Practical Service Level Management: Delivering High-Quality Web-Based Services

Chapter 7. Policy-Based Management

Managing services in compliance with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) places more demands on the management system and the staff. Stiffer penalties for noncompliance increase the pressures to respond quickly and accurately even while the environment grows more dynamic and complex. Often, more sophisticated automation than that described in Chapter 6, "Real-Time Operations," is needed to relieve and supplement overworked staff members. Toward that end, this chapter covers the following:

• Policy-based management

• The need for policies

• The policy architecture

• Policy design

• Examples of products