Application Manager (AM) plays a crucial role in information technology, primarily focused on application management throughout the lifecycle, from conception to discontinuation. The AM oversees all facets of application portfolio management, assuring each application’s optimal performance, accurate monitoring, and efficient optimization. They also partake in application governance, making decisions about application security and integration to maintain pace with the digital transformation race.
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What if each aspect of application management doesn’t function seamlessly? The effectiveness of an Application Manager is put to the test.
Coordinate Deployment and Maintenance: They coordinate application deployment, maintenance, and support, carefully considering all the nuances involved. The AM also manages application documentation, ensuring it is comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible.
Ensure Application Scalability and Reliability: Application scalability, reliability, and availability are also high on an AM’s priority list. The AM ensures that applications can handle increased loads without impacting performance (scalability), continue to function under adverse conditions (reliability), and are accessible when needed (availability). They also coordinate application testing to ensure that every application functions as expected before and after deployment.
Improve and Enhance Application: What happens when an application needs to be changed or improved? The Application Manager oversees this process as well. They handle application upgrades, deal with any necessary customization, and direct migration procedures when switching to a new platform or infrastructure.
In summary, an Application Manager’s role is multidimensional, encompassing a multitude of tasks. The AM is the linchpin of application optimization, ensuring that the applications within the portfolio effectively and efficiently meet their intended purposes, whether serving customers, delivering content, or enabling business operations.
Financial Institution
In finance, an Application Manager is paramount for ensuring efficient and seamless operations. Through the utilization of application management practices, they can effectively streamline the arduous task of managing multiple applications. They address application lifecycle management by monitoring deployment, maintenance, integration, documentation, and necessary upgrades. With application portfolio management, the focus shifts to maintaining the performance, cost-effectiveness, and business alignment of the organization’s entire application portfolio. This culminates in optimized application performance management, where the performance and availability of applications are continually assessed, and proactive steps are taken to enhance reliability and scalability.
Healthcare Sector
A practical example arises in the healthcare sector, where Application Managers have to deal with the complexity of many standalone and integrated applications. An integral part of their role here is application security and governance. They actively monitor system vulnerabilities and instigate preventive measures. They also enforce protocols around application usage and customization, upkeeping reliability, and mitigating risks. In case of system failures, they swing into action, deploying their expertise in application support and disaster recovery.
Real-World Example
IT professionals frequently face the challenge of Shadow IT and SaaS management, and this is where the utility of platforms like Torii comes in. Through the Torii SaaS Management Platform, an application manager can uncover unauthorized software, automate SaaS operations, and have a bird’ s-eye view over SaaS expenditures. Here, application integration is crucial in building custom plugins and integrations, while application migration ensures seamless shifting of services and data to the cloud. The eventual goal is application optimization through license optimization, cost-saving, and support to application deployment and testing, thereby ensuring higher application availability and drastic improvement in application scalability.
Best Practices for An Application Manager (AM)
Application management is the discipline that governs the lifecycle of applications from inception to end of usage. As an Application Manager, you’re expected to oversee this process, ensuring smooth operation, high performance, and efficient upgrades.
- Application Portfolio Management
Begin with application portfolio management, guiding you in determining which applications are valuable, which need optimization, and which ones have run their course. Prioritize applications based on relevance and use metrics like cost, usage stats, and business value. Consider tools like the Torii SaaS Management Platform to help assess and manage your portfolio effectively.
- Application Lifecycle Management Phase
The application lifecycle management phase focuses on application development, deployment, and maintenance. This includes optimizing code structure for efficient runtime performance, scheduling regular maintenance, and ensuring seamless upgrades. Be forward-thinking and ensure application scalability, allowing for potential future growth without significant changes or investment.
- Deployment
Application deployment involves planning and controlling the distribution and installation of software systems. Use automated deployment models whenever possible to minimize potential human error and maximize efficiency. Adequate application monitoring plays a significant role here, observing and managing your system’s operational workflow and raising flags when there are performance issues.
- Performance Management
Pay keen attention to application performance management, regularly testing your application to identify potential bottlenecks or performance issues. Back up your findings with quantitative data from application monitoring, allowing for more precise troubleshooting.
- Application Security
Application security should be prioritized at all stages, ensuring protection against both external threats and internal vulnerabilities. This encompasses the application’s design, deployment, maintenance, and decommissioning. Torii SaaS Management Platform can provide insights for managing such tasks.
- Application Documentation
Remember the importance of proper application documentation. Clear, concise, and up-to-date documentation allows for more effective support, maintenance, and potential future enhancements. It also aids in application governance, leading to better decision-making and risk management.
- Enterprise-Ready Application
For any enterprise-ready application, reliability and availability are critical. Minimize application downtime and ensure a satisfactory user experience. Prioritize implementing an efficient backup and disaster recovery plan to resolve unexpected incidents.
- Upgrades
Application upgrades are inevitable and need careful management. Plan to minimize disruption and thoroughly test upgrades before releasing them to end users.
- Customization
Consider application customization options to meet unique business needs better, but also be mindful of over-customization, which might lead to difficulties in future application upgrades or migrations.
- Migration
Lastly, application migration can be a daunting task. Plan meticulously and clearly outline your reasons for migration – it might be a shift towards more efficient technologies, cost savings, or better integration with other business systems. Whichever the case, approach it as a strategic mission rather than a tactical task.
By following these best practices, Application Managers can drive efficiency and productivity, streamline application management, and facilitate continuous improvement in their IT environments. Tools like the Torii SaaS Management Platform can benefit this journey, providing valuable insights and automation features to scale SaaS-related work more effectively.
Related Tools for Application Manager (AM)
- Torii SaaS Management Platform
- Softwarify
- Appfollow
- Productivize
- BetterApp
- Appigy
- Adminify
- Appvue
- Apptastic
Related Concepts in Application Manager (AM) Role
- Application management: The process of overseeing and controlling the various aspects of an application throughout its entire lifecycle.
- Application lifecycle management: A set of practices and techniques used to manage an application from inception to retirement.
- Application portfolio management: The strategic management of an organization’s collection of applications to optimize performance, cost, and value.
- Application performance management: The practice of monitoring and optimizing the performance of applications to ensure they meet performance objectives.
- Application monitoring: Observing and recording the behavior and performance of applications for analysis and troubleshooting.
- Application optimization: The act of enhancing the performance and efficiency of an application to improve user experience and resource usage.
- Application governance: Establishing and enforcing policies and processes to ensure that applications align with organizational goals and comply with regulations.
- Application security: The measures and practices in place to protect applications from unauthorized access, data breaches, and malicious activities.
- Application integration: Connecting and consolidating different applications and systems to enable seamless data exchange and functionality.
- Application deployment: Installing and configuring an application on the intended IT environment to make it available.
- Application maintenance: The ongoing activities and tasks required to keep an application running smoothly, including updates, bug fixes, and optimizations.
- Application support: Providing assistance and troubleshooting for users experiencing issues with an application.
- Application documentation: The documentation that describes the functions, features, and technical details of an application, typically including user manuals and developer guides.
- Application scalability: An application can handle increasing workloads and users by adding or reallocating resources.
- Application reliability: The measure of how consistently an application performs its intended functions without failures or errors.
- Application availability: The extent to which an application is accessible and operational for users, usually presented as a percentage of uptime.
- Application testing: Evaluating an application’s functionality, performance, and security through various testing methodologies.
- Application upgrades: The process of replacing an older version of an application with a newer one to gain access to new features, improvements, and bug fixes.
- Application customization: Modifying an application’s functionality and appearance to meet specific user or business requirements.
- Application migration: The process of moving an application from one hardware or software environment to another, typically involving a change in infrastructure or technology.
FAQs: Application Manager (AM)
Q: What is an application manager?
A: An application manager is a software tool that helps IT professionals monitor, control, and manage the applications used within an organization.
Q: What does an application manager do?
A: An application manager allows IT professionals to install, update, and remove applications, monitor application performance, and troubleshoot issues.
Q: Why is application management critical?
A: Application management is essential because it ensures the smooth operation of software applications, improves productivity, reduces downtime, and enhances security.
Q: What are the benefits of using an application manager?
A: Using an application manager provides benefits such as centralized control over applications, improved visibility into application usage and performance, simplified software deployment and updates, and enhanced security.
Q: How does an application manager work?
A: An application manager typically provides a dashboard or interface that allows IT administrators to view and manage applications, including installing, updating, and removing them as needed.
Q: What features should I look for in an application manager?
A: Some essential features in an application manager include application inventory and usage tracking, software deployment and update capabilities, security management, and integration with other IT systems.
Q: Can an application manager help with software licensing?
A: Yes, many application managers provide functionality to track software licenses, manage compliance, and optimize software usage to ensure organizations stay within license agreements.
Q: Are there different types of application managers?
A: Yes, various application managers are available, ranging from simple tools for individual use to robust enterprise-level solutions designed to manage applications across large organizations.
Q: How do I choose the right application manager for my organization?
A: To choose the right application manager, consider your organization’s size, specific needs, budget, and compatibility with existing IT infrastructure. Evaluating customer reviews and requesting demos can also help in the decision-making process.
Q: Is an application manager the same as a project manager?
A: No, an application manager focuses specifically on managing software applications within an organization, while a project manager oversees the planning, execution, and completion of a specific project.
Q: Can an application manager help with application performance?
A: Yes, an application manager can monitor application performance, identify bottlenecks, and provide insights to optimize application performance and user experience.
