where does Application Packaging sit in your shop?
Hey all,
My manager asked me an interesting question... "how do other organizations run their Application packaging/deployment shops?" This is aimed at those of you who are in larger orgs where packaging / testing / deployment may not all be in the same shop. I'm in government and we have a infrastructure group that handles OS images and a few "corporate" applications. All other app packaging is done by our helpdesk team who interfaces with the clients directly. This means lots of back and forth between the two groups. I just wanted to know how the rest of the world has chopped up these roles.
Feedback?
My manager asked me an interesting question... "how do other organizations run their Application packaging/deployment shops?" This is aimed at those of you who are in larger orgs where packaging / testing / deployment may not all be in the same shop. I'm in government and we have a infrastructure group that handles OS images and a few "corporate" applications. All other app packaging is done by our helpdesk team who interfaces with the clients directly. This means lots of back and forth between the two groups. I just wanted to know how the rest of the world has chopped up these roles.
Feedback?
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Posted by:
jcarri06
14 years ago
Well...anywhere, lol. I've been on roles where packaging was done from the comfort of my home and my entire team is remote, to roles where the packagers are huddled in one side, QAers huddled on another, and Distributors somewhere in the middle, and lastly, where the entire IT support team was inside the data center comforted by the ever present "hum" of the servers in the background :).
Basically, in my experience, anywhere there's room, lol.
Basically, in my experience, anywhere there's room, lol.
Posted by:
Xango
14 years ago
lol, no not where do they physically sit... I meant in the org structure. Where does best practice place the role of Application packager.
Is it in the engineering shop? ie the team that builds the servers, set the desktop policies and run your data centre
OR
In the desktop support side ie: imaging workstation, replacing mice and doing the occasional sneakernet installations.
Or is done in both. I'm just looking for how other large organizations are doing this.
Cheers.
Is it in the engineering shop? ie the team that builds the servers, set the desktop policies and run your data centre
OR
In the desktop support side ie: imaging workstation, replacing mice and doing the occasional sneakernet installations.
Or is done in both. I'm just looking for how other large organizations are doing this.
Cheers.
Posted by:
syn
14 years ago
Kind of depends really. Our business is approx 10,000 machines nationally. I cringe at the thought of our helpdesk doing application packaging / deployment. Ours is at level 2 Desktop support. Unfortunately I'm usually the only person looking after the whole shebang!
Also we run it in a Dev / Test / Pilot / Production format.
Also we run it in a Dev / Test / Pilot / Production format.
Posted by:
misterd
14 years ago
I'm a consultant.
From what I've seem it's all depends on the PHBs and how they value application packaging.
If they don't see value, then they will give the task as a secondary job.
This means people with little experience get to create stuff that will go everywhere in the organization.
QA is not even a though. They probably get lots of calls about bad packages.
If they value packaging then they will have a separate QA person(s) and distribution person(s) and packager(s). The packager(s) then become an expert at what the company needs and what will and wont work. Images are also frequently created by packagers because they get to see what goes into the image and will understand better how it will affect their packages they will build later on.
Currently where I am we have separate packager groups for desktop and server. We have no official meetings between the 2 groups but we've we talk during coffee breaks and share info. We wish we had ONE group, too.
From what I've seem it's all depends on the PHBs and how they value application packaging.
If they don't see value, then they will give the task as a secondary job.
This means people with little experience get to create stuff that will go everywhere in the organization.
QA is not even a though. They probably get lots of calls about bad packages.
If they value packaging then they will have a separate QA person(s) and distribution person(s) and packager(s). The packager(s) then become an expert at what the company needs and what will and wont work. Images are also frequently created by packagers because they get to see what goes into the image and will understand better how it will affect their packages they will build later on.
Currently where I am we have separate packager groups for desktop and server. We have no official meetings between the 2 groups but we've we talk during coffee breaks and share info. We wish we had ONE group, too.
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