This is the eighth entry in a 10-Series Blog posts every week in regards to Software-Plus-Services: Application Instrumentation, Stress Testing and Production Management.   

Building and deploying complex business applications is difficult. It is insufficient to release applications or application updates to an ill prepared IT operations organization. To maximize the value and investment in new technology, a more holistic approach must be undertaken. The four key components to this approach are:

• Business requirements development with an emphasis on translation to operational requirements,
• Application development support process including stress testing and instrumentation which were covered in detail previously,
• 24x7 production application support inclusive of key ITIL based processes
• Continuous performance optimization which focuses on delivering more value to both end customers and the business leveraging the APM solution in place.