Planning and optimizing IT transformations

• US 8,677,340 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2010
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dube, Jean M., Gallombardo, James J., Goyal, Praduemn K., Sbordon, James V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil, Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORGRIMSON, TYLER J
• Application Number:
  US12/652,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20110166849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for planning and optimizing information technology (IT) infrastructure transformations is presented. A predictive effort estimation model for transforming an existing IT infrastructure into a transformed IT infrastructure is initially created. The introduction of a new application into the existing IT infrastructure through a use of a decision tree as a transformation path determination is emulated to create a transformation path emulation. The use of a software factory is emulated for introducing the new application into the existing IT infrastructure to create a software factory use emulation for creating the transformed IT infrastructure. The predictive effort estimation model is accurized using results from the transformation path emulation and the software factory use emulation to create an accurized transformed IT infrastructure model. A physical transformed IT infrastructure is then deployed using the accurized transformed IT infrastructure model.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of planning and optimizing information technology (IT) infrastructure transformations, the computer implemented method comprising:

creating a predictive effort estimation model for transforming an existing IT infrastructure into a transformed IT infrastructure, wherein transforming the existing IT infrastructure comprises replacing legacy applications;

emulating an introduction of a new application into the existing IT infrastructure through a use of a decision tree for transformation path determination to create a transformation path emulation;

emulating a use of a software factory for introducing the new application into the existing IT infrastructure to create a software factory use emulation for creating the transformed IT infrastructure;

accurizing the predictive effort estimation model with results from the transformation path emulation and the software factory use emulation to create an accurized transformed IT infrastructure model;

determining, by one or more processors, a Prediction of Effort (POE) for optimizing the existing IT infrastructure based on a formula;

(POE)=Σ

(Cl×

KLOC)+(Cs×

System Interfaces)+(Cc×

COTS)+(Co×

OS Gap Factor)+(Cn×

Nodes)+K,where;

Cl=a first weighting value for a first parameter, wherein the first parameter is Kilo-Lines Of Code (KLOC), wherein KLOC describes a quantity of lines of code used in applications in the existing IT infrastructure;

Cs=a second weighting value for a second parameter, wherein the second parameter is System Interfaces, wherein the System Interfaces describe a quantity of system interfaces that are required between legacy software in the existing IT infrastructure and other software modules in the existing IT infrastructure;

Cc=a third weighting value for a third parameter, wherein the third parameter is Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS), wherein COTS describes a quantity of COTS packages to be used to create the physical transformed IT infrastructure;

Co=a fourth weighting value for a fourth parameter, wherein the fourth parameter is an Operating System (OS) Gap Factor, wherein the OS Gap Factor describes a level of difference between a legacy OS used in the existing IT infrastructure and a new OS used in the physical transformed IT infrastructure;

Cn=fifth weighting value for a fifth parameter, wherein the fifth parameter is Nodes, wherein Nodes describes a quantity of object class nodes used in legacy software used in the existing IT infrastructure and the new application used in the physical transformed IT infrastructure; and

K=a normalizer value that represents an initially predicted fixed cost component of any software transformation process that is similar to transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure; and

wherein each of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth weighting values represents a relative importance of the respective first, second, third, fourth, and fifth parameters when transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure; and

deploying a physical transformed IT infrastructure using the accurized transformed IT infrastructure model to physically transform the existing IT infrastructure.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predictive effort estimation model is initially created using history-based predictors for transforming the existing IT infrastructure based on application sizes in the existing IT infrastructure.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the history-based predictors are further based on a quantity of system interfaces between software modules in the existing IT infrastructure.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the history-based predictors are further based on a quantity of future commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications to be used in the existing IT infrastructure.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the history-based predictors are further based on an operating system (OS) gap that describes differences between existing operating systems and proposed new operating systems in the existing IT infrastructure.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the history-based predictors are further based on an application being part of a cluster of similar applications in the existing IT infrastructure.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transforming the existing IT infrastructure further comprises planning for future applications within the existing IT infrastructure.

8. A computer program product for planning and optimizing information technology (IT) infrastructure transformations, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to create a predictive effort estimation model for transforming an existing IT infrastructure into a transformed IT infrastructure, wherein transforming the existing IT infrastructure comprises replacing legacy applications;

second program instructions to emulate an introduction of a new application into the existing IT infrastructure through a use of a decision tree for transformation path determination to create a transformation path emulation;

third program instructions to emulate a use of a software factory for introducing the new application into the existing IT infrastructure to create a software factory use emulation for creating the transformed IT infrastructure;

fourth program instructions to accurize the predictive effort estimation model with results from the transformation path emulation and the software factory use emulation to create an accurized transformed IT infrastructure model;

fifth program instructions to determine a Prediction of Effort (POE) for optimizing the existing IT infrastructure based on a formula;

(POE)=Σ

(Cl×

KLOC)+(Cs×

System Interfaces)+(Cc×

COTS)+(Co×

OS Gap Factor)+(Cn×

Nodes)+K,where;

Cl=a first weighting value for a first parameter, wherein the first parameter is Kilo-Lines Of Code (KLOC), wherein KLOC describes a quantity of lines of code used in applications in the existing IT infrastructure;

Cs=a second weighting value for a second parameter, wherein the second parameter is System Interfaces, wherein the System Interfaces describe a quantity of system interfaces that are required between legacy software in the existing IT infrastructure and other software modules in the existing IT infrastructure;

Cc=a third weighting value for a third parameter, wherein the third parameter is Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS), wherein COTS describes a quantity of COTS packages to be used to create the physical transformed IT infrastructure;

Co=a fourth weighting value for a fourth parameter, wherein the fourth parameter is an Operating System (OS) Gap Factor, wherein the OS Gap Factor describes a level of difference between a legacy OS used in the existing IT infrastructure and a new OS used in the physical transformed IT infrastructure;

Cn=fifth weighting value for a fifth parameter, wherein the fifth parameter is Nodes, wherein Nodes describes a quantity of object class nodes used in legacy software used in the existing IT infrastructure and the new application used in the physical transformed IT infrastructure; and

K=a normalizer value that represents an initially predicted fixed cost component of any software transformation process that is similar to transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure; and

wherein each of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth weighting values represents a relative importance of the respective first, second, third, fourth, and fifth parameters when transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure; and

sixth program instructions to deploy a physical transformed IT infrastructure using the accurized transformed IT infrastructure model to physically transform the existing IT infrastructure, and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media, and wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are executable by a processor.

9. A computer-implemented method of planning and optimizing information technology (IT) infrastructure transformations, the computer implemented method comprising:

creating a predictive effort estimation model for transforming an existing IT infrastructure into a transformed IT infrastructure, wherein transforming the existing IT infrastructure comprises replacing legacy applications;

emulating an introduction of a new application into the existing IT infrastructure through a use of a decision tree for transformation path determination to create a transformation path emulation;

emulating a use of a software factory for introducing the new application into the existing IT infrastructure to create a software factory use emulation for creating the transformed IT infrastructure;

accurizing the predictive effort estimation model with results from the transformation path emulation and the software factory use emulation to create an accurized transformed IT infrastructure model;

determining, by one or more processors, whether to transform the existing IT infrastructure into a physical transformed IT infrastructure using a binary transformation, a like-for-like transformation, or a custom transformation, wherein the binary transformation moves binary executable code from the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure, the like-for-like transformation recompiles the new software to create a recompiled new software that is supported by an existing OS in the existing IT infrastructure, and wherein the custom transformation migrates applications from legacy hardware in the existing IT infrastructure to hardware targets in the physical transformed IT infrastructure, wherein determining whether to transform the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure using a binary transformation, a like-for-like transformation, or a custom transformation is performed by;

receiving, by one or more processors, results from a scorecard, wherein the scorecard identifies transformation attributes for transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure, wherein the transformation attributes comprise;

an application activity attribute, wherein the application activity attribute describes a frequency of recent and planned changes to applications run on the existing IT infrastructure;

a mission criticality attribute, wherein the mission criticality attribute describes an extent of business impact that would be caused by unavailability of the existing IT infrastructure;

a retirement status attribute, wherein the retirement status attribute describes a status of plans to retire the existing IT infrastructure;

an application codependency attribute, wherein the application codependency attribute describes how many other applications interface with the new application in the physical transformed IT infrastructure;

an Operating System (OS) gap attribute, wherein the OS gap attribute describes a functionality gap between a first OS in the existing IT infrastructure and a second OS required to operate the new application in the physical transformed IT infrastructure; and

a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) gap attribute, wherein the COTS gap attribute describes how many COTS components can be used by the new application in the physical transformed IT infrastructure;

assigning a weight to the results from the scorecard for each of the transformation attributes;

summing weights for the results from the scorecard for each of the transformation attributes to generate a calculated weighted attributes score; and

associating a first range of calculated weighted attributes scores with the binary transformation, a second range of calculated weighted attributes scores with the like-for-like transformation, and a third range of calculated weighted attributes scores with the custom transformation; and

deploying the physical transformed IT infrastructure using the accurized transformed IT infrastructure model to physically transform the existing IT infrastructure.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to the calculated weighted attributes score falling within the first range, transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure using the binary transformation.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to the calculated weighted attributes score falling within the second range, transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure using the like-for-like transformation.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to the calculated weighted attributes score falling within the third range, transforming the existing IT infrastructure into the physical transformed IT infrastructure using the custom transformation.