Tackling Increasing SMF Data Volumes and Decreasing Resources in the Mainframe Environment

TECHNOLOGY BRIEF: INCREASING VOLUMES AND DECREASING RESOURCES IN MAINFRAMES
Tackling Increasing SMF Data
Volumes and Decreasing Resources
in the Mainframe Environment
Denise Kalm MAINFRAME PRODUCT MARKETING Table of Contents
Executive Summary
SECTION 1: CHALLENGE 2Focusing on and Delivering True IT Service Supporting Service Management on theMainframe
SECTION 2: OPPORTUNITY 3Ready Access to Complete, Accurate MainframeResource Utilization InformationReal Choice in Your Mainframe EnterpriseSystems Management Software
SECTION 3: BENEFITS 5Improving Your Mainframe Financial and ServiceLevel Management
SECTION 4: CONCLUSIONS 5
SECTION 5: ABOUT THE AUTHOR 5
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Challenge
Increasing infrastructure complexity has led to unprecedented growth in enterprisesystems management data on all systems, including the mainframe. But unless it can be rapidly and automatically transformed into comprehensive, actionable informationregarding system utilization and performance, it remains just raw data that provides noinsight to IT or its customers. Complicating the situation is the fact that the data needs to be drawn from many platforms, in many locations and across many time zones, which is why few enterprises have found ways to streamline or automate the process and itsassociated tasks. In fact, it is not uncommon for them to do multiple reads of theirunrefined SMF data - which is as time consuming as it is prone to error and resourceintensive. And to top it off, the mainframe workforce continues to age at a clip that isreaching crisis levels around the world.
Opportunity
With automated, cross-platform data collection and error detection and resolution, and theability to quickly make available complete and accurate data, you can minimize your needfor manual intervention in SMF data processing to the point that you actually increase youroverall IT efficiency. As such, you can reduce your overhead and operational costs while:. Enhancing the integrity and timeliness of your resource utilization data. Maximizing the value of that data by integrating information from different z/OSprocessors, geographies and time zones. Improving the timeliness and accuracy of associated business decisions, including those for the acquisition of additional system resources. Monitoring costs and resource utilization statistics to improve data reliability and reduceprocessing overhead
Benefits
The CA Mainframe Resource Management Suite helps fulfill the intricate information needs of today's enterprise IT infrastructure management environments, helping your ITprofessionals harness SMF metrics to make timely, knowledgeable decisions about costs,storage, capacity planning and system performance. Moreover, it empowers you to bettercontrol and understand your mainframe systems and supporting technologies, whichtranslates to improved IT costing, system utilization and performance and planning.
TECHNOLOGY BRIEF: INCREASING VOLUMES AND DECREASING RESOURCES IN MAINFRAMES 1SECTION 1: CHALLENGE Focusing on and Delivering True IT Service The role of the IT organization in today's business world - and the infrastructure it commands- is changing dramatically. This is why IT is becoming more integral to business profitabilityand is under pressure to align closely with enterprise demands. Because of this heightenedrecognition of the value technology brings to the business, there is an increased focus on service: 1. Establishing service levels2. Measuring against those service goals and requirements3. Uncovering the root cause of service delivery problems
As such, there's more intense scrutiny on the costs and returns associated with service... [download for more]