2.2 Microsoft Operations Framework

The MOF is one of the three frameworks that form the Microsoft Enterprise Services frameworks. Each framework provides detailed information on the people, processes, and technologies required for success in the different phases of the IT life cycle. The three Enterprise Services frameworks are as follows:

• The Microsoft Readiness Framework provides guidance to help prepare the organization to use Microsoft products.

• The Microsoft Solutions Framework provides guidance in the planning, building, and deployment phases of the project life cycle.

• The MOF provides comprehensive operational guidance for managing environments based on Microsoft technologies.

Microsoft is well established as a software giant. However, a framework is not software. The three frameworks include a variety of assessment tools, best practices, case studies, courseware, deployment guides, operations guides, planning tools, solution kits, support tools, training roadmaps, and white papers.

MOF includes a set of best practices, principles, and models that promote mainframe-quality reliability, availability, supportability, and manageability for environments built on Microsoft products and technology.

Microsoft designed MOF to help IT departments design IT services to meet business goals and priorities while reducing downtime, risks, and the total cost of ownership for production systems.

There are some obvious benefits for IT organizations, but there are some equally important benefits to Microsoft. Microsoft wants to compete more effectively at the enterprise level for mission-critical production systems. To accomplish this, the company needs to negate the perception that Microsoft platforms do not have the reliability necessary for mission-critical services. During the past...