The role of information technology in business relates typically to the application of computer and telecommunications equipment to store, transmit and handle data. Clearly and increasingly, the role of information technology is vital. IT presents a way of not only exchanging information but also of performing operations and transactions in ways that change every day. Moreover, it is the perfect ingredient to support the growth and competitiveness of economic and even institutional sectors, providing them with many advantages. However, IT becomes almost exponentially more complex when organizations have vast amounts of software applications. Keeping track of all those applications, their stakeholders, the vendors, dependencies, technical information, and so on is not something to take lightly. Strangely enough, this is how most large organizations handle their applications. They only keep track of this massive amount of information in an Excel sheet. Most of the time not even up to date. How on earth can they face the challenges IT is facing today?

The first of top three challenges in IT nowadays is:

Security

One of the main challenges IT faces today is safety or cybersecurity. The amount of data, identities, and personal information we share and interact with daily is so high that making it safe has become a challenge, given the very high value of said assets and the potential damage of getting this wrong.

Challenge

Creating a secure IT environment is no easy task. It involves many areas of expertise. In this case, we are only focusing on the software applications and, namely, gaining knowledge about them. Even today, many organizations still manage their software application overview in Excel or some homebrew application. Most of the time, it’s poorly administered, so it’s not up to date, inconsistent and incomplete. In case of a severe threat, it’s vital to know which applications are in use, which components they rely on, and who to call in case of an emergency. Many IT engineers still remember the Log4J threat, so you all know what I’m talking about.

Solution

1.      Knowing which applications you own

When you don’t maintain a solid administration of the applications, it will be tough to search for certain (critical) information. Usually, information is spread and fragmented in multiple locations, documents, and systems. This way, it’s getting increasingly harder to maintain. Not so with SparkleFlow, because it centralizes all information. It also makes administering a breeze so that engineers will enjoy the process. It will also automate as much as possible so that the engineers can focus on the real stuff instead of tedious administration.

2.      Knowing which applications use which components

It is increasingly important to know precisely how applications are constructed, which components and middleware they use, and with which systems they connect. Therefore, one needs a definitive list of applications and a logically structured way of storing and retrieving this information. In Excel, this is almost impossible and will never give the needed results one needs. In SparkleFlow, the data model is customizable and will ensure everything can be stored and found when needed, fully automated in many cases.

3.      Knowing who the vendor is and who the owner

SparkleFlow’s data model can contain any information. It can integrate with Active Directory or other systems to retrieve and store contact information. The necessary information can be found in an emergency in a second (or maybe two).

 

Blog Banner Ronald Vonk

Blog Banner Ronald Vonk