Fujitsu Launches Systemwalker IT Change Manager

Fujitsu today announced the launch of Systemwalker IT Change Manager, a software package that automates the process of updating applications in corporate datacenters, in Japan.

Intended for corporate datacenters operating multiple servers and applications, the software automatically collects complex configuration information from every server and application, allowing it to automate application deployment based on the system's operating environment, including Fujitsu's Interstage or Microsoft's .NET.

The software enables users to reliably perform updates in corporate datacenters with operating environments with many mixed applications, providing customers with more stable system operations and thus improved business continuity.

Background

In order to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of IT-resource utilization, in recent years businesses have begun to consolidate their departmental IT systems into corporate datacenters. This has also transferred the responsibility for updating applications, which used to be performed at the departmental level, to corporate datacenters. This process has resulted in the creation of more work for IT system operations departments, requiring extensive knowledge of how to manage a variety of applications and operating environments. Consequently, the demand for new approaches to handling operations has risen. Given the increasing complexity of operating environments where servers and resources can be added or changed dynamically through virtualization technology, there is an urgent need to find a way to quickly configure and get numerous applications up and running, as well as to handle the deployment of high-frequency applications.

Systemwalker IT Change Manager addresses these issues by automatically collecting configuration details from large, complex corporate datacenters, and automating the process of deploying complex updates as well as individually configuring different application operating environments, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the manual work involved. Furthermore, the package ensures that the procedures involving application and authorization, as well as the operational results are logged in the actual operating environment.

Product Features

1. Reliably ensures application updates in mixed application operating environments
   This product automatically detects the configurations of operating environments and applications, including Fujitsu's Interstage and Microsoft's .NET, and maintains this information in a Configuration Management Database (CMDB)⁽¹⁾.
   
   When updating an application, the software detects the servers running the application using the CMDB configuration information. Even when numerous servers and multiple operating environments are involved, the update process is automatic and proceeds with no omissions, ensuring that the application is reliably updated.
   
   Fujitsu plans to support a number of other operating environments in the future, including IBM's WebSphere and Oracle's Oracle WebLogic.
2. Finger Print ensures the integrity of applications being deployed to an actual operating environment
   When a software development department hands over an application to the administrative department, the judgment as to whether the software is ready to go live in an actual operating environment without errors typically involves verifying the names, revision dates and sizes of all the files. This process, however, is not sufficient.
   
   Fujitsu's product checks the uniquely certified "Finger Print⁽²⁾" of each application to determine whether the application is the correct one for the environment.
3. Detects whether revisions have been made without administrator approval to maintain an uncorrupted actual operating environment
   The product preserves the source code and deployable files handed over from the software development department to the administrative department, including file revision dates, sizes, and Finger Prints, in addition to a log of requests and approvals as part of its workflow. Stored information is periodically checked against the information in the actual operating environment to detect any unapproved changes. If any are detected, they can be checked and approved, or be rolled back to its previous state.
   
   Systemwalker IT Change Manager is compliant with the practices of the "service transition" area as defined by the ITIL®⁽³⁾ compilation of best administration practices. The integrated operations-management software Systemwalker covers the ITIL categories of "service design," "service transition," and "service operations."
   
   Systemwalker is designed to assist customers with system operations administration for the forthcoming era of cloud computing.

Pricing and Availability

Operating Environments

*1: Only supported on business servers (agents)
*2: Only provided on management servers (managers)
*3: Runs in 32-bit compatible mode
*4. Runs as a 32-bit application on Windows 32-bit on Windows 64-bit (WOW64) systems