What is Autonomic Computing?

IBM Corporation defines Autonomic Computing as an approach to self-managed computing systems with a minimum of human interference. The term derives from the body's autonomic nervous system, which controls key functions without conscious awareness or involvement.

Autonomic Computing systems are systems which are self-managed (adjust itself according to workload demands), self-healing (detect, diagnose and repair problems), self-configuring (automatically incorporate and configure new components), self-optimizing (performance tuning), and self-protecting (anticipate and defend against security breaches) resulting in ultra-reliable, robust, yet dynamically flexible systems.

Why is the industry calling for Autonomic Computing?

As technology has advanced, so has the complexity and cost of management (deployment, management, maintenance, staffing) of that technology. In today's post-Internet bubble climate, businesses are increasingly watching their budget. Any investment in new technology must have a true business value and companies are starting to demand a business case for new products before they purchase.

To combat this new shift in buying criteria, several leading IT vendors are trying to find ways to manage increasingly complex IT infrastructures so that companies can get back to focusing on the benefits technology brings to their business, and not the technology itself. One way is to develop autonomic computing systems. These are computer systems that configure and manage themselves, automatically diagnose and fix their own problems, and figure out how to protect themselves in the future, thereby greatly reducing the cost and complexity of IT infrastructure.