The 2009 Handbook of
Application Delivery
A Guide
to Decision Making in Challenging Economic Times
by Jim Metzler, Webtorials
Editorial/Analyst Division
Published March 2009, Posted March 2009
Abstract:
Over the last few years, ensuring
acceptable application delivery difficult has become a top of mind issue for
most IT organizations. Many IT organizations, however, struggle with this highly
complex task. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing deployment of new technologies
and services, ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more
difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure
that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery
challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges.
Given the complexity associated with
ensuring acceptable application delivery, IT organizations will not be
successful if they approach the task in a piecemeal fashion. As suggested in
this handbook summary, successful application delivery requires four key
functions: planning, optimization, management and control. Because they are
inter-related, these functions must be looked at holistically. For example, as
mentioned, a key planning function is to develop applications that perform well
over the WAN. If IT organizations implement this planning function, it lessens
their need for optimization. In contrast, if the planning function they
implement calls for technologies such as virtualized desktops, or the use of
application architectures such as SOA or cloud computing, that would increase
their need for optimization.
This handbook elaborates on the key
tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and
provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate
solutions. It also describes in depth:
