Comparing utility and warranty of services

• US 9,483,746 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2009
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Angell, Robert L., Durniak, Timothy, Friedlander, Robert R., Kraemer, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROCKINGTON III, WILLIAM S
• Application Number:
  US12/610,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,556 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

An invention for comparing utility and warranty of services in an information (IT) stack is provided. The invention determines, at each layer of the IT stack, a required utility and warranty (RUW) value for each of a set of services, wherein the RUW value represents a desired solution for implementing a business process; determines, at each layer of the IT stack, an available utility and warranty (AUW) value for each of the set of services, wherein the AUW value is a measure of an ability of each of the set of services to satisfy the RUW at each layer of the IT stack; and compares the RUW value against the AUW value at each layer of the IT stack to determine whether each of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process.

Claims

1. A method for comparing utility and warranty of services in an information technology (IT) stack comprising a plurality of layers, at least one of the plurality of layers having a set of services, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

providing the IT stack comprising at least an end user layer and a data center layer;

calculating, at each layer of the IT stack, a required utility and warranty (RUW) value for each of the set of services, by starting with the end user layer at a top hierarchical layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the data center layer of the IT stack, wherein the RUW value is determined from component availability, wherein the RUW value represents a desired solution for implementing a business process, wherein the IT stack further comprises a plurality of components including the set of services connected to a set of business functions that is located in a lower hierarchical layer than the set of services, a set of software components connected to the set of business functions and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of business functions, and a set of hardware components connected to the set of software components and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the software components, the set of hardware components directly connected to the data center layer, which is located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of hardware components;

identifying a most constraining RUW value based on the calculated RUW value at each successive layer of the IT stack;

calculating, at each layer of the IT stack, an available utility and warranty (AUW) value for each of the set of services by starting with the data center layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the end user layer of the IT stack, wherein the AUW value is determined from component availability, wherein the AUW value is a measure of an ability of each of the set of services to satisfy the RUW value at each layer of the IT stack;

identifying an AUW value that satisfies the most constraining RUW value;

comparing the RUW value against the AUW value at each layer of the IT stack to determine whether each of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process;

when one or more of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process, mapping a solution between components of the IT stack for implementing the business process; and

when the comparison determines that the one or more of the set of services does not satisfy the desired solution for implementing the business process, modifying one or more components of the IT stack.

2. The method of claim 1, the computer implemented step of determining the RUW value and the AUW value further comprising calculating the RUW value and the AUW value using a mathematical model.

3. The method of claim 1, the computer implemented step of determining the RUW value and the AUW value further comprising calculating the RUW value and the AUW value using actual observed values.

13. The method according to claim 1, the modifying the one or more components of the IT stack comprising at least one of:

upgrading one or more of the set of software components, upgrading the one or more of the set of services, and replacing one or more of the set of hardware components.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mapping further comprises:

selecting, from one of the components of the IT stack, a RUW value from a component indicating a highest amount of required component availability and warranty; and

selecting, from one of the components of the IT stack, a AUW value from a component indicating a highest amount of component availability and warranty.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the selection of the RUW value and the AUW value is further based on each of the following:

an amount of floor space in a datacenter, an amount of power in the datacenter, skill of the datacenter operators, and security boundaries in the datacenter.

4. A system for comparing utility and warranty of services in an information technology (IT) stack comprising a plurality of layers, at least one of the plurality of layers having a set of services, the system comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory operably associated with the at least one processing unit; and

a utility and warranty tool storable in memory and executable by the at least one processing unit, the utility and warranty tool comprising;

a determination component configured to;

provide the IT stack comprising at least an end user layer and a data center layer;

calculate, at each layer of the IT stack, a required utility and warranty (RUW) value for each of the set of services by starting with the end user layer at a top hierarchical layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the data center layer of the IT stack, wherein the RUW is determined from component availability, wherein the RUW value represents a desired solution for implementing a business process, wherein the IT stack further comprises a plurality of components including the set of services connected to a set of business functions that is located in a lower hierarchical layer than the set of services, a set of software components connected to the set of business functions and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of business functions, and a set of hardware components connected to the set of software components and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the software components, the set of hardware components directly connected to the data center layer, which is located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of hardware components;

identify a most constraining RUW value, based on the calculated RUW value at each successive layer of the IT stack;

calculate, at each layer of the IT stack, an available utility and warranty (AUW) value for each of the set of services by starting with the data center layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the end user layer of the IT stack, wherein the AUW value is determined from component availability, wherein the AUW value is a measure of an ability of each of the set of services to satisfy the RUW value at each layer of the IT stack; and

identify an AUW value that satisfies the most constraining RUW value; and

a comparison component configured to;

map, when one or more of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process, a solution between components of the IT stack for implementing the business process;

and modify one or more components of the IT stack when the comparison determines that the one or more of the set of services does not satisfy the desired solution for implementing the business process.

5. The utility and warranty tool according to claim 4, the determination component further configured to calculate the RUW value and the AUW value using a mathematical model.

6. The utility and warranty tool according to claim 4, the determination component further configured to calculate the RUW value and the AUW value using actual observed values.

7. A computer-readable storage device storing computer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to compare utility and warranty of services in an information technology (IT) stack comprising a plurality of layers, at least one of the layers haying a set of services, the computer instructions comprising:

providing the IT stack comprising at least an end user layer and a data center layer;

calculating, at each layer of the IT stack, a required utility and warranty (RUW) value for each of the set of services by starting with the end user layer at a top hierarchical layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the data center layer of the IT stack, wherein the RUW value is determined from component availability, wherein the RUW value represents a desired solution for implementing a business process, wherein the IT stack further comprises a plurality of components including the set of services connected to a set of business functions that is located in a lower hierarchical layer than the set of services, a set of software components connected to the set of business functions and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of business functions, and a set of hardware components connected to the set of software components and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the software components, the set of hardware components directly connected to the data center layer, which is located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of hardware components;

identifying a most constraining RUW value based on the calculated RUW value at each successive layer of the IT stack;

calculating, at each layer of the IT stack, an available utility and warranty (AUW) value for each of the set of services by starting with the data center layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the end user layer of the IT stack, wherein the AUW value is determined from component availability, wherein the AUW value is a measure of an ability of each of the set of services to satisfy the RUW value at each layer of the IT stack;

identifying an AUW value that satisfies the most constraining RUW value;

comparing the RUW value against the AUW value at each layer of the IT stack to determine whether each of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process;

when one or more of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process, mapping a solution between components of the IT stack for implementing the business process; and

when the comparison determines that the one or more of the set of services does not satisfy the desired solution for implementing the business process, modifying one or more components of the IT stack.

8. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 7, the computer instructions for determining the RUW value and the AUW value further comprising calculating the RUW value and the AUW value using a mathematical model.

9. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 7, the computer instructions for determining the RUW value and the AUW value further comprising calculating the RUW value and the AUW value using actual observed values.

10. A method for comparing utility and warranty of services in an information technology (IT) stack comprising a plurality of layers, at least one of the plurality of layers having a set of services, the method comprising of:

providing, by a computer infrastructure, the IT stack comprising at least an end user layer and a data center layer;

calculating, by the computer infrastructure, at each layer of the IT stack, a required utility and warranty (RUW) value for each of the set of services by starting with the end user layer at a top hierarchical layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the data center layer of the IT stack, wherein the RUW value is determined from component availability, wherein the RUW value represents a desired solution for implementing a business process, wherein the IT stack further comprises a plurality of components including the set of services connected to a set of business functions that is located in a lower hierarchical layer than the set of services, a set of software components connected to the set of business functions and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of business functions, and a set of hardware components connected to the set of software components and located on a lower hierarchical layer than the software components, the set of hardware components directly connected to the data center layer, which is located on a lower hierarchical layer than the set of hardware components;

identifying, by the computer infrastructure, a most constraining RUW value based on the calculated RUW value at each successive layer of the IT stack;

calculating, by the computer infrastructure, at each layer of the IT stack, an available utility and warranty (AUW) value for each of the set of services by starting with the data center layer of the IT stack and continuing towards the end user layer of the IT stack, wherein the AUW value is determined from component availability, wherein the AUW value is a measure of an ability of each of the set of services to satisfy the RUW value at each layer of the IT stack;

identifying, by the computer infrastructure, an AUW value that satisfies the most constraining RUW value;

comparing;

by the computer infrastructure, the RUW value against the AUW value at each layer of the IT stack to determine whether each of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process;

when one or more of the set of services satisfies the desired solution for implementing the business process, mapping a solution between components of the IT stack for implementing the business process; and

when the comparison determines that the one or more of the set of services does not satisfy the desired solution for implementing the business process, modifying one or more components of the IT stack.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising calculating, by the computer infrastructure, the RUW value and the AUW value using a mathematical model.

12. The method according to claim 10, the further comprising calculating, by the computer infrastructure, the RUW value and the AUW value using actual observed values.