November, 2008

What is COBIT?

1. What is the purpose of COBIT?
The purpose of COBIT is to provide management and business process owners with an information technology (IT) governance model that helps in delivering value from IT and understanding and managing the risks associated with IT. COBIT helps bridge the gaps amongst business requirements, control needs and technical issues. It is a control model to meet the needs of IT governance and ensure the integrity of information and information systems.
2. Who is using COBIT?
COBIT is used globally by those who have the primary responsibilities for business processes and technology, those who depend on technology for relevant and reliable information, and those providing quality, reliability and control of information technology.

Can I use COBIT as a statement of criteria for specific audit conclusions?
Yes, basing the IT Assurance Guide firmly on the control objectives takes the auditor’s opinion out of the audit conclusion, replacing it with authoritative criteria. COBIT is based on more than 40 standards and best practices documents for information technology from standards-setting bodies (public and private) worldwide. These include documents from Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and the United States. Because COBIT contains all pertinent worldwide standards identifiable at the time of publication, it is all-inclusive with respect to IT controls standards. As a result, COBIT can be used as an authoritative source reference document, providing IT controls criteria on audits.

The above information and more FAQ about COBIT can be found at:

 http://www.isaca.org/Content/NavigationM…

Global Executives Reveal Their Top IT Problems

In a survey conducted by independent IT Governance Institute (ITGI) earlier this year revealed some major IT problems faced by Global Executives, what do you think the major problems were?

1-Insufficient IT staff availability
2- Service delivery issues
3- Difficulty proving the value of information technology

All the above issues I can relate too, but I think the most interesting one is “the Difficulty proving the value of information technology.” There are still many businesses world-wide who are not able to see the benefits of having the latest Information technology implemented or can justify the cost of purchasing information technology.

At my own job where I am working now, I am not able to convince the management of the advantages of having IP telephony.

The other two points are important too and I don’t think IT staff shortages or Service delivery issues are problems to be resolved in the near future.

What is the Azure Services Platform? Microsoft version of Cloud Computing

The Azure™ Services Platform (Azure) is an internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers, which provides an operating system and a set of developer services that can be used individually or together. Azure’s flexible and interoperable platform can be used to build new applications to run from the cloud or enhance existing applications with cloud-based capabilities. Its open architecture gives developers the choice to build web applications, applications running on connected devices, PCs, servers, or hybrid solutions offering the best of online and on-premises.
Azure reduces the need for up-front technology purchases, and it enables developers to quickly and easily create applications running in the cloud by using their existing skills with the Microsoft Visual Studio development environment and the Microsoft .NET Framework. In addition to managed code languages supported by .NET, Azure will support more programming languages and development environments in the near future. Azure simplifies maintaining and operating applications by providing on-demand compute and storage to host, scale, and manage web and connected applications. Infrastructure management is automated with a platform that is designed for high availability and dynamic scaling to match usage needs with the option of a pay-as-you-go pricing model. Azure provides an open, standards-based and interoperable environment with support for multiple internet protocols, including HTTP, REST, SOAP, and XML.
Microsoft also offers cloud applications ready for consumption by customers such as Windows Live™, Microsoft Dynamics™, and other Microsoft Online Services for business such as Microsoft Exchange Online and SharePoint® Online. The Azure Services Platform lets developers provide their own unique customer offerings by offering the foundational components of compute, storage, and building block services to author and compose applications in the cloud.

Reference: http://www.microsoft.com/azure/whatisazu…

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is not really well defined concept, at least from my understanding. Some say Cloud computing is part of web2.0, some say Cloud computing has been around for many years but under different names.

So what is Cloud Computing? If I can put it in the most simple from it would be “ the ability to do everything on-line, not only accessing the web, but to be able to run applications from the web and even access hardware.”

One short video I watched on Google described Cloud Computing as the ability to host your applications in way that you can scale up and down your storage and bandwidth needs depending on the traffic in your website.

Another video described it as the ability to do all your productive works using a thin client, a laptop with only basic hardware configuration and only the very basic applications, everything else will be available online.

Some professionals believe that Cloud Computing will put and end to the software applications as we know it now. There will be no more installation CDs, every piece of software will be available on line, you use it to do your work as if its installed in your local computer.

Batch Processing and ActiveBatch 7.0 Part 5

ActiveBatch® includes an extensible Built-in Library that allows developers and users a “scriptless solution” for automating workflows to better address the requirements for Process Automation. With ActiveBatch you can create and execute an array of business processes such as Database or ETL, Crystal Reports, and other processes into more tightly integrated workflows as a job step(s) across a diverse group of applications and scripts.

Among the Automated Business Processes included in the Jobs Library are:

* SQL Server Jobs Including DTS Packages and SSIS
* Crystal Reports® Integration
* SQL Blocks for Oracle or SQL Server
* FTP/SFTP Operations  z/OS
* Email Jobs
* Managing Services
* Supporting File Operations like Copy or Zip
* ActiveBatch operations and more

To create an integrated workflow using job steps, select the type, and complete a few fields, directly or using variables, such as the server name, job name, or database name, and other required information. Database and other job types can be integrated into an automated Business Process that can be triggered through ActiveBatch by events, simply date and time or through using the conditional status of a predecessor job.

Simply add a request for ActiveBatch to report progress and your operations group can view the steps as the sequence progresses.

Steps can be grouped using flow controls and be nested as well for improved Business Automation.

Our unique Library allows for reduced errors by eliminating complex scripting, improving service levels and allowing for a reduced cost of operations through centralized and integrated control of diverse jobs and applications.

Check our Job Library details for more specific information or tell us about your requirements for scriptless automation to improve your Business Processes.

Batch Processing and ActiveBatch 7.0 Part 4

Event Automation - Reducing “Slack” Time In Operations:
ActiveBatch® is an event driven job scheduling solution that allows jobs and job plans to be triggered by events such as file creation, modification, deletion, system startup, runaway processes or thousands of events that can be managed by our full support of the Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and or SNMP trapping.

ActiveBatch supports File Triggering on both Microsoft Windows as well as Non Windows systems including Linux, UNIX or OpenVMS upon the creation, modification or deletion of a specific file.

Multiple event triggers can be set up on jobs and job plans so that jobs are triggered based on events, a specific date and time, or even from previous jobs that have failed or succeeded in operation. ActiveBatch allows the job designer to create powerful job flows to take advantage of event based capabilities for the intended business process.

No longer will jobs “wait” for startup as ActiveBatch reduces the amount of “Idle” time previously built into other job scheduling systems by triggering workflows on Events such as File creation, modification or deletion on Windows, UNIX, Linux or OpenVMS systems, or on the completion status of a predecessor job or workflow. ActiveBatch can check for exit status and determine the appropriate job to trigger based on conditional flows. ActiveBatch allows for event based jobs to have expected run times so that they can be monitored or even allow for alerts to be sent to people on whom the job is waiting to release a file or initiate an action. The bottom line is that ActiveBatch helps IT to leverage the business unit with improved service levels.

ActiveBatch allows for events based jobs to gain visibility for operations by their inclusion in Daily Activity or Run Books allowing for “Expected Event Times” to be published so that these jobs and workflows can be identified when problems arise.

ActiveBatch Alerts can triggered when an expected event does not occur within a specified time window. With ActiveBatch you can, as an example, alert a vendor or supplier, that the system is waiting for their action or a file.

ActiveBatch job scheduling software can also interrogate data by using Active Variables and allow specific data to be used as an alternative approach to an event based job trigger. Within ActiveBatch, Active Variables can be used between jobs so that data is passed throughout the business process. Some examples of Active Variables are:
* Date Expression
* File Contents
* SQL Record Set
* Web Service Request Result
* WMI Query
* XML Query
* File System Information

In addition to ActiveBatch’s event based capabilities, ActiveBatch incorporates powerful date and time scheduling allowing either calendar scheduling or fiscal year scheduling. Jobs can be associated with one of more schedules that provide highly granular scheduling details for the greatest flexibility. Business calendars can be associated with jobs or job plans so days may be excluded and identified for previous or next day scheduling, or allow them to run based on the next scheduled date.

Batch Processing and ActiveBatch 7.0 Part 3

ActiveBatch Job Scheduling Scalability, Manageability and Integration:

ActiveBatch’s uniquely scaleable job scheduling architecture provides users greater manageability as well as flexibility and control for addressing job scheduling requirements across the Enterprise. ActiveBatch supports the reliable execution of job and plans on:

* Linux (Red Hat & SUSE)
* IBM AIX
* Sun Solaris SPARC, x86, x64
* Windows 2008/Vista/2003/XP/2000
32 and 64-Bit Window Systems * HP-UX
* HP Tru64 Unix
* OpenVMS

ActiveBatch is a proven job scheduling solution, designed to be customer installable and incorporates many Microsoft, Oracle, HP and other technologies to help organization standardize to provide the best balance for a reduced learning curve and cost of operations.

ActiveBatch’s high performance capabilities allow separate departments within organizations to share “private” job scheduling capabilities as a corporate utility inside or outside of the data center to avoid in advertent changes to objects. Directory Services allows for access via a Published name.

ActiveBatch is script language independent to allow jobs, scripts, exe’s, etc. to be scheduled, monitored and ran based upon date and time, events or simply on-demand on heterogeneous platforms across domains and around the world.

Batch Processing and ActiveBatch 7.0 Part 2

As I wrote in my last post, I will try to devote few articles to Batch Processing and ActiveBatch 7.0. Again Jim Manias from Advanced Systems Concepts, Inc., e-mailed me some great PDF files on Batch Processing and ActiveBatch 7.0

Here I will list some features of ActiveBatch 7.0 that I found at ActiveBatch website: http://www.activebatch.com

ActiveBatch® Enterprise Job Scheduling & Event Automation – Reducing the Cost of Operations:

ActiveBatch, Enterprise Job Scheduling integrates business applications, standalone tasks, processes and scripts across diverse distributed computing environments creating a centralized view of operations at the organizational or enterprise level.

ActiveBatch is a cross platform solution that easily structures tasks and/or applications into organized and integrated workflows. The result is reliable, unattended operations that trigger workflows by Date and Time, Events (e.g. File Triggers & WMI Events) or completion status to ensure that IT and Operations Management achieves results as required by the business.

ActiveBatch Job Scheduling and Event Automation organizes and manages these tasks and workflows into a unified/integrated workflow on various platforms (e.g. Microsoft Windows, Linux, UNIX and OpenVMS) and across custom and business aware applications like SQL Server while providing various job types such as Secure FTP, E-mail, File Operations, Script or Process.

ActiveBatch’s unique architecture incorporates proven Microsoft Windows, Oracle, HP and other technologies already implemented in your environment to simplify and take advantage of leveraged learning by incorporating the following:

* Microsoft Windows Security Model Including Kerberos
* Improve interoperability with jobs and applications for Windows, Linux, UNIX along with other platforms. Our cross platform software allows a job to pass information and data between applications and systems.
* Active Directory or ADAM
* SQL Server 200x or Oracle
* WMI & SNMP Trapping
* HP Operations Center, MOM or SCOM for Enterprise Monitoring
* Script Language Independence

ActiveBatch has achieved proven results in over 1200 sites around the world by:
1. Reducing Errors from Manual Operations
2. Eliminating “Slack Time” during processing using completion status of predecessor jobs
3. Integrating Workflows, using Graphical controls or Property sheets
4. Lowering the Overall Operation Costs
5. Improving Service Levels

The CEO who refuses to go on-line

Ever seen those TV ads where they show the CEO of the company struggling with his IPOD or his Internet? In these TV ads they usually show a middle age CEO struggling with Technology and is usually rescued by young techi.

At my current job, I am struggling with a CEO who refuses to do things online, it took my a great deal of office politics to convince him to have a domain name registered under our company name. His idea of online collaboration is to have all e-mails sent to our company read by everyone, please don’t laugh.

I am still trying to convince him to pay all his bills and companies bills online.

Batch processing and ActiveBatch 7.0

If you are a business manager or IT consultant, you know that there is not enough time, time is your biggest killer, so many tasks that need to be executed in the shortest possible time.

The concept of batch processing (in its simplest form) is to have a software program (script) run a task for you. For example: each morning you launch your web browser and navigate your way to your chosen financial broker website to get the latest activities on a stock, with batch processing, you can automate this daily activity so at certain hour of the day, you will have the stock(s) activities displayed on your screen or even e-mailed to you.

Batch processing is to automate repetitive tasks by writing scripts (codes.) In my early programming days, I had to write scripts to run tests on website, they idea was to have the script send thothands of page requests to a particular website, to simulate the actual users. Writing the script was time consuming and error prone.

Since that time, lots of improvement is being made in the automation of batch processing. Several software vendors are offering solutions to ease task creation under batch processing. One the vendors’ solutions that I had the privilege to review was Activebatch 7.0 by Advanced Systems Concepts. Using tele-conferning and web conferencing, Jim Manias from Advanced Systems Concepts, gave me a great overview of the new ActiveBatch 7.0 release.

On of the main features of ActiveBatch 7.0 (which I try to discuss more in the coming posts), is significantly reducing the need to write scripts, most of scripts writing is already done for you, you only have to chose the task and click.

In the next several posts, I will try to get into more details of ActiveBatch 7.0 features.