COFFEECUP SOFTWARE COMMENDATION

According to The Free Dictionary, a Web-based reference, a commendation is a message expressing a favorable opinion.

Creating webpages is detailed work. It can be frustrating. I looked around for an editor to help me write correct HTML code. (Microsoft WORD is a general-purpose editor. I was looking for a counterpart: an HTML editor.) I experimented with a few but I only rose up the learning curve after switching to Coffeecup Software’s HTML Editor. I’ve been using it since 2003.

Coffeecup’s homepage hints at the casual easygoing nature of the group. Their motto is “fresh software, warm people.” Their nature may be casual but their products are top-notch. And their prices are reasonable. The icing is this: buy a particular application and all future upgrades of that application are free.

Back in 2003, I downloaded a trial version of HTML Editor. It was a trial version so it didn’t cost me anything. Well one of their marketing points is that they would provide free support for their software even if they were trial versions. I took them up on it. I emailed them a request for assistance. And they responded. I was impressed. That’s how I became a customer.

At any rate, I was recently notified of a new version of HTML Editor. I clicked on the emailed link and was surprised that my account was not recognized. My account is my original order number. That tells Coffeecup the specific applications that I had purchased. That’s how Coffeecup knows the free upgrades that I’m entitled to.

I emailed them about it yesterday. Today, Sunday, I received a response from Suzanne Miller, their Sales & Office Manager. Apparently my original order was linked to another email address. Suzanne updated my account and took care of the problem.

It’s not often enough that I take the time to express my appreciation for good service so I’m going to change that. I want to thank Suzanne for her prompt response. And I want to thank Coffeecup Software for having employees like Suzanne. Way to go!

This links to their free software.

This links to the trial versions of their software.

This links to their About Us.

DATA CENTERS, PART-4

Real-world Downtime for each Tier

This was taken inside a rented cage inside a data center. This is a colocation site.

This is Part-4. Click here to read Part-1. A new tab or window will open.

“Uptime” refers to the end-user's uninterrupted access to his or her data. “Downtime” refers to any disruption to this access.

Both uptime and downtime are measured from the end-user perspective. Downtime, for example, is measured from the start to the end of the disruption. Downtime is always longer than the period of the actual disruption. This is due to the aftereffects that occur downstream of the point of disruption. Let's say a Tier-2 center experienced a power outage for 30 seconds. Database servers in the middle of multiple transactions would suddenly die. The database would probably not get corrupted thanks to the built-in safeguards of the database application. Still, it'll take time for the database administrators to confirm this. Assuming the best, end-user access will be restored.

These empirical statistics came from a control group of 16 data centers studied by The Uptime Institute, the creators of the Tier standard.

Tier-1 centers typically experience two separate 12-hour periods of downtime a year because of preventive maintenance. These sites also experience 1.2 failures a year of its components or paths. Tier-1 centers average 28.8 hours of downtime a year (equivalent to 99.67% uptime).

Tier-2 sites typically experience three scheduled maintenance periods every two years and one unexpected outage each year. Tier-2 centers average 22 hours of downtime a year (equivalent to 99.75% uptime).

Tier-3 centers typically experience four hours of downtime every two and a half years—or 1.6 hours a year (equivalent to 99.98% uptime).

Tier-4 sites typically experience four hours of downtime every five years—or 50 minutes a year (equivalent to 99.99% uptime).

So far, we know these factors will cause unexpected disruptions:

1. Human activities
2. Infrastructure and equipment failures
3. Acts of God

The human factor

I encountered another factor that will definitely cause a center to shut down. Local authorities. Local fire and electrical safety codes may force sites, regardless of tier, to shut down for inspections and tests. Fortunately, these can be planned events.

How long does it typically take to restore access from momentary disruptions? Four hours. Tier level aside, a disruption will require human intervention. That alone takes time. Would you agree that four hours seem quick for Tier-1 and -2 but, at the same time, seem too long for Tier-3 and -4? It's about expectations, isn't it?

The higher tiers, -3 and –4, should be built and, more importantly, operated with the capability to withstand subsequent failures triggered by the first failure event. "Failure" should be interpreted broadly as you will see from these customer examples.

The first involved a Tier-3 center normally staffed by two operators. One of them was on extended leave. One morning, the remaining person called in sick. How did they deal with it? The manager spent the day there. She wasn't trained but fortunately nothing untoward happened.

The second occurred in an Tier-2 room. A cooling pipe beneath the raised floor had sprung a leak. It went undetected for a week until a floor tile was picked up for another reason. A rather wide puddle had formed in the sub-floor. The site had no operators per se. The analysts, programmers, and managers had to deal with it. It was discovered mid-morning and was not was resolved until close to midnight. Nobody was really responsible for the physical infrastructure and, consequently, nobody was trained.

Facility failures often reveal previously unknown architectural, hardware, or software issues. As you read however, more than anything else, disruptions expose human activity-related deficiencies. You have to train and practice and fill the roles properly otherwise the human factor will get you.

IT ASSET AUDITING

Low-risk. High-reward.

You’re an organization that’s lost count of your desktops, servers, and other IT equipment. Sounds familiar? Most organizations are in that situation.

This is a low-risk, high-reward activity. Be legally compliant. Most software publishers do not litigate. Instead, many use the results of auditing reviews as a basis for “true-up” deals. “True-up” refers to the process of buying more licenses.

Two examples illustrate:

1. You have 150 licenses of software X. The audit reveals that 180 licenses were deployed and that all 180 are being used simultaneously. You will be required to pay for 180 licenses. This is “true-up.”
2. You purchased 300 licenses of software Y. You installed it on 300 desktops. The audit reveals that only 250 instances of software Y are being used. Come renewal time, you pay for only 250 licenses. Let’s refer to this as “true-down.”

The auditing process can collect more useful information. And you should take advantage of that. Since you’re checking every desktop and server (and other IT equipment, but we won’t include that here) anyway, you might as well gather the additional information.



Learn the configuration of each machine.

• Desktop 56 runs the G/L of the accounting module of SAP Business All-in-One on Windows 2000.

Identify the user of each machine and confirm the appropriateness of that role to the machine.

• Desktop 56 is assigned to Tom, a cost accountant.

Determine whether the correct software is installed on a particular machine.

• You discover the accounting module would run faster if more RAM was added to Desktop 56.

While it is true that many users use unlicensed software, a good number of them do so unwittingly. How does this come about?

Confusion that arise from vague, complex, and ever-changing licensing rules.

Software publishers frequently change user licenses. About half the time, they do it during the active life of the product. Case in point: Microsoft. It changed significant parts of its Client Access License (CAL) three times during the three years of Microsoft Windows 2000’s marketing life.

Changes in the user IT environment.

In the data center, servers are inevitably upgraded to newer, more powerful models. Software licenses recognize this and permit software to be installed in the replacement. The process isn’t complete, however, until the same software is removed from the old server that was replaced. In many instances, this part is overlooked. Result: one licensed and one unlicensed deployment.

Mergers & Acquisitions.

It may surprise you but this isn’t a subset of the preceding reason. Why? Many software licenses do not automatically transfer licensee rights to another party unless it’s stated explicitly. More often than not, after one company acquires another, the acquirer takes control over the assets of the acquired. In theory, the acquirer has the responsibility of checking this provision. In reality, lawyers on both sides are busy dealing with other larger issues.

Misunderstanding between IT and Procurement.

This is related to the first reason, namely the confusion that arise from vague, complex, and ever-changing licensing rules. In theory, either IT or Procurement should know how many and what kind of licenses should be acquired. In reality, this often falls between the cracks. Result: under- or over-purchases of appropriate or inappropriate licenses. Two examples: (1) a license is deployed on a server that has more CPUs than the license allows, and (2) widespread access is allowed for software that has a limited-user license.

Is non-compliance a serious problem?

It is. Most software publishers deal with offenders—especially first-timers—in an understanding and lenient manner. Publishers realize that they can lose customers and antagonize entire user groups if they act with a heavy hand. To be fair, publishers deserve the revenue from unlicensed deployments. Bottom line: I think the relative laxity stems from practical reasons of customer relations as well as the recognition by the software industry of the vague, complex, and ever-changing rules of their products. Result: many publishers will settle for true-up deals.

HOW ERP SOFTWARE DELIVER ITS BENEFITS

Integrated software solutions that span the organization requires business processes to change.

“Integrated” means that the output of one department is the input of another. A good example is the Sales department—the source of many transactions. Whenever a widget (the product) is sold, it triggers a chain of events through a number of outputs.

Inventory will receive an input to locate the widget from among several warehouses and pull it from the one closes to the customer.

Order Entry will receive an input to enter the order into the system after it runs several checks on the new order (e.g., credit check).

Accounts Receivable will receive an input to record a pending sale. The record will contain transaction details such as the identity of the salesperson who brought in the order and the details of the sale itself (e.g., the sales price).

Another term for integrated software is ERP, short for Enterprise Resource Planning. The term is actually a misnomer since the software has nothing to do with planning resources. It does, however, have everything to do with the enterprise—the organization in its entirety. In the late 90s, I worked for the largest healthcare application services provider. Typically, we installed our proprietary software in their environment and processed their transactions at our data center. We provided application services to our client hospitals. Our software was modular and clients could license it on a piecemeal basis. They could license the clinical applications set that, in turn, consisted of separately license-able modules for nursing, radiology, etc. Our entire suite of software applications was an ERP even though my employer did not call it as such.

It should now be clear that integrated software requires business processes to change to derive the software’s maximum benefits.

ERP software does not, in and of itself, provide an organization with a competitive advantage. ERP can initiate the changes—also known as the “re-engineering”—of the business processes to make them more streamlined, efficient and more cost-effective.

Streamlined refers to the decrease in the number of steps—the “touch points” in today’s jargon—that a transaction takes as it winds its way through the system.

Efficient refers to the decrease in mistakes since the software does not miss a step in the transaction’s processing.

And more cost-effective refers to the reduction in the cost to process a transaction—from 20 to 3 cents, for example.

ERP implementation is a costly investment. For a mid-sized business (less than $500 million in revenues), it may even be the most costly expenditure of any kind. In return, ERP promises to create new competitive advantages to the company provided the implementation is done correctly.

It must not only be installed properly, it must be accompanied by the requisite business change in business processes, and, finally, be supported by senior management in order for the investment to deliver its benefits.

This is the promise of ERP fulfilled. The company’s competitive advantages will mainly come from the streamlined, efficient, and cost-effective business processes.