When performance problems arise, they may upgrade a server or install a new switch and hope the problem simply goes away. This technique is not foolproof, so after buying a new switch, a firm may have to upgrade a server. Also, the firm may buy computer or network capacity that is not really needed. Because of problems like these, companies are moving from intuitive to scientific ways of gauging application performance. Yet analysts find general confusion about available tools and how to assemble them into a comprehensive management system.
Organizational structure poses challenges.
Companies divided IT staffs into distinct groups, each responsible for one performance-monitoring component. One group may be responsible for network performance, a second for overseeing servers. There s a lot of corporate politics involved, says Giga s Schatt. No department wants to be told that its traffic is less important than that of others. Melding separate systems and network management staffs may alarm technicians who have become comfortable with their technology and resist learning about other areas.