Managed Computer Services CSC provides a comprehensive range of managed services with regards to computing and storage environments that includes hosting, mainframe, midrange, disaster recovery and storage services. At CSC, we offer a range of results-driven computing (RDC) services to support a customers computing environment, from the most centralised to the most distributed topologies. And by ‘results-driven’, we mean more than merely meeting SLAs.
CSC has developed data centre operations policies, procedures and client services that permit the efficient management of complex, large-scale computing environments. This common set of practices is deployed across all CSC data centres, and includes: • remote monitoring • consulting and project support • operational design and engineering • production control • capacity planning • quality assurance • performance tuning • help desk and third level support.
Hosting
CSC Managed Hosting services includes hosting, data centres, network connectivity, security infrastructures, and managed application services that provide the support clients need today while providing flexible, modular services that scale as their business grows tomorrow.
CSC approaches managed hosting from a complete solution point of view to ensure every aspect of our clients’ environments are reliable, secure, and performance driven. One size does not fit all, and CSC has designed Managed Hosting to be flexible to meet each organization’s unique requirements. Our clients’ business needs and sensitivities come first and drive our decisions on products, services and technology. Mainframe
By enlisting CSC to manage their mainframe computing resources, clients gain instant access to world-class processes, skills, products, methodologies, tools, training and infrastructure. The result for clients is a reliable, repeatable process for planning and delivering outstanding continuous mainframe performance anywhere in the world.
RDC Mainframe services are deployed via three Global Event Management Centres forming the backbone of a capability to deliver significant amounts of computing infrastructure to any point on the globe. Located in the USA, UK and Australia, they house enterprise-class multi-client and multi-platform computing operations accessible to clients by multiple high-speed data networks. All data centres have high levels of redundancy which permit enhanced availability and production failover for critical systems. Full 24x365 operations and network monitoring support is provided, and all facilities are equipped with modern automated problem determination systems which ensure early alerts and a rapid response to system issues.
CSC’s approach to its managed mainframe service offering is based upon a high level of flexibility in order to meet differing needs and varying budgets – and to meet them cost-effectively. As demand increases or falls, the service can adapt to meet client requirements – clients select an appropriate number of base mainframe processing units, together with selected optional services. Midrange
CSC is committed to becoming the premier provider of midrange outsourcing services. In order to achieve this goal, CSC has developed a midrange strategy allowing clients’ systems to be remotely managed by CSC within their own facility as well as having the option to relocate the systems to within a CSC data centre complex. This introduces improved levels of consistency and discipline to CSC’s outsourcing operations.
CSC designs, maintains and implements a common systems environment or Standard Operating Environment(SOE) within each midrange operating system that it supports including UNIX, VMS, OS/400 and WINTEL. The SOE includes standards and policies for implementing systems, utilities and tools to support operations and also includes a standard suite of layered product versions.
Managed Midrange Services include full facilities management either within a CSC data or within the client’s own facility. Included within the base service is the asset management and maintenance of all midrange and associated hardware. CSC will also manage the hardware vendor interface which will include the design, implementation and problem resolution of the midrange infrastructure, as well as the management of all technical updates.
Included within the base service is the management and maintenance of all midrange software, this will include the management of the software vendor interface which will include all software implementation and problem resolution. As part of the service, CSC will implement a software review process which will ensure that the topicality of software associated with business-critical systems is synchronised across all appropriate products. This will involve periodic proactive analysis and recommendations as to what products need to be upgraded in the next software update and detailed plans as to how the products are to be migrated. Software license management is also included within the base service.
There are a number of management functions that are also part of the base midrange service, these include: • general systems management • problem management • escalation management • vendor interface management • change management • capacity management / performance tuning.
Disaster Recovery
CSC's disaster recovery service combines infrastructure across multiple data centres and a proven management process that consists of the rules, processes, and disciplines that ensure a client’s business and its customers will continue in the face of catastrophic failure of one or more of the information processing or telecommunications resources upon which their business depends.
Environments can be restored to like infrastructure using data that has been backed up to tape that is stored in a remote secure location or disk data that has been replicated to another disk array at a DR site. Restoration of service is tested on a regular basis and is governed by RTO and RPO agreements. The goal of the disaster recovery process is to provide viable, effective, and economical recovery that supports the client’s business process recovery across all technology domains. Storage
At CSC, we developed Results-Driven Storage to help organizations expand their information capability by more strategically and cost-effectively managing the storage capacity they already have. Consider what Results-Driven Storage can help your organization achieve, from lower unit costs for storage, to faster access to key business information, to decreased regulatory risk and enhanced application performance:
• Cost Avoidance: Slowing the Cycle of Spending. Results-Driven Storage enables you to align the cost to store data with the value of that data to the business — and that saves you money. Not all data is created equal, and it makes little sense to apply gold-plated solutions to information with the lowest business value. By enabling you to identify active, semi-active, duplicate and inactive data and spend appropriately on the management of each, Results-Driven Storage helps you avoid unnecessary costs and maximize your return on storage investments. Additional ROI comes from storing low-value data offline and keeping data copies to a minimum.
• Information Extraction: Supporting Business Strategy. Research suggests that less than 10 percent of corporate data can be classified as mission-critical. The question is — which 10 percent? Decision-makers in the core business want to know, but, given the sheer volume of data, it’s increasingly difficult for IT organizations to provide timely answers. Now you can. With Results-Driven Storage Solutions, you gain the ability to identify, isolate and more rapidly retrieve data that is of greatest value to your business, without low-value data getting in the way. In addition, much of this “data triage” can be automated, meaning that users don’t need to know where data resides in order to find it quickly.
• Regulatory Compliance: Mitigating Risk. It’s not easy to successfully comply with governmental regulations for managing data. New regulations are periodically announced on data retention, decommissioning and destruction, and more and more enterprise functions are touched by these rules. As regulatory complexity increases, so does the potential costs of non-compliance. What’s needed to address this challenge is a data storage and retrieval system that provides security and clear audit trails; keeping data usable indefinitely, even after applications and file formats become obsolete; and lets you manage against firm expiration dates. By dramatically improving your control over what information you keep, where you keep it and for how long. Results-Driven Storage gives you proven tools for responding quickly to compliance and litigation challenges, including Sarbanes-Oxley.
• Application Optimization: Meeting Service Levels. Out-of-control data storage systems can severely impair enterprise performance. For example, capacity shortages can negatively affect Application Performance and Recovery Time Objectives and Recovery Point Objectives, resulting in missed service levels and decreased customer satisfaction. With Results-Driven Storage, you can continually refresh storage capacity via automated identification and deletion or archiving of stale and obsolete data. As a result, better overall IT service performance simplifies the task of meeting service levels. Related Links Contact us and let our experience help you produce results.
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