Application Delivery Infrastructure (ADI) is a computing foundation built with technologies that are used to deliver applications to users consistently and effectively. It has become one of the major areas of IT infrastructure, reflecting the changing role of the business application in today's dynamic and global business environment. At the heart of application delivery infrastructure is the distinction between the deployment and the delivery of applications. IT must now support a level of business agility that exceeds the capabilities of the deployment of applications, a traditional approach which is limited by the inflexibility caused by the tight coupling of typical IT infrastructure. In contrast, the delivery of applications is a new approach that is designed to conquer the limits of this complex and rigid IT infrastructure.
The architecture of application delivery infrastructure centers on virtualization, optimization and management, and security technologies that interoperate and work with other IT infrastructure components to deliver the application from its inception in the datacenter to its consumption at the endpoint.
- Virtualization. Delivery begins with virtualization technologies that separate the hard-coded layers commonly found in IT infrastructure-network, hardware, operating system, data, applications, and user settings, such as the desktop-into modular components. These modular components can then be dynamically delivered in combinations that best meet each individual's requirements at any particular time. With this approach, applications no longer need to be tied to a specific operating system or hardware platform. For example, Windows® applications can run on Macs and Linux workstations. As a result, an organization's applications can run in complete isolation on an end-user device.
- Optimization. Optimization technologies ensure that the end-user enjoys the best experience possible for any given scenario. The application delivery experience is completely transparent to the individual, regardless of the changes that might occur in the circumstances under which the application was requested, or within the infrastructure that exists between the end-user and the application.
- Security. Application delivery is encrypted and made available for auditing as determined by business rules. The complete access scenario is analyzed automatically, including the identity of the person, where the person is located, the state of the endpoint, and the context in which the application is being used. Accordingly, decisions can be made as to which applications will be delivered, how the applications will be delivered, and the types of resources with which the applications can interact, such as data.
- Management. The management of application delivery begins with end-user experience monitoring. A constant analysis is made of the application delivery, from the perspective of the user who is accessing the application. This information then is fed back automatically to the management infrastructure, or manually to system administrators, to be used to continually optimize the delivery experience or resolve incidents.
For more about ADI and how its technologies work, read the Core ADI Technologies section.
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