End-to-end Application Performance Management (APM) refers to the IT service discipline that encompasses the identification, prioritization and resolution of performance and availability problems affecting business applications. APM is increasingly important as end-users rely on ever-more complex applications to enable critical business transactions. Poor application performance reduces productivity, impacts customer satisfaction and damages IT's reputation, resulting in increased costs, lost revenue and IT inefficiency - often to a greater degree than availability problems.

This white paper provides an overview of application performance management (APM) design, implementation and operation fundamentals, and discusses end-to-end APM as a process.