Searching for SLM tools

Whether it's Bob Vila planning another home improvement project, or an IT manager contemplating service-level management, our thoughts quickly turn to tools. In the case of home improvement projects, it's usually power tools. In the case of SLM, it is usually a software product (although there are some hardware products relevant to SLM).

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The million-dollar question that every service provider or IT manager wants answered is, " What tools are required for SLM? "

There has been a tremendous amount of ambiguity in the marketplace over the very question of exactly what is an SLM tool. It seems like half of the companies with management products claim that their products support service-level management. Can this be true, or is this just a case of creative marketing?

Therefore, the question of "What is an SLM tool?" is the question that must be answered first.

Remember the functions of SLM: define, measure, assess, set objectives, monitor, and refine and improve. It quickly becomes apparent that tools addressing these functions must be able to: capture and analyze data about the performance and availability of the service, identify underlying problems and correct them, monitor and improve performance, negotiate service-level agreements, and report actual performance compared to objectives.

That is actually a fairly encompassing list. Those functions touch on some of the capabilities of most management products on the market today.

Therein lies the problem. You see, SLM is not a unique, isolated function. It is the culmination of all of the functions involved in providing the service. Hence, it can be argued legitimately that all of those functions are part of SLM. It is because of this that so many vendors can claim that their tools include some SLM functionality.

A few years ago, when SLM became a hot topic, many companies rushed to reposition their products as solutions for SLM. I was amused by the somewhat strained logic that one company used to justify their claim. It went something like this: " Our product monitors your network. If your network fails, our product will notify you of the outage. Because you have been notified of the outage, you can fix it sooner. That will mean that the length of the outage is shorter - and so, service will be better. Therefore, our product does Service Level Management. "

Two years later, that company's VP of marketing acknowledged that the product was not really an SLM tool, and that he was just trying to grab a piece of the SLM action. Following that line of reasoning, even Cisco or Sun could claim that buying one of their boxes would support SLM.

Was that company being dishonest in its claim of SLM? Not exactly - nor was it precisely correct. The company was stretching the definition to suit its purposes.

While it is tempting to moralize about this question, the bottom line is that it doesn't matter. What is needed by all types of service providers is a clear understanding of the tools that will be required if they are going to implement a program of service-level management and establish service-level agreements.

Next week I will look at the types of tools that are required and some of the specific products that address those needs.

Dennis Drogseth is a director with Enterprise Management Associates, a leading analyst and market research firm based in Boulder, Colorado, focusing exclusively on all aspects of enterprise management. Dennis has extensive experience in network management platforms and products and is researching trends in management software and changing IT roles internationally. His 18-plus years of experience in high-tech includes positions at IBM and Cabletron. He has been quoted in the press and is a speaker at industry events. He can be reached via e-mail.

Audrey Rasmussen is a research director with Enterprise Management Associates in Boulder, Colorado, a leading analyst and market research firm focusing exclusively on all aspects of enterprise management. Audrey has more than 20 years of experience working with distributed systems, applications and networks. Her current focus at EMA is e-business, SMB/SME and MSPs. She can be reached via e-mail.

Enterprise Management Associates in Boulder, Colorado, is a leading analyst and market research firm focusing exclusively on all aspects of enterprise management software and services.

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