IT management solutions provider Compuware has launched a new solution designed to enable firms to align IT output more effectively to business needs, maximising operational efficiency and enabling close communication between both sides of the organisation.

Vantage Service Manager (VSM), based on recent acquisition Proxima Technology's Centauri Business Service Manager product, "provides a foundation for dialogue, allowing both sides to communicate in common metrics", according to Compuware's Michael Allen.

"Business IT alignment has been a top 10 CIO issue since the ‘80s and IT organisations are still guilty of poor service delivery, putting the business at a competitive disadvantage," Allen added. "There are various inhibitors which hopefully this solution will address."

VSM has three component levels, explained Allen. The connection manager brings in end-user monitoring application analytics and other data from Compuware tools or third party sources; the service model defines the relationship between the business services and the applications supporting them; and the third layer uses dashboards to define and measure against SLAs.

Vantage Service Manager is fully integrated into Compuware's Vantage suite of products, including end-user experience and application monitoring products.