Eugene Wolf, CEO at Logicalis SMC, explains why there is no end game in IT transformation and how IT Service Management (ITSM) and the ITIL model can help deal with constant change.
Constant Change
In August 2013, two researchers penned an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) calling for the death of the diet. They claimed that only lifestyle changes could achieve sustainable weight loss.
This emphasis on the long game also applies to IT transformation. Transformation is relentless. Because technology, customer expectations and industry are constantly evolving, so too are businesses – which can make IT operations management (ITOM) a difficult beast to tame.
IT service management (ITSM) & ITIL
Within an IT environment today, businesses have to grapple with a vast and growing number of events occurring on an hourly basis. Being able to monitor and respond to these events is paramount – which is a where a solid IT service management (ITSM) approach comes into its own. The ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) model has been lauded for its comprehensive process of identifying and classifying events, prioritising responses and controlling the operating environment.
It’s the ideal framework for a new monitoring system. It instils calm rather than panic and prevents those OMG moments when your screen fills with the outpouring of thousands of alerts.
It's a prerequisite for any company embarking upon a digital journey. Genuine transformation commits a company to service management in perpetuity. It's a tap that can't be turned off.
Companies regularly talks about innovation – which in technology speak means a new method, idea or product. But every shiny new innovation needs to be maintained, managed and controlled – which is where the ITIL framework comes into its own.
The ITIL model synchronises the many events that need to be contended with, such as:
- Information: such as logs and automated reports
- Warnings: the approach of a threshold on some device
- Exceptions: a server is down, for example, or the network is not responding and business services are impacted
Change - Organisational nutrition
Metaphorically speaking, it shows you where your body’s lacking (maybe you’re not digesting certain foods properly or your portion sizes need to be revised) and bridges the gap between bouts of intense dieting and a lifetime of healthy food and exercise choices.
An integrated service management system underpins constant change; the lifeblood of any organisation which doesn’t want to become extinct in five years’ time.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the US once said, “When you're finished changing, you're finished.” Businesses never stop, and nor does their IT infrastructure.