Availability is a measure of how often data and applications are ready for end-users when they need them. Many factors contribute to the availability of an IT system. Hosting, connectivity, hardware, software, network architecture, back up, and how these are monitored and managed, all contribute to the availability of a system.

The days of isolated application servers supporting local end-users are gone. Today’s business environment often involves multiple hardware platforms and multiple software solutions. The work force consists of local, remote and mobile end-users needing access to system resources well outside the framework of a 9 to 5 business day.

The complexity of systems has grown to accommodate advancing business environments, making availability a challenge for even the best IT departments. Often, staff is so constrained with the crush of immediate responsibilities that availability is an after thought – and events are resolved by “individual acts of courage” when problems inevitably arise.

First Option increases IT system availability. We optimize iSeries and AS400 environments for top performance by monitoring and managing the factors that contribute to system availability - hosting, hardware, software, network architecture, connectivity, and back up.