Why the IBM and AppDynamics Beta is the partnership you're looking for...
"So, you want me to test your code for you then?" - Any number of clients
I've lost count of how many times I've had this exact conversation with a client. When done right, beta programs can be a tremendously valuable exchange between software vendor and user, whereby valuable feedback is given to help improve the offering, and in return clients help shape the direction of a product around their needs and get a jump start ahead of the final release. Too often however beta programs can be done very late in the day meaning that that ability to influence and improve is a missed opportunity, and clients can quite legitimately feel that all they are doing at the final stages are validating code quality, rather that influencing product value. Thankfully through agile development and Design Thinking, those days are long gone in IBM z, and the recent IBM / AppDynamics APM beta is a shining example of how to make this work for all parties.
"Before this integration, the mainframe was just a black box and we couldn't truly manage our applications end-to-end"
The IBM / AppDynamics partnership is all about extending the reach of mainframe operational data so that clients have increased flexibility in choosing the best Application Performance Management for their needs to better diagnose issues and restore service with a true end-to-end view of their enterprise.
When we announced the partnership with AppDynamics back at Interconnect this year, we had a tremendous amount of interest and through our Beta program that interest has crystallised into great engagements with sponsor users who are helping set the direction of our offerings. Through this partnership, we've been able to prioritise which topologies are most important for clients, gain feedback in areas such as performance overhead and generally help ensure the user experience is exactly what our clients want.
We've already delivered 2 beta drops, with more to follow as we march towards a Generally Available offering, and its not too late if you're interested in taking a look for yourself you can access it directly by going to this link.
If you're interested in general in what we're doing in this space, or would like to sign up to join the OMEGAMON for APM community to be kept aware of all future updates you are very welcome to do so. Charts and recording of our Early Access Program call demoing the new capability, are also available if you'd just like to get a flavour of what we're doing.
Do feel free to comment below if you have questions or get in touch if you'd like to have a deeper conversation about how OMEGAMON for APM can help you and your enterprise or generally if you'd like advice about achieve Operational Excellence with IBM z Systems.