What can truly affect your application performance negatively? What warning signs or “hints” should you be looking for that things are about to take a turn for the worse? What application performance management tools could you/should you use?
Read below for six issues that could be affecting the performance of your applications.
- Application testing, as in, poorly done testing of an application by its developer. Does the developer actually test the application in the environment in which it will be used? If not, there could be issues. (Tip: Ask the developer this question before purchasing.)
- The application’s infrastructure. This can be one of the hardest issues to detect when your applications start making a fuss. This goes for application dependencies on supporting applications (Solr monitoring needed, anyone?) Virtual servers and networks have driven the complexity of application delivery infrastructure sky high and so your assignment, whether you choose to take it on or not, is to find an application monitoring tool that will find and monitor the network throughout the full application service automatically.
- Network/bandwidth bottlenecks. Got a hitch in your network and/or bandwith and just watch as your network queues back up. Which serves to affect your applications’ performance adversely. (Tip: watch how many new applications, users and devices use your network.)
- Environments gone virtual. Virtualization and the cloud are wonderful things – but they can mean big trouble for your applications due to their complex layers. Look for applications that will alert your database administrators about applications that have slowed. It’s also wise to purchase applications that provide auto-diagnosis tools that will point your administrators to the cause of the slowdown.
- Mobility also plays a factor. You can thank the smartphones and tablets you’ve provided your employees. As mobile users multiply, they engage more often. More engagement more often means applications slow down.
- Peak usage. The more people use an application at the same time, the slower it goes. Before purchasing, and/or as you monitor, study how many people are likely to use it, when they’re going to use it, how they’re going to use it (what type of transaction) and how often.
Finally, a bit about Java monitoring. This ubiquitous application is notorious for security problems and its developers and, while PCWorld.com reported in May that Oracle was this close to coming up with security improvements, it’s still wise to keep an extremely close eye on your Java application(s).
