Introduction to NonStop Operations Management

Production Management
Introduction to NonStop Operations Management–125507
5-3
Tracking System Usage
•
Reduce operator errors
•
React to problems more quickly and perhaps more accurately than an operator
could
For more information on automating operations, refer to Section 12, “Automating and
Centralizing Operations.”
Tracking System Usage
Tracking system usage (also known as usage accounting) is the process of tracking the
use of system resources for accounting purposes (for example, tracking the types and
quantity of resources used by particular applications or users). Tracking system usage
helps you:
•
Ensure efficient use of the system. Tracking system usage can assist in changing
procedures to improve performance.
•
Control costs. Monitoring resource utilization enables essential user needs to be
satisfied at a reasonable cost.
•
Recognize when a user or group of users may be abusing their access privileges and
burdening the system at the expense of other users.
•
Plan for system growth if user activity is known in sufficient detail.
•
Charge back to other departments.
•
Check how well you are meeting your service-level agreements.
The staff responsible for tracking system usage should have basic accounting skills and
should know how to:
•
Determine the kinds of accounting information to be recorded
•
Collect, track, and analyze accounting statistics
•
Determine accounting algorithms to be used in calculating charges for resource
usage
•
Identify and evaluate options for computer-system growth or performance
improvements
Tracking system usage consists of three steps:
1. Establishing an accounting strategy
2. Determining the system resources to be monitored
3. Collecting accounting data and reporting results