Network Traffic Monitoring for Application-Independent Business Process Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing business process monitoring technologies are incomplete due to the diversity of applications and lack of monitoring products, making it difficult to track all business processes effectively across multiple applications and subdivisions without instrumentation at the application level.
Innovation Solution
Collecting and filtering network traffic data using network monitoring probes and engines to identify business process events, defining event identifiers, and tracking individual instances of business processes without modifying underlying applications, providing a more robust solution for business process tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If point-products are used to monitor business processes in diverse applications, then monitoring can be implemented in specific applications, but full coverage and tracking of all business processes cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal monitoring approach by collecting network traffic data that can track business processes across multiple diverse applications without requiring application-specific instrumentation. The system monitors network packets to extract business process information from various applications including web servers, database systems, and custom applications, providing comprehensive coverage through a single multi-functional monitoring platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces network traffic data as an intermediary layer between diverse applications and the monitoring system. Instead of directly instrumenting each application, the system captures and analyzes network traffic packets that flow between applications, using this intermediate data source to track business processes across the entire system without modifying individual applications.
2Measurement precision
If instrumentation is added at the application level to monitor business processes, then monitoring capability is improved, but system complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts business process monitoring functionality from the application layer and relocates it to the network layer. By capturing network traffic data and extracting business process information from packets, the system achieves accurate process tracking without adding instrumentation code to applications, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of instrumenting applications with code modifications with a network-based monitoring approach. Instead of embedding sensors or instrumentation in applications, the system uses network packet capture and analysis to achieve the same monitoring objectives, simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Loss of information
If multiple diverse applications and subdivisions are monitored using traditional methods, then specific business processes can be tracked, but complete end-to-end visibility across the organization cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal monitoring framework that captures network traffic across all applications and organizational subdivisions through a single system. The monitoring platform processes network packets to track business processes spanning multiple applications including order management, inventory systems, and supply chain applications, providing complete end-to-end visibility without requiring separate monitoring solutions for each application.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and machine readable and executable instructions are provided for business process tracking. Business process tracking can include collecting data from network traffic. Instances of the data can include a number of events, a session identifier, and user information. The data can be filtered to a reduced number of events with a network monitoring engine. A number of business process event identifiers corresponding to the reduced number of events can be defined in a network adaptor. An individual instance of the business process can be distinguished according to the session identifier and the user information. The individual instance of the business process can be tracked independent of a number of applications running on the network.