Method and system for managing processing resources

• US 9,207,982 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Barnes, Sharon Gail, Marisa, Kerry A., Mingl, Steven Wayne, Murphy, Kevin R., Naik, Harish R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sison, June
• Assistant Examiner(s): DABIPI, DIXON F
• Application Number:
  US13/649,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/70 Protecting specific internal or peripheral components, in which the protection of a component leads to protection of the entire computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network

Abstract

The present disclosure improves upon existing systems and methods by providing a tool for managing processing resources. For instance, the presently described tool may be used to time replacement, plan for uplifts, budget for uplifts/decommissioning of hardware, and/or maintain a plurality of servers. This tool may lead to increased satisfaction, uptime, and a reduction of unexpected costs. The system may include initiating collection of variables to compile a prioritized list of servers, executing, a calculation application for determining a prioritized list of servers'"'"' end of life targets based on both technical and business parameters based on the entered variables, and prioritizing uplifts of the servers based on the technical and the business parameters.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, by a computer-based system, variables;

compiling, by the computer-based system and based on the variables, a prioritized list of servers of a plurality of servers;

determining, by the computer-based system and using an application, end of life targets for the plurality of servers based on a first set of technical and business parameters of applications running on each server of the plurality of servers,

wherein the first set of technical and business parameters of the applications are based on the variables,

wherein the first set of technical and business parameters comprise an application criticality score based on a combination of a Sarbanes Oxley score and a data security score of an application processed by each server,

assessing, by the computer-based system and based on a standard, data security of an application processed by each server of the plurality of servers;

scoring, by the computer-based system and based on the assessment, the application to create a data security score, wherein the data security score includes a public, business confidential, restricted or secret designation of the application processed by each server of the plurality of servers;

obtaining, by the computer-based system and from a repository of the server, a weight for the Sarbanes Oxley score to create a weighted Sarbanes Oxley score;

obtaining, by the computer-based system and from the repository of the server, a weight for the data security score to create a weighted data security score;

updating, by the computer-based system, the application criticality score based on the weighted Sarbanes Oxley score and the weighted data security score;

adjusting, by the computer-based system, the application criticality score based on an importance of the application for an organization, a customer or a merchant;

determining, by the computer-based system, an application criticality based on the application criticality score being above a pre-determined threshold;

comparing, by the computer-based system, an operating system platform of the application processed by the server with the application criticality of the application processed by the server;

determining, by the computer-based system and based on the comparison, an end of life target for the server;

determining, by the computer-based system, a designated year to replace the server, based on the end of life target;

prioritizing, by the computer-based system, uplifts of each server of the plurality of servers to create a priority, wherein the prioritizing is based on a second set of technical and business parameters; and

removing, by the computer-based system, a server from the prioritized list of servers based on an indicator signifying the server is previously designated to be uplifted,

wherein the indicator is retrieved from at least one of a server repository or an application repository.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplifts include at least one of replacement, refresh, modification, upgrade or update to at least one of hardware or software of the server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the variables comprise a server install date, the operating system of an application being processed by each server of the plurality of servers, a Sarbanes-Oxley score designated to an application processed by each server of the plurality of servers, and a data security score attributed to an application processed by each server.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising budgeting, by the computer-based system, uplifts based on the priority.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising uplifting, by the computer-based system, a server of the plurality of servers based on the priority.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the Sarbanes Oxley score is based on a Sarbanes Oxley code designated to each application processed by each server of the plurality of servers based on the application'"'"'s association with the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, wherein the Sarbanes Oxley code indicates whether the application is at least one of active critical application, inactive or not Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 critical.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each server'"'"'s end of life target is based on a matrix where the operating system platform of an application processed by each server is compared with an application criticality of application processed by each server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data security score is based on an assigned scaled weight of security needed for each application running on each server of the plurality of servers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each server'"'"'s end of life target comprises a designated year for uplifting as calculated from the installation date of each server of the plurality of servers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second set of technical and business parameters comprise server characteristics, uptime reliability score, flexibility, and a maintenance cost score.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the server characteristics comprise a virtual or physical server designation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the uptime reliability score is based on at least one of the age of each server, each servers utilization, an application being processed by each server'"'"'s criticality, age of manufacturer'"'"' hardware model for each server, hardware warranty status for each server, or availability of operating system support for each server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexibility is based on at least one of the age of the manufacturers hardware model or an alignment with current hardware standards of an organization running applications on each server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the maintenance cost score is based on at least one of alignment with current hardware standards of an organization running applications on each server, designation of orphaned servers, or power consumption of each server.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising updating the re-prioritizing the servers based on the start of a new budget term.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising specifying a server with a history of faults ahead of older servers on an individual basis.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising removing, by the computer-based system, a server from the prioritized list of servers based on an indicator signifying the server is previously designated to be uplifted out of turn and that a business unit is planning on paying for the uplift.

17. A system comprising:

a processor,

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,

the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

accessing, by the processor, variables;

compiling, by the processor and based on the variables, a prioritized list of servers of a plurality of servers;

determining, by the processor and using an application, end of life targets for the plurality of servers based on a first set of technical and business parameters of applications running on each server of the plurality of servers,

wherein the first set of technical and business parameters of the applications are based on the variables,

wherein the first set of technical and business parameters comprise an application criticality score based on a combination of a Sarbanes Oxley score and a data security score of an application processed by each server,

assessing, by the processor and based on a standard, data security of an application processed by each server of the plurality of servers;

scoring, by the processor and based on the assessment, the application to create a data security score, wherein the data security score includes a public, business confidential, restricted or secret designation of the application processed by each server of the plurality of servers;

obtaining, by the processor and from a repository of the server, a weight for the Sarbanes Oxley score to create a weighted Sarbanes Oxley score;

obtaining, by the processor and from the repository of the server, a weight for the data security score to create a weighted data security score;

updating, by the processor, the application criticality score based on the weighted Sarbanes Oxley score and the weighted data security score;

adjusting, by the processor, the application criticality score based on an importance of the application for an organization, a customer or a merchant;

determining, by the processor, an application criticality based on the application criticality score being above a pre-determined threshold;

comparing, by the processor, an operating system platform of the application processed by the server with the application criticality of the application processed by the server;

determining, by the processor and based on the comparison, an end of life target for the server;

determining, by the processor, a designated year to replace the server, based on the end of life target;

prioritizing, by the processor, uplifts of each server of the plurality of servers to create a priority, wherein the prioritizing is based on a second set of technical and business parameters; and

removing, by the processor, a server from the prioritized list of servers based on an indicator signifying the server is previously designated to be uplifted,

wherein the indicator is retrieved from at least one of a server repository or an application repository.

18. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system for managing processing resources, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

accessing, by the computer-based system, variables;

compiling, by the computer-based system and based on the variables, a prioritized list of servers of a plurality of servers;

determining, by the computer-based system and using an application, end of life targets for the plurality of servers based on a first set of technical and business parameters of applications running on each server of the plurality of servers,

wherein the first set of technical and business parameters of the applications are based on the variables,

wherein the first set of technical and business parameters comprise an application criticality score based on a combination of a Sarbanes Oxley score and a data security score of an application processed by each server,

assessing, by the computer-based system and based on a standard, data security of an application processed by each server of the plurality of servers;

scoring, by the computer-based system and based on the assessment, the application to create a data security score, wherein the data security score includes a public, business confidential, restricted or secret designation of the application processed by each server of the plurality of servers;

obtaining, by the computer-based system and from a repository of the server, a weight for the Sarbanes Oxley score to create a weighted Sarbanes Oxley score;

obtaining, by the computer-based system and from the repository of the server, a weight for the data security score to create a weighted data security score;

updating, by the computer-based system, the application criticality score based on the weighted Sarbanes Oxley score and the weighted data security score;

adjusting, by the computer-based system, the application criticality score based on an importance of the application for an organization, a customer or a merchant;

determining, by the computer-based system, an application criticality based on the application criticality score being above a pre-determined threshold;

comparing, by the computer-based system, an operating system platform of the application processed by the server with the application criticality of the application processed by the server;

determining, by the computer-based system and based on the comparison, an end of life target for the server;

determining, by the computer-based system, a designated year to replace the server, based on the end of life target;

prioritizing, by the computer-based system, uplifts of each server of the plurality of servers to create a priority, wherein the prioritizing is based on a second set of technical and business parameters; and

removing, by the computer-based system, a server from the prioritized list of servers based on an indicator signifying the server is previously designated to be uplifted,

wherein the indicator is retrieved from at least one of a server repository or an application repository.