Why is enterprise management software important?
Why is enterprise management software important? Is it ok to have a driver get out of the car, open the fuel cap, and pull out the fuel “measuring stick” to determine the remaining fuel in the car? Would it be ok to have the driver open the hood prior to each trip to view the status of the engine? For most of us, the answer is no. Instead, this information delivered to the driver’s dashboard (via fuel gauge or check engine light) helps the driver determine if the car is ready for the trip. Enterprise management software helps a business determine if there is capacity (storage, processing power, bandwidth, etc.) to serve its customers without opening the hood or fuel cap. Consider an online auction site with servers located around the world. The enterprise management software monitoring those servers sends transaction information to different locations (dashboards) around the clock and around the world so that a failed server or network link gets to the right person at the right time so that the failure does not result in an unhappy customer. Enterprise management software is important to ensuring happy customers (the car does not have to stop for someone to open the hood to check the engine or open the fuel cap to check the fuel level – the online auction site shifts to a backup server without affecting the customer).

The check engine light and enterprise managment software
What does a car’s check engine light have to do with enterprise management software? The car’s check engine light is a great example of what enterprise management software delivers – information when and where it can do some good. The check engine indicator displays in the car’s dashboard as soon as there is potential faulty condition. The dashboard also includes the gas gauge and other indicators that provide the operator with information to decide if she can accomplish the goal – use the car to get groceries to make dinner. The closest equivalent to the check engine light in IT is the call from an end user complaining of slow network or application response. The network tech then performs a number of tests to prove it is not the network while the application team does the same with the application server. The check engine light warns of a potential service problem; the call from the end user indicates a service problem. The goal of enterprise management software is to provide the early warning indicator enabling the right decisions to avoid service interruptions.

What is enterprise management software?
What is enterprise management software? Enterprise management software is responsible for the “check engine” light displayed in your car’s dashboard whenever there is a problem. Enterprise management software in the IT world delivers a “check segment” indicator to the network manager’s “dashboard” when there is a network fault or an “unable to process invoices ” indicator to the finance manager’s email inbox. Enterprise management software provides operational information to enable timely decisions that affect business processes. Just as the “check engine light” indicates a fault later diagnosed by a mechanic, EMS indicates a fault diagnosed by someone in IT. Both the “check engine light” and enterprise management software indicate a problem – the decision to act (now or later) is yours.