You’ve already invested a lot of money into your ecommerce and other business applications. Now, you’re depending on them to consistently operate at optimal performance levels, and if they do, well, it just might start raining dollars.

A big part of getting the most out of your applications is through vigilant and intelligent monitoring and management techniques. That means implementing a strategic and appropriate APM method.

Click on the link for an in-depth answer to the question, “What is APM method?” But what we want to focus here is on a presentation of the major motivations that should be driving you to invest in application performance management (APM).

Understandably, before you dig into the “golden corporate piggy bank,” you need to know it will all be worthwhile. With APM software and services, worthwhile-ness is easily demonstrated. Here are some of the benefits you stand to reap by investing in APM:

1. Access to Detailed Performance Metrics

Before you can even think about improving the performance level of your applications, you first need access to a detailed breakdown of the relevant metrics. And you need constant, periodic updates on these metrics so you can compare past performance with present and set reasonable future-performance goals.

APM software gives you all of that. But beware of “vanity metrics,” too. Look for rates, not so much totals; and look for contextualized rates. For example, you need to know end-user averager response times under peak load (transactions per second), not just how many transactions were made.

Tracking both end-user and computational capacity metrics will enable you to know how your load capacity stacks up against likely demand at particular times of day, week, and year. This will help you prevent bottlenecks and be prepared to handle your full traffic at speeds acceptable to your users.

2. You Save Money by Investing Money

If it “takes money to make money,” it also requires an investment to save money, and APM can do a lot to improve your ROI on your applications.

First, APM can help you solve problems with your software before they explode on you and cause unplanned downtime. Downtime means time you make no money, whereas, you could have been making a lot, and it bleeds your bottom line fast. Keeping business-critical systems up and running and keeping ecommerce sites active and fully functional 24/7 are huge money-saving benefits.

But APM can also help you pinpoint where a bug exists fast, so you can fix it fast, even absent the danger of a total crash. That means a lower mean time to repair (MTTR), which saves you time and money.

Finally, APM allows you to save on “capacity expenditures,” meaning you pay only for what you need. You can target when to keep capacity high, and when to lower it. That both keeps online customers happy (which boosts business and makes more money) and eliminates overpaying for capacity you don’t need, at the same time.

3. Improved Employee Productivity

Another key impact of well done APM is increased employee productivity, in your IT department. IT workers will have constant access to the big picture of what’s going on with your important applications. They will also get auto-notifications when peak load-time hits or when a potential problem arises.

That means your workers can focus on other things instead of spending a lot of time searching for and fixing bugs. APM makes their jobs easier and faster, which boosts productivity directly but also indirectly by boosting employee morale.