case study: blue cross blue shield of tennessee - apm before devops became mainstream

ca Opscenter

Case Study: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee - APM Before DevOps Became Mainstream Scottie Hightower

OCX76S #CAWorld

Monitoring Engineer II BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

2 © 2014 CA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Abstract

Breaking down monitoring silos to improve efficiency and reduce cost

was a big concern for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. While the

approach may not have been labeled DevOps much of what was done

to integrate APM into the development cycle is where some DevOps

initiatives start. APM’s powerful dashboard capability enabled Blue

Cross Blue Shield to gain far more problem solving value in both pre-

production and production by building dashboards that are “clean,

functional, fast and attractive.” In this session you will hear how APM is

integrated early into the development process, the internal evangelism

and training that takes place, and the importance and power of

customized dashboards to help identify and resolve problems before

the phone rings.

Scottie Hightower

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

Monitoring Engineer II


Agenda

DASHBOARDS

CLOUD MONITORING

ONE-OFFS

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIONS

1

2

3

4

5

6


DASHBOARDS

PROFESSIONAL – Add graphics, do not cut corners and continue to update.

INTELLIGENT – Use tabs or links, group similar metrics and do not clutter.

MEANINGFUL – Every application is different. Use metrics and thresholds accordingly.

Develop clear dashboards.

CLEAR – PROFESSIONAL, INTELLIGENT AND MEANINGFUL


CLOUD MONITORING

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT – Updates, changes, patches, etc.

WHAT DID THAT LOOK LIKE WHEN IT HAPPENED? – Sometimes errors cannot be replicated.

INTEGRATION – Use ‘Custom HTTP request headers’ to separate users from cloud.

Quick win for applications that are not yet, cannot be, or are not properly monitored

3AM RULE – USERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE 24HRS A DAY FOR EVERY APPLICATION.


CA App Synthetic Monitor




CA App Synthetic Monitor External

CA App Synthetic Monitor Internal


CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

ONE PERSON CANNOT MAINTAIN. – You need an Admin, 24hr Monitoring team, App owners.

CHOOSE CORE TRANSACTIONS FIRST. – Start small, identify all of the players and keep showing benefit.

INTEGRATE. – After developing good procedures for maintaining transactions

instrument agents for deep dive diagnostics

Highest priority of all stake holders

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.


DEVELOPMENT

RUN WITH IT WHILE YOU HAVE THEIR ATTENTION. – Developers work on what is HOT or has a deadline. – So, do NOT take it personal when they disappear.

DEMO, TRAIN AND SHOW BENEFIT. – People change, applications change and monitoring tools evolve.

NOT MAGIC – Let them know that monitoring will require a continuous effort by all.

Influenced by the business to make life easier for the customer

TEAMWORK – YOU SHOULD ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL.


OPERATIONS

START SIMPLY TO SHOW VALUE. – JVM or .NET process status should be the first agent alert configured. – Once you know the alerts are working you can then automate restarts.

ENTERPRISE COMMAND CENTER (ECC, NOC, OPS, etc.) – Integrate to a single pain of glass for 24hr monitoring of alerts. – Develop Enterprise dashboards that drill down to specific applications – Shake the trees when things do not look right.

Driven by structure to reduce downtime

PROCEDURES – MAKE CLEAR AND STRAIGHT FORWARD.


CA APM

CA APM


CA APM V 9.5.0.0

CA APM Introscope Workstation

CA APM Info



ONE-OFFS

EPAGENT – Only limited by your imagination – Anything you can script or do at a command prompt, you can monitor.

USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB. – Just because you can do it, does not mean it belongs in APM,

DO NOT REINVENT THE WHEEL. – Ask the Community, peers, Web search, etc., to see if it has been done.

For needs outside the normal or just not incorporated in a tool yet

MY APPLICATION IS NOT JAVA OR .NET.


Summary A Few Words to Review

Relationships and management support are the keys to a successful implementation with continuous improvement.


For More Information

To learn more about DevOps, please visit:

http://bit.ly/1wbjjqX

Insert appropriate screenshot and text overlay from following “More Info Graphics” slide here;

ensure it links to correct page DevOps






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This presentation provided at CA World 2014 is intended for information purposes only and does not form any type of warranty. Some of the specific slides with customer references relate to customer's specific use and experience of CA products and solutions so actual results may vary.

For Customer/Partner content please note:

Customer/Partner content provided in this presentation has not been reviewed for accuracy and is based on information provided by CA Partners and Customers.

case study: blue cross blue shield of tennessee - apm before devops became mainstream

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