Wiley Computer Operations Management

Provides a practical approach to resolving the computer operation problems that managers commonly face, with easy-to-understand language and a step-by-step approach to controlling computer room output. From the Inside Flap Computer Operations Management Ruediger Vossen Thomas E. Curtin If you?d like to spend less time "putting out fires" and more time planning and managing your computer room?s processing? If you?ve got a big maintenance backlog that just won?t go away? If you?re frequently asked to meet impossible schedules? This book was written for you. Developed by two IBM systems specialists with more than forty years combined experience in I/S operations, Computer Operations Management offers specific, real-world strategies for taking control of your computer operations and running them at peak efficiency. Computer Operations Management shows you how to turn your computer room into a dependable "information factory" that meets user needs and priorities. And it shows you how to maintain a consistently high level of performance while keeping your users from making unreasonable demands. The key is a three-step approach to managing computer operations: First, you?ll learn how to stabilize the production environment. Rudy Vossen and Tom Curtin offer proven tactics for making sure the same work is done the same way every time and minimizing the disruption and drain on resources caused by production problems. From preventive maintenance to dealing with component failure, backup and recovery to optimizing workflow, these are techniques that get results. Next, you?ll learn how to take control of the production environment to maximize the information service it provides. Production control means doing only authorized work and doing it at the right time, using available resources efficiently, and planning for the future by adapting capacity to meet changing needs. Vossen and Curtin offer practical strategies for production scheduling, disk and tape management, capacity planning and performance evaluation?without the esoteric mathematical theory usually associated with optimization. You?ll also find specific guidelines for establishing effective management reporting and charge-back systems and user contracts. The third and final step on the way to efficient operations is managing your users? expectations. Here, you?ll discover how to educate your clients?both users and auditors?on what computer operations can and cannot realistically be expected to do. The best-written programs are only as good as your computer room?s ability to run them. Computer Operations Management gives you the management and technical tools to process all your DP work correctly, completely, and on schedule. About the Author About the authors RUEDIGER VOSSEN is an Advisory Systems Engineer with the IBM Corporation, where he has worked since 1967. He has also held positions in computer operations, systems and applications programming, systems engineering, and teaching. THOMAS E. CURTIN has held a variety of positions with the IBM Corporation since 1968, chiefly in I/S. He spent ten years in the Information Systems organization of the company's General Technology Division, working on projects supporting advanced manufacturing processes. Mr. Curtin has developed and taught courses on software application development at the IBM Information Systems Management Institute in New York City and currently teaches senior executive programs at the IBM Advanced Business Institute. He holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut.