Background and Goals of the 2013 Application and Service Delivery Handbook

Throughout the 2013 Application and Service Delivery Handbook, the phrase ensuring acceptable application and service delivery will refer to ensuring that the applications and services that an enterprise uses:

• Can be effectively managed
• Exhibit acceptable performance
• Incorporate appropriate levels of security
• Are cost effective

There is a growing relationship between the requirements listed above. For example, in order to implement an appropriate level of security, an IT organization may implement encryption. However, the fact that information flow is encrypted may preclude the IT organization from implementing the optimization techniques that are required to ensure acceptable performance.

IT organizations need to plan for optimization, security and management in an integrated fashion.

At the same time many IT organizations are still in the process of implementing solutions that respond to the first generation of application delivery challenges such as supporting chatty protocols or transmitting large files between a branch office and data center, a second generation of challenges is emerging. These challenges are driven in large party by the:

• Implementation of varying forms of visualization
• Adoption of cloud computing
• Emergence of a sophisticated mobile workforce
• Shifting emphasis and growing sophistication of cyber crime

The goal of the 2013 Application and Service Delivery Handbook is to help IT organizations ensure acceptable application and/or service delivery when faced with both the first generation, as well as the emerging second generation of application and service delivery challenges.