What is Systems Integration?

Many a time, singly tested software components need to be combined or integrated into a whole. This integration could be either of subsystem components that are combined into products, or when components are combined into subsystems. The combined nomenclature given to process is called Systems Integration.

Why should systems be integrated?

If systems integration did not offer a few distinct advantages, there is no need to do it. So, what advantages does System Integration bring? It does carry some basic advantages. We need to understand it this way: a product is made into several components before being fully assembled to form a full product. These “builds” or units can be joined incrementally, in a vertical manner. These units may relate to subsystems, or may traverse subsystem areas to produce a partial end-to-end product. In either case, what has to be ensured is that integration has to be done over set stages, so that each unit in the incremental build offers results in each phase when it is closer to the end product.

In addition, keeping this practice of integration-ready units or components ready makes it easy for developers to not only get a real, rather than a simulated environment for actual integration work; they could also cut down on costs significantly by identifying problems at every stage making changes as and when required. The practice of phased or staged integration brings about this advantage. When even complex problems are identified and addressed during early stages of software integration, the result is a better and more compliant product.

References:

https://www.sei.cmu.edu/productlines/frame_report/softwaresi.htm

An understanding of project management

Well, project management is something we all put into practice at various times of our life, although in different situations and circumstances. If we wanted to plan a party, what would we do? We would organize every segment of the event. We would call up the accessories person. Then, we would invite guests, and then host the party, right? So, how does all this relate to project management? In other words, what is project management?

In order to understand what project management is; we need to understand what a project is. As we know, a project is an activity or set of activities that we undertake to complete a given piece of work that leads to a defined result. We saw the example of organizing the party. Project management is not about simply rushing into doing things. The eventual goal or work that we plan to achieve should be approached in an orderly and structured manner. This makes the accomplishment of the goal easy and effective.

Planning is the key

Similarly, project management involves having to plan towards reaching the target. We have to first what the work (project) is about. Then, we need to go about achieving it by using resources in the optimal manner. We have to ensure that the resources, be they physical, human or economic, need to be put to the best use to minimize cost and maximize effectiveness.

Why is project management important?

In the face of competition, organizations need to economize if they have to increase their margins and profits. Getting their project management right goes a long way in helping them do this. A properly planned project management is essential for organizations to help understand how effectively – cost and otherwise –they are doing in order to stay the course. Initiation, plan, execution, control and monitoring and closing are all important elements of project planning. Getting these right means that organizations can improve their bottom line. 

References:

http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/About-Us-What-is-Project-Management.aspx

An understanding of Enterprise Architecture

An easy way of understanding Enterprise Architecture is to understand the term “architecture” in the general sense first. It means the style or character of a building, right? Relate this to an enterprise, and you have a definition of Enterprise Architecture. An enterprise, as a technology-oriented business is generally known, also has its architecture. This architecture defines the character of the enterprise.

Just as how a building has its own features that constitute its architecture; an enterprise has its unique ones, too. A building’s architecture has its elements, the sum of all of which it consists of. Similarly, an enterprise has to have its architecture, or what may be called its constituents. So, what are these? Broadly, these can be said to be Business Architecture, Information Architecture and IT Architecture. Having said this, let us move on to an understanding of the uses of Enterprise Architecture.

Getting strategies right

The most important reason for which Enterprise Architecture evolved is that it was noticed that more than four fifths of organizations’ strategies failed. The reason for this was not the ineffectiveness of the strategy itself, but rather the implementation. Over the last couple of decades or so, Enterprise Architecture has evolved as a result of an understanding of this fact, and the need to address it.

Professionals put together a concrete and well-defined practice for analyzing, designing, planning and implementing a set of ideas to fully understand and implement strategies. This involves identifying the information, processes and the technological aspects of an enterprise and implementing solutions using a systematic approach. The entire purpose is to take the enterprise to higher levels of performance with the minimum hitches. This approach helps enterprises and organizations of various kinds to come up with strategies for minimizing loss.

The various Enterprise Architecture programs and certifications

Since Enterprise Architecture has evolved highly over the past few years, it has grown into a full-fledged profession with its own certifications, programs and forums. At present, these are the most popular certifications and programs for Enterprise Architecture, used in a number of organizations worldwide:

o   TOGAF®;

o   ArchiMate®;

o   The Open Group Exploration, Mining, Metals & Minerals vertical (EMMM) Forum;

o   The Open Certified Architect (Open CA) program (formerly ITAC); and

o   The Open Group Business Forum.

References:

http://www.eitaglobal.com/control/w_product/~product_id=300066REC/

http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/enterprise-architecture.jsp

http://www.opengroup.org/subjectareas/enterprise

http://www.mega.com/en/solution/enterprise-architecture

http://cisr.mit.edu/research/research-overview/classic-topics/enterprise-architecture/

http://feapo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Common-Perspectives-on-Enterprise-Architecture-v15.pdf

Database management is crucial for organizations

In the simplest sense, as the term suggests, database management is the management of data. Of course, it is implied that database management became a major discipline mainly because of the humungous amount of data that need to be managed. Organizations typically have not just huge amounts of data; their data is diffuse and complex, too. This is why database management has evolved into a full field.

Database management can be considered “…the monitoring, administration, and maintenance of the databases and database groups in (an) enterprise”. From this, and given the nature of the huge volumes of databases that organizations typically handle; it is clear that a database management system: a) manages very large volumes of data; b) efficiently supports access to this huge amount of data; c) supports multiple sets of data without causing mayhem by understanding their relationship with each other.

Important elements of database management

Database management is of critical importance to organizations, since sensitive data are stored in the databases. There are two aspects that database management needs looking into: a) monitoring these databases; b) assessing the strength and performance of the databases. A brief looksee into each of these:

Monitoring: A database monitoring system has to be comprehensive, because it has to monitor the entire data across the organization. The aim of having a monitoring system is that it helps the organization identify the problems in its database environment that is hindering its performance. Most database management systems use data from the Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) for displaying performance information and starting database alerts.

Assessing the performance: The key to assessing the performance of database management systems is to first monitor, from where assessment takes off. A comprehensive diagnosis, which is what monitoring does, is the basis for assessment. Database management systems usually allow users to access the Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (ADDM), which allows the AWR to give snapshots of database activity for a set period. This is used to provide recommendations for better usage.

References:

http://www.eitaglobal.com/control/w_product/~product_id=300075REC

http://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/fcdb/slides/slides1.pdf

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/em.102/b31949/database_management.htm

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/database_management_system_DBMS.html

Understanding product line architectures

A product line architecture (PLA) can be defined as a set or family or group of elements that coordinate with each other to provide a defined product functionality. It defines not only element types, but also how they interact, in addition to how these are mapped to the product functionality.

Additionally, product line architecture could also define a few instances of the architectural elements. We could use this term to refer to a set of products within an organization.

How do we define PLA?

We can think of product line architecture (PLA) as being a draft for creating groups or families of related applications. Product line architecture proceeds on the premise that it is wiser for organizations to produce sets or groups of intimately related products than to build individual products.

Why should organizations need to go for PLA?

Product line architectures are important for a very critical reason: software keeps becoming obsolete and complex at a breakneck speed. This calls for very strong effort in keeping the costs of software development and maintenance down. With product line architecture, an organization can make good the effort it puts into software design and development, which it can implement across a variety of products, leading to major reduction in costs.

It is for this simple, commonsensical reason that creating multiple products is more prudent and cost and time saving than individual ones. This principle has some correlation to economies of scale: just as how it makes greater sense to build a mold that manufactures more products than have one mold for each; PLA too creates standards or frameworks on which smaller and more diverse products can be built with lesser effort and time.

Since about four decades, the benefits of having multiple software families are being experienced by organizations.

References:

http://www.upedu.org/process/glossary.htm#P

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/ftp/predator/stja.pdf

What is computer architecture?

Computer architecture can be thought of as a protocol by which the various technologies that go into a computer are designed to interact with each other. It can be described as a specification which details the way in which all the software and hardware technology standards in a computer interact in forming a computer system or platform. To make a simpler understanding, it can be referred to the way a computer system is designed, as well as the technologies it can work with.

Why “architecture”?

Why do we have the word “architecture” in this terminology? It is used to denote the method by which the needs and requirements of the all the elements related to computers, such as the user, system, or technology work with each other. Architecture relates to the standards and designs that are based on those needs and requirements.

Computer architecture can be said to have originated with Von Neumann. The Von Neumann architecture, dating to the end of World War II, is still valid and is used by almost all kinds of computers to this day. A creation of the mathematician John Von Neumann; it explains the core design of an electronic computer and its parts, and the way they interact with each other: the CPU being the heart of the system, in which is included the main functions of the computer.

The three categories of computer architecture

Computer architecture consists of three categories:

System Design: System design has in it all the hardware components of the system. These include the CPU, memory controllers, the graphics processing unit, data paths and other items such as virtualization and multiprocessing apart of course, from the data processors.

Instruction Set Architecture (ISA): The ISA is the embedded programming language that goes into the CPU. The ISA gives a clear definition of the CPU's capabilities and functions, which are based on the programming it is capable of performing or processing. The important elements of ISA are the processor register types, memory addressing modes, data formats, word size, and the instruction set used by programmers.

Microarchitecture: This is another word for computer organization. Data processing, data paths and storage elements, in addition to how they have to be implemented in the ISA are defined by this type of architecture.

Reference:

http://www.eitaglobal.com/control/w_product/~product_id=300140REC
http://www.eitaglobal.com/control/w_product/~product_id=300142LIVE
http://www.techopedia.com/definition/26757/computer-architecture

Data Center Design - Webinar By EITAGlobal

Overview: Data centers seldom meet the operational and capacity requirements of their initial designs. The principal goals in data center design are flexibility and scalability, which involve site location, building selection, floor layout, electrical system design, mechanical design and modularity. Creating a sound data center design is one of the most critical steps to assure long term goals for sustainability, flexibility and power savings. I will share my knowledge and expertise, gained from working on data center projects around the world, to support a better understanding of the essential subjects for all data center professionals. 

Why should you attend: Selecting the location and designing a datacenter has over 100 crucial elements and decisions that need to be made to ensure successful operation long term. Even if your are thinking of retrofitting an existing data center, these technical best practices will reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic infrastructure outage that could put your company out of business.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Is a data center the right option
• Location
• Planning
• Facilities
• Infrastructure design
• Energy efficiency
• Operations

Who Will Benefit:

• CIO
• CFO
• CSO
  Data center Managers
• Data center Designers
• Data center Operators

Speaker Profile:

Craig Borysowich has over 25 years of Technology Consulting experience with both public and private sector clients, including over ten years in Technical Leadership roles. Craig has extensive background in working with large scale, high-profile systems integration and development projects that span throughout a customer’s organization. He has extensive background in designing robust solutions that bring together multiple platforms from Intel to Unix to Mainframe technologies with the Internet.

Click here to know more about : Data Center Design