Application management

What is application management?

Application management is an important part of DevOps. It can be defined as the process of monitoring and managing the availability, health, performance, and functionality of software applications at all stages, which includes the planning, designing, building, testing, deploying, maintaining, and updation. This means that applications are monitored from their conception to cessation.

The importance of application management

Managing applications ensures efficient operation of business systems, effectiveness of software use, and satisfaction of users. Some of the compelling reasons why an effective application management strategy is required are:

• 

  To ensure that applications meet business requirements and user needs

• 

  To improve productivity and efficiency

• 

  To reduce downtime and minimize the impact of any issues that arise

• 

  To enhance security and compliance

• 

  To provide an optimal user experience

Application management tools - An overview

Application management tools provide a variety of features, including application performance monitoring, code management, deployment automation, and more. They are essential for managing and monitoring applications throughout their lifecycle. These tools enable businesses to automate tasks, monitor the performance of their applications, and identify issues that need to be resolved. By using application management tools, businesses can surpass competitors, minimize downtime, and maximize productivity. With the rapid pace of technological advancement, application management is becoming more important than ever, and it is vital that businesses invest in the right tools to stay ahead.

Types of application management tools

There are many different types of application management tools available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most common types of application management tools include:

• Monitoring and performance management tools enable real-time monitoring of applications and infrastructure.These aid in proactively identifying issues, anomalies, and potential bottlenecks to ensure optimal performance and user experience.
• Application performance monitoring (APM) tools help you track the performance of your applications and identify any potential problems. They collect and analyze metrics, logs, and traces to provide insights into application performance, availability, and resource utilization.
• Application security testing (AST) tools help you identify and fix security vulnerabilities in your applications.
• Application lifecycle management (ALM) tools help you manage the entire lifecycle of your applications, from development to deployment to maintenance.
• Application development tools help you develop and debug your applications.
• Application testing tools help you test your applications for functionality, performance, and security.

Key features of application monitoring tools

Application monitoring tools are designed to help organizations monitor their applications and ensure that they are performing optimally. Here are some key features of application monitoring tools:

• 

  Real-time monitoring: Monitoring applications in real time allows organizations to detect issues as they occur and take immediate action to resolve them. This helps minimize downtime and ensure that end users are not affected.

• 

  Performance metrics: Detailed information about performance metrics for applications, such as response time, resource utilization, and error rates. This information helps organizations identify performance issues and optimize their applications.

• 

  Application topology mapping: An effective application monitoring tool can map the topology of applications, showing how different components of the application are connected and how they interact with each other. This helps IT teams understand the dependencies between different components.

• 

  Alerting: Send immediate alarms to IT teams when an application is experiencing issues. This helps IT teams to respond quickly.

• 

  Root cause analysis: Finding the source of issues helps IT teams reduce their MTTI and MTTR significantly.

• 

  Integration and collaboration: Integration with other development and operations tools is essential to foster collaboration and streamline workflows.

Benefits of application management tools

The importance of application management tools cannot be overstated. They help businesses to ensure that their applications are performing optimally, leading to improved user experiences and increased productivity. These tools allow organizations to focus on core business activities, while IT teams can rest assured that applications are functioning as they should be.

Here are a few benefits of employing an application management tool like Applications Manager:

• 

  Increased efficiency and performance: Application management tools can help organizations save time and money by automating tasks such as deployment, configuration, and monitoring.

• 

  Reduced risk: Application management tools can help organizations reduce the risk of outages and other disruptions by providing features such as disaster recovery and business continuity planning.

• 

  Reduced downtime: Application management tools can help organizations reduce downtime by providing real-time monitoring and alerting. This allows organizations to identify quickly and fix problems before they cause outages.

• 

  Improved user experience: Application management tools can help organizations improve the user experience by providing features such as performance monitoring and analytics. This allows organizations to identify and fix problems that are causing poor user experiences.

• 

  Increased compliance: Application management tools can help organizations comply with regulations by providing features such SLA management and reporting. This allows organizations to track their compliance status and take corrective action as needed.

• 

  Better collaboration: Application Management tools provide interfaces to interact with different systems, facilitate continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), and support integration with popular development frameworks and platforms. This pushes the teams to collaborate in an enriched environment.

7 best practices for successful application monitoring and management

To ensure successful application monitoring and management, consider the following best practices:

1. Define clear performance metrics and thresholds.
2. Use comprehensive monitoring tools that provide real-time visibility into application performance.
3. Set up notifications to alert administrators when performance metrics or system resources exceed predefined thresholds.
4. Establish clear escalation policies and ensure that alerts are routed to the appropriate teams.
5. Use diagnostic tools to identify the root cause of issues quickly and accurately.
6. Regularly update and maintain the application to ensure it meets changing requirements and user needs.
7. Continuously optimize application performance based on user feedback and industry best practices.

Factors to consider when choosing an application management tool

When selecting an application management tool, there are two types of buying points to consider. One is performance value and the other is business value. Let's take a look at the important factors to consider when you choose a tool for your business:

Performance factors to consider while choosing an application management solution:

• Scalability: The ability of the tool to grow and adapt to changes in your business needs.
• Synergy: Check if the tool supports the platforms, programming languages, frameworks, and databases used in your applications. Ensure it can seamlessly integrate with your existing infrastructure and development ecosystem.
• User-friendliness: Ease of use is critical, especially if the software will be used by multiple team members.
• Compatibility: Check whether the tool is compatible with other applications and systems in use.
• Analytics: The ability to gather data and analytics on application usage, performance, and other key metrics.

Business factors to consider while choosing an application management software:

• Cost: The price of the software and whether it fits within your budget.
• Vendor reputation and longevity: Research the vendor's reputation and track record. Consider factors such as their experience, customer reviews, and market presence.
• Organization size: The size of your organization decides whether you need a simple monitoring tool or a full-fledged monitoring tool to handle the demands of your complex IT environment.
• Customization: The ability to customize the tool to fit your business's unique needs.
• Support: You need to verify if the level of support provided by the tool's developer or provider satisfies the level of support your organization requires.

Try Applications Manager Today!

If you are looking for ways to perform application management and improve the efficiency, performance, security, and reliability of your applications, then you should consider using Applications Manager. It's easy and quick to install, and has excellent support. Download a free trial today to experience Applications Manager first hand or schedule a demo with our experts for a personalized experience.