INTEGRATED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE MANAGEMENT FOR CLOUD RESOURCES

• US 20120311157A1
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Erickson, Philip J., Tadman, Mark Jeffrey, Roffe, James
• Application Number:
  US13/152,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311157A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

Systems and methods described herein use software adapters to provide integrated information technology service management (ITSM) for cloud resources. Software adapters in the cloud resources convert data format types of an input parameter received at a first software application in a backend computing device. An ITSM function of a second software application provides management for the cloud resources. The input parameter in a first data format type is converted by the software adapter to a second data format type, the second data format type supported by a second software application. The ITSM function of the second software application is executed using the input parameter in the second data format type, thereby providing an output of the ITSM function, the output including information and executable instructions for management of the cloud resources.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for integrating information technology service management (ITSM) via software adapters for cloud resources, the method comprising:

receiving, on a first software application of a first data format type executed on one of a plurality of processors in the cloud resources, at least one ITSM function and at least one input parameter in the first data format from a first computing device, the ITSM function and the input parameter related to management of cloud resources;

identifying, on a second software application of a second data format type executed on one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources, at least one programmable function call for performing an ITSM function in the cloud resources using the input parameter;

identifying, by the first or the second software application, a software adapter for transforming the first data format type of the input parameter to the second data format type;

executing, the software adapter on one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources, thereby transforming the first data format type of the input parameter into the second data format type; and

executing, in the second software application on one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources, the programmable function call using the input parameter in the second data format type, thereby performing the ITSM function related to the management of the cloud resources.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, from one of the first or the second software application, an output of the programmable function call to the first computing device in response to the received ITSM function and input parameter from the first computing device, wherein the output comprises management of the cloud resources.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the second software application in a database in the cloud resources, an output of the programmable function call in response to the received ITSM function and input parameter from the first computing device, wherein the output comprises management of the cloud resources.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second data format type of the input parameter are data formats defined by one of the storage structure or the compression structure of data within the input parameter.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second data format types of the input parameter are data formats executable by one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ITSM function is one of a service support function, a service desk or a service request function, an incident management function, a problem management function, a change management function, a release management function, a configuration management function, a service level management function, a service delivery function, a capacity management function, an information technology service continuity management function, an infrastructure management function, a software asset management function, and a security management function.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the programmable function call is an application programmable interface (API) function call.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the management of the cloud resources using the ITSM function includes listing of at least one of service problems, incident reports, configuration settings, capacity settings, service continuity settings, available and in-use software assets, or security settings, wherein each of the listings relate to the cloud resources.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein first and the second software applications are software modules comprised within a cloud management software application.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first software application, the second software application, and the software adapter are software modules comprised within a single cloud management software application.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first software application, the second software application, and the software adapter execute on a virtual machine, the virtual machine compiling software codes from the first software application, the second software application, and the software adapter to native machine codes of one or more of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources.

13. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

the first or the second software application configured for transmitting, an output of the programmable function call to the first computing device in response to the received ITSM function and input parameter from the first computing device, wherein the output comprises management of the cloud.

14. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a database in the cloud resources for storing, by the second software application in a database, an output of the programmable function call in response to the received ITSM function and input parameter from the first computing device, wherein the output comprises management of the cloud resources.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first and the second data format type of the input parameter are data formats defined by one of the storage structure or the compression structure of data within the input parameter.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first and the second data format types of the input parameter are data formats executable by one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources.

17. The system according to claim 9, wherein the ITSM function is one of a service support function, a service desk or a service request function, an incident management function, a problem management function, a change management function, a release management function, a configuration management function, a service level management function, a service delivery function, a capacity management function, an information technology service continuity management function, an infrastructure management function, a software asset management function, and a security management function.

18. The system according to claim 9, wherein the programmable function call is an application programmable interface (API) function call.

19. The system according to claim 9, wherein the management of the cloud resources using the ITSM function includes listing of at least one of service problems, incident reports, configuration settings, capacity settings, service continuity settings, available and in-use software assets, or security settings, wherein each of the listings relate to the cloud resources.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein first and the second software applications are software modules comprised within a cloud management software application.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first software application, the second software application, and the software adapter are software modules comprised within a single cloud management software application.

22. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first software application, the second software application, and the software adapter execute on a virtual machine, the virtual machine compiling software codes from the first software application, the second software application, and the software adapter to native machine codes of one or more of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources.

12. A computer-implemented system for integrating information technology service management (ITSM) via software adapters for cloud resources, the system comprising:

one of a plurality of processors in the cloud resources configured for executing a first software application of a first data format type for receiving, at least one ITSM function and at least one input parameter in the first data format from a first computing device, the ITSM function and the input parameter related to management of cloud resources;

one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources configured for executing a second software application of a second data format type for identifying, at least one programmable function call for performing an ITSM function in the cloud resources using the input parameter;

the first or the second software application for identifying, a software adapter for transforming the first data format type of the input parameter to the second data format type;

one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources configured for executing the software adapter, thereby transforming the first data format type of the input parameter into the second data format type; and

one of the plurality of processors in the cloud resources configured for executing, in the second software application, the programmable function call using the input parameter in the second data format type, thereby performing the ITSM function related to the management of the cloud resources.