Five Lessons Game Of Thrones Can Teach You About IT Monitoring

The latest season 7 of Game of Thrones (GoT) just ended with all the twists and turns you can imagine.

For those in IT, and fans of the series, you can take this opportunity to look at 5 ways the fight for the Iron Throne can teach us lessons about the need for IT monitoring. Be warned, spoilers are ahead.

Lesson #1: Winter Is Coming

The phrase “Winter is coming” was used in the series since the first episode which screened in April and its the slogan for the Starks, who are the lords of the North.

The phrase serves as warning, constant vigilance, and the strive to always be prepared for the coming of Winter. Some say it also serve to remind the whole of Westeros of the first White Walker attack thousands of years ago.

As Westeros have been enjoying peace for thousands of years, most of Westeros citizens have taken the warning for granted. Even Cersi Lannister, the evil queen, had to see a real White Walker in person to believe the existence of the Night King.

The same applies to IT infrastructure. While it is working perfectly, those dependent on it will take the uninterrupted use of IT for granted. When the IT goes down, panic starts to sip in. Fingers start to point, usually from the IT end-users to the IT department, for their incompetence to ensure IT does not go down.

With a IT monitoring solution in place, before any IT downtime, the IT team will be the first to be alerted of potential issues pertaining to a possible downtime. The alerts will give the IT team ample time to react to the possible downtime before it affects end-users.

Lesson #2: Be Alerted Immediately When The Wall Goes Down

In the last scene of the final episode of the latest season 7, GoT fans were given a spectacle of a wright dragon utilising its blue flame to bring the Wall down. The Wall was built, a thousand of years ago, to prevent the attack of the White Walkers.

Given that Season 8 will take 18 months to go on air, those trying to prepare for the eventual Winter, will take the same time “in real life” to be alerted of the Wall coming down.

IT departments do not have the same luxury of time to be alerted of any IT downtime. In fact, response is expected to be immediate or before the downtime actually occurs.

In the Game of Thrones world, the fastest delivery of news seems to be via magically controlled Ravens.

If you do not have any magically controlled Ravens, you probably need to depend on SMS and email to immediately alert the IT team of devices that have dangerously crossed critical threshold levels.

Lesson #3: Centralise Monitoring Of Your Army When They Are Spread Out

As the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, is all set to take back the Iron Throne. She also has to monitor the progress of her multi-culture and multi-languages army, made up of The Unsullied Salves and The Dothraki Herd all across, the wide expanse of Westeros as they embark on their multi-pronged attack.

In the season finale, Daenerys had to patiently wait for news of the progress of her army as news spreads as fast a raven could fly.

An IT department, who is responsible for their IT infrastructure, parked in different parts of the world, cannot afford to wait days to be informed of IT downtime or issues. They would need a centralise monitoring solution which will allow a single view of their IT infrastructure spread across the globe.

Speaking of multi-culture and languages, IT infrastructure, today, are often made up of various brands. IT departments would need an IT monitoring solution provider to be brand agnostic to monitor these devices. While a device brand specific monitoring solution can also monitor their competitors, the IT team cannot expect that brand to support a competitor’s brand networking device to address monitoring challenges.

IT teams need brand agnostic monitoring solution provider to assist them in add various brands of devices when new brands or equipment are added into the IT infrastructure.

Lesson #4: Don’t Tap On Iron Bank To Start A War

Cersi Lannister depended on the Iron Bank for loans of funds to pay for mercenaries to fight the Mother of Dragons, which is theorised to happen in Season 8.

While Lannisters always repay their debt, Cersi Lannister had to rob another royal family castle to pay existing loans before new loans can be applied from the Iron Bank.

For IT teams, an IT monitoring solution should not cost a leg and arm for the IT department. The IT monitoring solution should be affordable within their means and it is recommended that they should work with a monitoring solution provider who can provide their cost flexibility to meet their monitoring needs.

Lesson #5: Form An Alliance With Strong Partners To Defend Or Fight An Upcoming War

The army of both sides are made up alliances of different families and factions. The Alliance can only be stronger if the partners are also strong, flexible and grow as the demand grows.

IT departments also need to form strong alliances with IT monitoring solutions they can work with and grow with them as their IT grows. IT departments wouldn’t want the IT monitoring solution provider to just a vendor but a partner which can assist them in the time of need.

A strong partner is also one where the support team is strategically located in the same area or time zone to allow response to be immediate rather than to wait another day because of time differences.

(This article first appeared at NetGain Systems - http://www.netgain-systems.com/five-lessons-game-of-thrones-teach-about-it-monitoring/)