RISK ELEMENT CONSOLIDATION

• US 20110283146A1
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Howie, Charles C., Cowan, John, Hunsaker, Eric, Dunlap, Edward M. JR., Nemecek, Rachel
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for reducing infrastructure failure rates. The apparatus and methods may involve reduction of data complexity. The reduction may be based on the use of nonlinear analysis to derive representative variables, which may be multi-valued. Multi-valued variables may be consolidated. A model may be developed based on the values and relationships of the derived variables. The model may be applied to assess the risk involved in a prospective infrastructure change.

Claims

1. Apparatus for reducing infrastructure failure rates, the apparatus comprising:

machine memory storing logical links that associate an infrastructure change with one or more elements of the infrastructure change, each of the elements having a failure risk score; and

a processor that is configured to determine a representative failure risk score that corresponds to a sum of the failure risk scores of the elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, when:

each of the elements has an order n, n=1, 2, 3, . . . , based on logical proximity to the infrastructure change;

the logical links form logical chains that extend from the infrastructure change to the elements, each link between elements extending from a higher order element to a lower order element; and

each logical chain has a chain risk score, the sum includes the sum of the chain risk scores.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the chain risk score is based on the multiplicative product of the failure risk scores of the elements of the chain.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an element of the infrastructure change is a physical device associated with the infrastructure change.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an element of the infrastructure change is an approving organization associated with the infrastructure change.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an element of the infrastructure change is an implementing team associated with the infrastructure change.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to provide an index that is based on the representative failure risk score, the index corresponding to a predicted failure rate for the infrastructure change.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, when the infrastructure change is a failure, the processor is further configured to identify one or more of the elements that are positively correlated with the failure.

9. A computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for reducing infrastructure failure rates, said method comprising:

storing in machine memory logical links that associate an infrastructure change with one or more elements of the infrastructure change, each of the elements having a failure risk score; and

using a processor, determining a representative failure risk score that corresponds to a sum of the failure risk scores of the elements.

10. The media of claim 9 wherein, in the method, when:

each of the elements has an order n, n=1, 2, 3, . . . , based on logical proximity to the infrastructure change;

the logical links form logical chains that extend from the infrastructure change to the elements, each link between elements extending from a higher order element to a lower order element; and

each logical chain has a chain risk score, the sum includes the sum of the chain risk scores.

11. The media of claim 9 wherein, in the method, the chain risk score is based on the multiplicative product of the failure risk scores of the elements of the chain.

12. The media of claim 9 wherein, in the method, an element of the infrastructure change is a physical device associated with the infrastructure change.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein, in the method, an element of the infrastructure change is an approving organization associated with the infrastructure change.

14. The media of claim 9 wherein, in the method, an element of the infrastructure change is an implementing team associated with the infrastructure change.

15. The media of claim 9 wherein, in the method, the processor is further configured to provide an index that is based on the representative failure risk score, the index corresponding to a predicted failure rate for the infrastructure change.

16. The media of claim 9 wherein, when the infrastructure change is a failure, the processor is further configured to identify one or more of the elements that are positively correlated with the failure.

42. The method of claim 9 wherein the Boolean operation is an intersection of the elements and a device characteristic.

43. The method of claim 9 wherein the Boolean operation is a union of the elements and a program characteristic.

44. The method of claim 9 wherein the Boolean operation is an intersection of the elements and an organizational segment characteristic.

45. The method of claim 9 wherein the Boolean operation is an intersection of a first element characteristic and a second element attribute.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein at least one of the first and second element attributes is a device characteristic.

47. The method of claim 45 wherein at least one of the first and second element attributes is a program characteristic.

48. The method of claim 45 wherein at least one of the first and second element attributes is an organizational segment characteristic.

17. A method for reducing infrastructure failure rates, said method comprising:

storing in machine memory logical links that associate an infrastructure change with one or more elements of the infrastructure change, each of the elements having a failure risk score; and

using a processor, determining a representative failure risk score that corresponds to a sum of the failure risk scores of the elements.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein, when:

each of the elements has an order n, n=1, 2, 3, . . . , based on logical proximity to the infrastructure change;

the logical links form logical chains that extend from the infrastructure change to the elements, each link between elements extending from a higher order element to a lower order element; and

each logical chain has a chain risk score, the sum includes the sum of the chain risk scores.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the chain risk score is based on the multiplicative product of the failure risk scores of the elements of the chain.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein an element of the infrastructure change is a physical device associated with the infrastructure change.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein an element of the infrastructure change is an approving organization associated with the infrastructure change.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein an element of the infrastructure change is an implementing team associated with the infrastructure change.

23. The method of claim 17, the method further comprising, using the processor, providing an index that is based on the representative failure risk score, the index corresponding to a predicted failure rate for the infrastructure change.

24. The method of claim 17, the method further comprising, when the infrastructure change is a failure, using the processor, identifying one or more of the elements that are positively correlated with the failure.

25. Apparatus for reducing infrastructure failure rates, the apparatus comprising:

machine memory storing an infrastructure change record corresponding to an infrastructure change that includes a plurality of change elements; and

a processor that is configured to enter in the record a result of a Boolean operation on one or more of the change elements.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the Boolean operation is an intersection of the elements and a device characteristic.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the Boolean operation is a union of the elements and a program characteristic.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the Boolean operation is an intersection of the elements and an organizational segment characteristic.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the Boolean operation is an intersection of a first element characteristic and a second element attribute.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein at least one of the first and second element attributes is a device characteristic.

31. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein at least one of the first and second element attributes is a program characteristic.

32. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein at least one of the first and second element attributes is an organizational segment characteristic.

33. A computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for reducing infrastructure failure rates, said method comprising:

storing in machine memory an infrastructure change record corresponding to an infrastructure change that includes a plurality of change elements; and

using a processor, entering in the record a result of a Boolean operation on one or more of the change elements.

34. The media of claim 33 wherein, in the method, the Boolean operation is an intersection of the elements and a device characteristic.

35. The media of claim 33 wherein, in the method, the Boolean operation is a union of the elements and a program characteristic.

36. The media of claim 33 wherein, in the method, the Boolean operation is an intersection of the elements and an organizational segment characteristic.

37. The media of claim 33 wherein, in the method, the Boolean operation is an intersection of a first element characteristic and a second element attribute.

38. The media of claim 37 wherein, in the method, at least one of the first and second element attributes is a device characteristic.

39. The media of claim 37 wherein, in the method, at least one of the first and second element attributes is a program characteristic.

40. The media of claim 37 wherein, in the method, at least one of the first and second element attributes is an organizational segment characteristic.

41. A method for reducing infrastructure failure rates, said method comprising:

storing in machine memory an infrastructure change record corresponding to an infrastructure change that includes a plurality of change elements; and

using a processor, entering in the record a result of a Boolean operation on one or more of the change elements.

49. Apparatus for reducing infrastructure failure rates, the apparatus comprising:

machine memory storing a first array of infrastructure change element attributes and a second array of change element tallies, each tally corresponding to one of the change element attributes and corresponding to a number of change elements having a respective attribute, the first and second arrays being based on a plurality of historical change records; and

a processor that is configured to;

select one or more of the change element attributes based on the corresponding tallies;

select one of the plurality of historical change records; and

enter into the selected change record a Boolean indicator corresponding to each of the selected change element attributes.

50. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein, in the first array of change element attributes, the attributes include device attributes.

51. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein the device attributes include device model.

52. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein, in the first array of change element attributes, the attributes include program attributes.

53. The apparatus of claim 52 wherein the program attributes include program version.

54. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein, in the first array of change element attributes, the attributes include organization segment attributes.

55. The apparatus of claim 54 wherein the organization segment attributes include segment membership number.