Understanding Technology, People, and Processes

 

For most organizations, achieving high availability is synonymous with minimizing the impact that failures (for example, network failures, storage failures, computer failures, and site failures) have on your mission-critical messaging services. However, achieving this goal involves much more than selecting the correct hardware. It also involves selecting the right technology, the right people, and the right processes. Deficiencies in any one of these areas can compromise availability.

  • Technology   The technology component of a highly available solution comprises many areas, such as server hardware, the operating system, device drivers, applications, and networking. As with the technology/people/process dependency chain, the contribution that technology as a whole can make toward achieving a highly available solution is only as strong as its weakest component.

  • People   Proper training and skills certification ensure that the people who are managing your mission-critical systems and applications have the knowledge and experience required to do so. Strengthening this area requires more than technical knowledge—administrators must also be knowledgeable in process-related areas.

  • Processes   Your organization must develop and enforce a well-defined set of processes that cover all phases of a solution's cycle. To achieve improvements in this area, examine industry best practices and modify them to address each solution's unique requirements.