IT Management short descriptive essay on: Objectives of IT Service Management

Q1. What is an IT service? What is the primary objective of IT Service Management?Ans1. IT service management has been referred to as a discipline of information technology systems which have been centered over the customer’s perspectives of IT contribution in the business. Information technology service management (ITSM) has been referred to as a technology which would help in the interaction of the business as well as the management of the organization (Weill & Ross, 2004).

The primary objective of IT service management has been discussed as under. They are:Þ    One of the main objectives of IT service management refers to the uninterrupted business operations.

Þ    The IT service management would help in proper planning, ensuring better continuity of the business & managing service roll outs with the service provider.

Þ    ITSM would also help in meeting the service commitments as well as practice continuous development of the operations as well as optimization of the cost (Technology Brief, 2009).

Q2. Outline the range of public frameworks and standards that cover the provision of IT services. Are one framework and a set of standards alone likely to be sufficient for an organization? Explain. Hint: what else might be required?

Ans2. Some of the public frameworks and standards that cover the provision of IT services have been listed below. They are as follows:

Þ    British Standards Institution (BSI)

Þ    Business Model for Information Security (BMIS)

Þ    Canadian Security Standards

Þ    Center for Internet Security (CIS)

Þ    German Security Standards

Þ    Global Technology Audit Guide (GTAG)

Yes, one framework along with a set of standards alone would likely be sufficient for an organization.

Q3. What is ITIL?

Ans3. Information technology infrastructure library also known as ITIL is a recognized collection of information technology service management. ITIL has been in response to the increased dependence of information technology which would help in meeting of the goals as well as business needs. ITIL helps the business houses with a customizable framework of the best practices which would help in the overall growth of the IT systems (RMS Services, 2010).

 Q4. Outline the stages of the ITIL Service Lifecycle.Ans4.   There are stages of the ITIL service lifecycle. They are discussed as follows:

Þ    Service Strategy: With the help of ITIL, all the business houses would be able to align with one another & ensure that in each and every stage of lifecycle the business enterprise shall be focused to earn more and profits (Technology Brief, 2009).

Þ    Service Design: In order to meet the ever changing requirements of the business, the service design helps to provide guidance as well as maintain the IT policies, documents, etc.

Þ    Service Operations: Service operations explain the details regarding the delivery as well as control activities so as to achieve high levels of success. The main goal of service operations is to run the process in a smooth manner.

Þ    Service Transition: The main objective of service transition is to teach the IT professional as well as manage the changes in a much productive manner.

Þ    Service Improvement: Continuous improvement within the organization by the means of IT would help in understanding as well as identify the various possibilities for progress.

Q5. The University of New Zealand (TUNZ) – a fictitious entity – is a large university with over 30,000 enrolled students, based on the North Shore in Auckland. It has four satellite campuses in several locations throughout New Zealand. TUNZ has an internal central IT Services Group (ITSG) that provides IT services across all five campuses. ITSG is investigating introduction of the ITIL framework to guide improvement of the quality and range of IT services offered. Consider:

   1. Is ITIL a suitable framework for use in a large central IT services unit such as ITSG?  Explain why or why not.

Ans1. Yes, ITIL would be referred to as a suitable framework which could be used in large central IT services unit such as ITSG. It is because Information technology infrastructure library is a recognized collection of information technology service management. ITIL has been in response to the increased dependence of information technology which would help in meeting of the goals as well as business needs. ITIL helps the business houses with a customizable framework of the best practices which would help in the overall growth of the IT systems.

2. What benefits could ITSG and the University expect to gain from adoption of ITIL?

Ans2. The benefits which could be reaped by ITSG by the adoption of ITIL are highlighted as under. They are as follows:

Þ    Improvement in the IT services

Þ    Reduction in the costs

Þ    Improved productivity

Þ    Better customer satisfaction

Þ    Improved delivery to the customers

Þ    Use of better skills & experience

Þ    Better professional approach

3. What disadvantages and challenges could ITSG encounter by using ITIL?

Ans3. The disadvantages and challenges which could be encountered by using ITIL have been enumerated as under. They are:

Þ    Most of the IT professionals take into consideration ITIL as a holistic approach

Þ    There are various accusations faced by the IT professionals

Þ    Due to the  above mentioned problem, most of the IT professionals skip pragmatic solutions for specific business needs

Q6 – Summarize the purpose and scope of Service Portfolio Management and Service Catalogue Management. How do they relate to each other?

Ans6. The purpose & scope of purpose and scope of Service Portfolio Management has been discussed as under. They are as follows:

Þ    The main purpose & scope of service portfolio management is to manage relationships with the customers and enable improvements within the quality of the service provided.

Þ    The second purpose & scope of service portfolio management is to optimize the business value of information technology (Technology Brief, 2009).

The purpose & scope of purpose and scope of Service Catalogue Management has been discussed as under. They are as follows:

Þ    The main purpose of service catalogue management is to provide a single source for the information.

Þ    The major scope of service catalogue is to produce as well as maintain a catalogue which consists of accurate information & being run operationally.

 Q7 – Describe the purpose and scope of Service Level Management (SLM). Where does SLM fit in the ITIL lifecycle?

Ans7. The main purpose & scope of service level management is to manage relationships with the customers and enable improvements within the quality of the service provided.The goal of service level management is to make sure that, at a certain point of time the IT service is provided in order to achieve the desirable amount of targets. The main purpose of service level management is to make sure that all the operational services are being performed in the best of the manner & meet the needs of the customers (Technology Brief, 2009).

Some of the main objectives of service level management are to define, monitor as well as measure the IT services provided. The next best objective of service level management is to improve the customer satisfaction with respect to the services delivered.  Service level management fits in the fourth stage of ITIL lifecycle.

 Q8 – Locate a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between a university and its customers. Keep an electronic copy for your portfolio. It must be an actual SLA not a template. Critically review the SLA and answer the following:

a)      Name the university, its geographic location, and the website the SLA was taken from.

The name of the university is University of North Texas (UNT), “This Service Level Agreement (SLA) is between the Computing and Information Technology Center (CITC)” Location: North Texas, http://citc.unt.edu/its/sites/default/files/BackupSLA.pdf

b)      What are the strengths and highlights of the chosen SLA?

The strengths highlighted as under:

Þ    ITS backup team which is responsible for all types of hardware such as tape silos, switches, networking hardware, etc.

Þ    The backup team will provide support for all types of issues such as routine & emergency.

Þ    The backup team will help to monitor the performance of the systems.

c)      What are the deficiencies and areas for improvement?

The deficiencies & areas for improvement are as under:One of the major disadvantages is in regards to the business due to lack of service as well as support. For example when a student is talking to the university people & as of a sudden the student gets disconnected as the system has encountered certain issues. Though, the credit may be issued but the integrity attached with the customers would be stake as maintenance of loyalty with the clients has been referred to as one of the crucial aspects (Technology Brief, 2009).

Q9 – Locate a similar Service Level Agreement for a commercial or business organization. Keep an electronic copy for your portfolio. Again, it must be an actual SLA not a template. Compare and contrast this SLA with the one chosen in Q3, and answer the following:

a) Name the organization, the business sector it is in, and the website the SLA was taken from.

Organization – HP Invent, Business Sector – IT & the website is http://www.csd.uoc.gr/~hy565/newpage/docs/pdfs/papers/HPL-2002-180.pdf.

b) Summarize the key differences between the two SLAs

The two SLA’s which has been used at HP Invent have been discussed as follows:

Þ    Technical issues of SLA automation: The technical issues of SLA automation provides highly effectiveness with concentrating on its expertise. It is quite an important decision to determine the service providers in order to choose the purpose for outsourcing. Effective SLA automation helps in order to create mission within the business functions.

Þ    SLI information publishing & dynamic service ranking: Web services helps in order to sprout the portal & the web sites. There are numerous ways with which they collaborate with one another (White Paper, 2009).

c) Which SLA, in your opinion, is the better? Explain why, noting any surprises about your conclusions.

The technical issues of SLA automation has been referred to as a better option as compared to SLI information publishing & dynamic service ranking.

Q10 – The Enterprise Architecture Manager of ITSG resigned from TUNZ to start up “Safari Intrepid Tours” [the acronym habit lives on], an adventure company in Africa. Before her departure she was working on a programme to develop service requirements, service portfolio and catalogue, and service level management for ITSG. Her replacement wishes to review progress and resume implementation of the programme. Unfortunately all the work to-date was on a server that crashed, with the loss of everything. It has just come to light that no backup exists – another major issue in itself.

a) Outline an approach that ITSG could use to guide their IT Service Management programme.

b) Identify at least 20 services that ITSG might offer its customers.c) Identify at least 6 groups of customers that ITSG might have. Hint: Students and staff are the obvious ones, but how could these be divided into smaller groups?

Ans10. a)  The user authentication guidance for the information technology (IT) system would be referred to as a guide for IT Management Program. The user authentication guidance for the information technology would help in order to design the IT infrastructure which would help to protect the entire business process. This would help to control the entire security architecture.

b) Some of the services that ITSG might offer its customers have been listed as under. They are:

Þ    Data center virtualization

Þ    Desktop virtualization

Þ    Records maintenance

Þ    High levels of revenues

Þ    Warning

Þ    System integration

Þ    System development

Þ    IT Architecture report

Þ    Program management

Þ    Systems operations

Þ    Systems maintenance

Þ    Faster service

c) Groups of customers that ITSG might have been mentioned as under. They are:

Þ    Students

Þ    Staff at the University

Þ    Large organizations

Þ    Health care system

Þ    Rail industry

Þ    HR shared service center

Q11. What is meant by IT governance? How does IT governance relate to overall governance in an organization?

Ans11. Information Technology (IT) governance is a subset of Corporate Governance which is mainly focused on measuring the risk & the performance associated with it. IT governance systematically takes into consideration the board members, staff members, personnel, customers, stakeholders, etc. IT governance relates to the overall governance in an organization. With the help of IT governance, the organization as a whole would have many positive or critical success factors.

Q12. Explain and compare the three Service Provider types in ITIL. Is one type preferable to any other type?

Ans12. The three service provider types in ITIL have been discussed as under:

Þ    Internal service provider: Type 1 is mainly seen within the large business houses. Some of the examples of type 1 service provider in ITIL are Human Resources, IT & Finance departments. They majorly operate within narrow set of functions (Technology Brief, 2009).

Þ    Shared service unit: Type 2 generally operates under a corporate parent. It provides service for several business units which are covered under the similar umbrella. They operate under various types of competition (Reh, 2012).

Þ    External service provider: The last type of service provider in ITIL refers to external service provider. Some of the key factors in order to enter the corporate consideration take into consideration knowledge, resources, scale & capabilities.

External service provider is preferable as compared to shared service unit. This type of service provider is quite flexible & has lean structures. Type 3 service providers are the ebst choice as compared to the other types of service providers.

Q13 – Measuring IT performance:

a.    Define the terms Critical Success Factor (CSF) and Key Performance Indicator (KPI).

b.    How are they related?

c.    Explain the four categories of KPIs, giving at least one example from an IT setting for each.

Ans13. A) Critical Success Factor (CSF): Critical Success Factor has been referred to as a element which is quite necessary for the organization in order to achieve its mission. It is due to the critical success factor which leads to high levels of success for the company (ITPC, 2011).

Key Performance Indicators (KPI): Key Performance Indicators has been referred to as the success indicators which would help the organization to measure the organizational goals. These indicators help the stakeholders as well as the shareholders to attain high levels of success & achieve their goals in the best possible manner.

b) Both Key Performance Indicators & the Critical Success Factors are positively related to one another. Both the indicators are being used in order to achieve only one goal i.e. to attain high levels of success in the most cost effective manner.

c) The four categories of KPI’s have been discussed as follows. They are as under:

Þ    Strategic integration: IT examples to support Strategic integration are flexibility for handling the data, long term planning, satisfaction level of the customers, and utilization of the resources in the best possible manner (IT Service Management Forum, 2002).

Þ    Functional integration: IT examples to support Functional integration are data management, flow of information, transactional effectiveness.

Þ    Technical integration: IT examples to support Technical integration are data integrity, documentation and backup policy (ICT Standard Forum, 2010).

Q14 – You have a choice: Either:

Write a short series of concise points that capture six key ideas you identified this week from your reading or lecture notes. Express these ideas in your own words, to reflect your understanding of them. [Explanation: Topics and headings are not key ideas. Direct quotes are not key ideas. This question requires some thought.]

OR:

Develop an original schematic of any type that shows all the main elements of Service Strategy in the ITIL framework and how they relate to each other. This is to be your own schematic, not one taken or copied from elsewhere – including the lectures and readings.

Ans14. The main elements of service strategy in the ITIL framework have been enumerated as under. They are as follows:

Þ    Strategy management for IT services

Þ    Service portfolio management

Þ    Financial management for IT services

Þ    Demand management

Þ    Business relationship management

In the ITIL framework, the service strategy would provide guidance in regards to the clarification as well as prioritization of the service providers in the services. The strategy services helps in order to focus upon the IT organizations which would help to improve as well as design the long term plan for the business organization (Enterprise System, 2007).

Q15 – The replacement Enterprise Architecture Manager at ITSG has settled in. Work on Service Management Essentials is well advanced. It has unexpectedly highlighted two additional areas that require immediate attention: IT governance, and the introduction of new IT services. (The Enterprise Architecture Manager suspects the two issues are closely related.)

a.    Read the article at www.infonomics.com.au/Broadbent.pdf.Applying the descriptions of governance given by Broadbent, decide:

                             i.       Whether the federal style of governance is best suited to ITSG and TUNZ? Explain your reasoning.

                            ii.       Which business orientation best describes TUNZ? Explain your reasoning.

Several academics at TUNZ are collaborating closely with leading researchers around the world on a range of large-scale billion-dollar ventures. The availability of reliable, ultra-fast communication networks is essential to these researchers. The failure of ITSG to provide this service is jeopardising their continued participation. The researchers are losing patience and have made it clear they are close to taking the matter into their own hands .

Ans15 a) UNABLE TO ACCESS THE LINK

b.    Summarize the main factors to consider and the likely impact for ITSG and TUNZ of introducing this new IT network service, from each of the following perspectives:

                             i.       Service Portfolio/Catalogue Management

                            ii.       Demand Management

                           iii.       Financial management

                           iv.       Service performance measurement

Within the context of the ITIL framework, answer these questions.

Q16. Change Management:

a)      What is the purpose of Change Management?

b) Describe the seven Rs of Change Management. Give a practical example that relates to our university case study.

c) What are the seven Rs used for?Ans16. a) Change management refers to the process within which the organization operates. There are various types of changes which have been inculcated in the organization. All the changes majorly take into consideration the four main aspects of the organization i.e. People, Process, Technology & Structure (Communications Security Establishment Canada, 2009).

b)      The seven R’s of change management are as follows:

Þ    Reason

Þ    Return

Þ    Risks

Þ    Resources

Þ    Relationships

Þ    Responsible

Þ    Raised

c)      The seven R’s of change management have been used in order to encourage change management within a given enterprise. Each & every seven R has its own importance. For example, who raised the entire idea for change management, what was the main reason behind the change, what is amount return required from the change, the risk associated with change management, the resources to be used while change management, who is responsible for the change management & the relationship between change and others (Cardiff University, 2012).

Q17. Release & Deployment Management:

a) What is the purpose of Release & Deployment Management? Give a practical example that relates to our university case study.

b) What are release packages and baselines, and how are they used?

Ans17a). The main purpose of release & deployment management is quite new and a rapid growing discipline within software engineering. The main goal of release & deployment management is to assemble as well as position all the aspects of the services of production which would effectively establish as well as integrate the live production environment (Boynlon & Zmud, 1984). Release & deployment management mainly aims at building, testing as well as deliver the capability to provide the services as mentioned within the service design.

b) The baseline packages have been referred to as the progress of work with a passage of time. Baseline has been referred to as a visible stake with the help of a collective effort. Baselines have been used not only to value the ability to identify but to identify the particular importance (Ashford Global Information Technology, 2010).

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