed, increasing availability Desktop support costs lowered By providing an automated installation facility, physical visits to the desktop are no longer required to install applications Scalability Business growth can be met more quickly using this repeatable methodology Standards It is easier to implement and manage standards throughout the enterprise Governance and Regulatory Compliance Changes can easily and quickly be implemented and automatically maintained to promote Enterprise standardization and compliance Our packaging engineers, in conjunction with the distribution and release management teams, ensure that installation packages are thoroughly tested to guarantee proper functionality and adherence to enterprise design specifications. We stand behind our solutions, support implementation and provide ongoing support to our clients to ensure, rapid, cost effective, secure and reliable deployment.
APPENDICES BEFORE AND AFTER: DEPLOYMENT COSTS COMPARED RELEASE MANAGEMENT ILLUSTRATED PACKAGE LIFE CYCLE LEGACY VS. OPTIMIZED ORGANIZATIONS SEPARATE SERVICES, ONE SOLUTION ADDITIONAL SOURCES/REFERENCES
BEFORE AND AFTER: DEPLOYMENT COSTS COMPARED A The cost of Software Deployment and Patch Management varies greatly between network environments with an application packaging strategy and those without. APPENDIX COST COST 1 st WITHOUT AN APPLICATION PACKAGING STRATEGY Costs typically rise before deployment while administrators explore automated installation methods. Very little cost or effort is expended to prepare program for deployment. 2 nd 3 rd PRE-DEPLOYMENT At deployment time, costs tend to skyrocket for two reasons: 1) End-users must spend time configuring the program. 2) End-user program configurations are likely to result in a high incidence of support calls. Costs begin to level off as program is integrated into the organization; steady-state support cases can still be high. POST-DEPLOYMENT (support) Source: Dell Power Solutions, November 2005 WITH AN APPLICATION PACKAGING STRATEGY Pre-deployment costs are high because resources are invested in the program integration and preparation process. PRE-DEPLOYMENT Costs begin to drop near deployment as the installation process is well-known and portions are automated. Post-rollout costs are low: because the program was successfully integrated before deployment, support issues tend to be few with problems easy-to-fix. POST-DEPLOYMENT (support) Source: Dell Power Solutions, November 2005
RELEASE MANAGEMENT ILLUSTRATED B Release Management contemplates eight separate practices that insulate the client computer from risk of software failure and reduced functionality due to software conflict. APPENDIX
PACKAGE LIFE CYCLE C When a software package is assembled according to client requirements, release management best practices requires several phases for deployment success to occur; a variety of metrics are gathered during these stages for benchmarking against previous/subsequent instances of deployment. APPENDIX RELEASE MANAGEMENT Vendor Applications APPLICATION ENGINEERING Client Request Software Patches Builds Code Received Packaging QA Testing UAT Testing Software Distribution Post Production Support In-House Development SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION
LEGACY VS. OPTIMIZED ORGANIZATIONS APPENDIX Legacy organizations tend lend themselves to multiple teams that support the IT application management process (Exhibit 1). However, today s strategically positioned organizations stream line these functions as shown in Exhibit 2. EXHIBIT 1 SOFTWARE STAFF & RESOURCES CLIENTS Project Distribution Packaging Legacy Mobile Project Distribution Packaging Desktop Purchased Project Packaging Distribution Developed In-house Virtual EXHIBIT 2 SOFTWARE STAFF & RESOURCES Legacy Mobile Project Packaging CLIENTS Distribution Purchased Desktop Developed In-house Virtual 718.445.5600 www.unidatait.com
SEPARATE SERVICES, ONE SOLUTION APPENDIX E Application Management s three-sided ed system provides the stability necessary to support network change management agemen efforts, while furthering the overall effort orttoredto reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). APPLICATION RELEASE MANAGEMENT Central Point of Contact Project Management Patch Management Coordination of QA & UAT Testing Central Logging OS BUILD STANDARDIZATION ATION Desktop/Server Image Solutions Architected cted Solutions for Desired End-user Experience Application Packaging Application Installation, Support & Troubleshooting Custom Solutions MANAGEMENT ME APPLICATION PACKAGING Centralized Software Distribution Push or Pull Methods for Desired User Experience Delivery of Mandatory Operating System Patches CD Based Installation Methods
ADDITIONAL SOURCES/REFERENCES APPENDIX F The following sources were cited or used in the preparation of this paper: The Basics of Application Packaging by Jukka Kouletsis. Dell Power Solutions, November er 2005 http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/power/ps4q05-20050175-kouletsis.pdf Application Packaging Do s & Don t s By Ronni Colville, Jim Duggan, and Michael Silver. Gartner Research Note, April 2003 http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035_11-5034820.html# Windows Installer: Benefits & Implementation for System Administrators Unattributed. Microsoft, November 2001 www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/maintain/featusability/winmsi.mspx