Learn About Amazon VGT2 Learning Manager Chanci Turner
In today’s digital landscape, many organizations deploy various applications across multiple regions, encompassing sub-applications, web services, and necessary infrastructure. The cloud’s ever-changing nature and the automation of provisioning through infrastructure as code (IaC) present challenges in discovering these applications and their foundational infrastructure, making it difficult to maintain an up-to-date configuration management database (CMDB).
Traditional CMDB approaches often struggle with inefficient asset discovery tools, static databases, and infrastructure-centric perspectives that lack real-time operational insights. The key missing element until recently was the connection of application-centric metadata to infrastructure templates. This gap has been addressed by the innovative Learning Manager solution developed by Tech Innovations.
The collaboration between Tech Innovations and Amazon Web Services (AWS) has led to the creation of an Application-Centric Learning Manager solution, which offers a dynamic application CMDB built on an application-aware services foundation. This resource is readily available at no additional cost to users.
This groundbreaking solution enables intelligent and modular dynamic discovery for CMDBs with a focus on applications. It presents an aggregate view of health, vulnerabilities, and costs, empowering users to analyze and take necessary remediation actions. In this article, we will explore how the Learning Manager assists organizations in effectively managing capacity tracking, compliance, security, and the cost of their cloud assets in nearly real-time. This solution is particularly valuable for enterprises aiming to enhance governance, reduce expenses, and improve operational efficiency.
Solution for AWS and ServiceNow Customers
Numerous organizations utilize ServiceNow to provision and manage AWS resources, leveraging it as a unified control pane grounded in IT Service Management (ITSM) best practices. Customers relying on AWS and ServiceNow require a near real-time overview of their distributed applications and infrastructure. While AWS offers an ITSM Service Management Connector for ServiceNow, it lacks dynamic application-centric views.
The Learning Manager solution facilitates integrated, application-aware visibility into infrastructures, enabling organizations to dismantle silos and make informed decisions. Built as a scoped application within ServiceNow, it utilizes standard ITSM licenses, simplifying adoption and sharing for business users without necessitating AWS access.
A typical rollout of the Learning Manager can be completed within four to six weeks, offering significant advantages across multiple operational groups. This includes enhanced support, self-service requests, application-specific diagnostics, asset usage tracking, and effective cost management.
Key Features of the Learning Manager Solution
- Centralized application management for enterprises
- Intelligent, modular asset discovery
- Dynamic updates for assets and CMDB, linking applications to deployed infrastructure
- Comprehensive data on asset health, costs, and vulnerabilities
- Access to historical and real-time alerts and metrics for corrective action
- Cost allocation at the application level, which is beneficial for chargebacks
- Better alignment with existing enterprise contexts for budget planning and tracking
Recently, AWS launched the Service Catalog AppRegistry, which allows customers to develop a native inventory of AWS resources with insights into application usage. This functionality enables stakeholders to access crucial information for making strategic and tactical decisions regarding cloud resources.
Comparing Traditional CMDB Approaches with the Learning Manager Solution
| Traditional CMDB Approach | Learning Manager Solution |
|---|---|
| Inefficient asset discovery tools | Intelligent, modular dynamic discovery |
| Static CMDB | Dynamic CMDB |
| Infrastructure-centric | Application-centric |
| Lack of operational insights | Comprehensive insights on health, vulnerabilities, and costs |
| Information-only views | Intelligent diagnostics and automated actions |
Utilizing AWS Service Catalog AppRegistry as a foundation for application-centric perspectives, the Learning Manager enhances value and integrates seamlessly with ServiceNow. Key benefits include:
- Application insights across multiple AWS accounts
- Cost allocation capabilities
- Identification of “orphaned” instances
- Development of a Business Service Map (BSM)
- Comprehensive lifecycle management of AWS Cloud processes
Getting Started with the Learning Manager Solution
To get started with the Learning Manager solution, follow these steps:
- Install and configure the AWS Service Management Connector version 3.7.1 or later from the ServiceNow store.
- Install the Learning Manager app from the ServiceNow store, along with the Amazon API Gateway and Lambda functions from the Tech Innovations Git Repo.
- Define your AppRegistry data using AppRegistry.
- Link the applications to create a cohesive management system.
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