Abdel Boulmakoul

Business aware Policy-based Management

In this paper, we introduce a business aware framework for the policy-based management of IT Systems and its application to utility computing environments. The framework couples two main subsystems on top of an IETF-like policy-based resource control layer. They are MBO (Management by Business Objectives) where the decision ability supported by analysis of business objectives resides, and GSLA (Generalized SLA), an advanced framework for SLA driven management that lends itself quite naturally to the derivation of IT management policies from the SLAs that the enterprise has contracted. We discuss the advantages and the limitations of the state-of-art policy-based approach to systems management, mainly the lack of business and service level context to drive policy-related decisions at system runtime. We then explain how this is remedied in our framework through the interaction mechanism between the reactive policy-based resource control layer and the more proactive business driven decision making engine.

A rule-based approach to prioritization of IT work requests maximizing net benefit to the business

With the growth of IT outsourcing opportunities, providers of managed IT services, such as HP, are compelled to exploit any possible economy of scale in dealing with emerging requirements of their customers. In this paper we present a methodology and a set of tools for enhanced executive decision support capability for the best allocation of scarce development resources through timelier and more accurate delivery of forecast indicators relative to the net benefit. Examples of such indicators are total forecast revenue for a bundle of work requests and total forecast cost reductions for a bundle of work requests. The tools deliver on reduced development cost and shorter time to value through the identification of synergies, duplication and commonality in work requests. For example, our approach will be able to identify in a reliable manner work that falls into these discrete categories pertaining to potential duplication thereby highlighting areas of potential cost reduction. Moreover they guarantee a reduced turn around time of delivery to trade customers through prioritization driven by net benefit and optimized release.