1. Info-Tech Research Group1 1 Info-Tech Research Group, Inc. is a global leader in providing IT research and advice. Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns. © 1997-2015 Info-Tech Research Group Inc. Improve IT Operations Management Deliver your IT services efficiently. Info-Tech's products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns.© 1997 - 2015 Info-Tech Research Group

2. Info-Tech Research Group2 2 This Research is Designed For:This Research Will Help You: This Research Will Assist:This Research Will Help You: This Research Is Designed For:This Research Will Help You: This Research Will Also Assist:This Research Will Help Them: Our understanding of the problem CIOs IT Directors VP IT Operations VP Infrastructure Identify current IT operations and service delivery pain points. Target functional areas within IT operations management for improvement. Develop an IT operations management roadmap. CFOs Business Managers Understand how they can support the implementation of various IT operations management initiatives relevant to them.

3. Info-Tech Research Group3 3 Resolution Situation Complication Info-Tech Insight Executive summary You have difficulty meeting business expectations for service delivery on a regular basis. You’re investing to improve various areas of IT operations but you still feel like you’re constantly firefighting. IT covers a broad spectrum of services and functions. As a result, pinpointing specific pain points and the root of the grief can be a difficult task. Prioritizing areas to improve can also be difficult. All your initiatives seem to be demanding attention, but your resources are limited. Perform a current state assessment to identify which areas within your operations management are least mature and are causing the most grief. Assess the current state assessment results in order to identify which functional areas within operations management need to be prioritized for improvement. Leverage Info-Tech’s supporting research blueprints to drive improvement and mature specific areas within your IT operations Review, assess, and continuously improve your IT operations 1.The first step to effective IT operations management is to make sure service levels exist and are validated with the business. You can’t meet business expectations if you don’t know what they are. 2.COBIT defines operations management as the activities involved to deliver IT services, which cover a variety of functions within IT. Begin improving operations by targeting the weakest areas and pain points first. 3.Operations management isn’t a one-time project. It’s an on-going effort.

4. Info-Tech Research Group4 4 Effective operations management practices will improve service delivery capabilities and lower IT costs Improve IT efficiency Effective operations management practices develop structured processes to automate activities and increase process consistency across the IT organization, ultimately improving IT’s efficiency. Improve visibility and information sharing within IT Good operations management practices can provide more visibility into current IT performance and activities. It can expose weaknesses and potential problems to anticipate in the future and help IT better prepare to move from a firefighting role to an innovator role. Good IT operations management practices will also promote information sharing across different functions to enable good decision making. Create and clarify accountability and responsibility Operations management practices will set a clear level of accountability throughout the IT organization, and ensure role responsibility for all tasks and processes involved in IT service delivery. Control IT costs IT operations management is concerned with delivering promised services in the most efficient way possible. Good IT operations management practices will provide insight into current costs across the IT organization and present opportunities for cost savings. Identify opportunities for continuous improvement Increased visibility into current performance levels, and ability to accurately identify opportunities for continuous improvement. Effective operations management will do help you do the following:

5. Info-Tech Research Group5 5 Info-Tech’s approach to IT operations management combines leading schools of thought with practical insider research Why they’re essential: They offer indispensable advice on the alignment of IT strategy and business strategy. This is especially crucial in a field such as operations management, where effective IT service delivery is the primary objective of the project and initiatives. Where they fall short: COBIT focuses on standard practices within operations management and does not account for the variations that can occur based on the organization. Why our approach fits better: We understand the importance of creating a customizable project framework, that can be altered to fit your organization. The Improve IT Operations Management blueprint breaks down the process so that you can perform a current state assessment, validate your service level agreements (SLAs), and develop and implement your project roadmap. Why they’re essential: These targeted project frameworks provide deep-dives into each of the functional areas within IT operations management. They will provide you with the tools and templates you need to focus specifically on each of the individual functional areas of this project. Where they fall short: Each of the Info-Tech project frameworks function in isolation and is specifically targeted to only focus on one core area within IT operations management. Why this blueprint is different: The Improve IT Operations Management blueprint gives you an overarching implementation plan that enables you to pinpoint your key pain points and assess your organization’s primary IT operations areas of focus right away. The blueprint consolidates past research and provides an integrative approach to solving your IT operations management problems. Governance frameworks such as COBIT and ITIL Project frameworks from our past research archives

6. Info-Tech Research Group6 6 Current situation Challenges Solution McMurdo Transport is an amalgamation of several independent, local, and regional government-owned transportation companies. As a result of its creation, McMurdo Transport has been expected to uphold the service promises made to its customers by the local and regional governments based on political platforms. The company has been up and running for approximately four years. McMurdo Transport is an amalgamation of several independent, local, and regional government-owned transportation companies. As a result of its creation, McMurdo Transport has been expected to uphold the service promises made to its customers by the local and regional governments based on political platforms. The company has been up and running for approximately four years. After the amalgamation, the company’s focus has switched from one centered around maintaining day-to-day functionality to meeting these promised service levels at all costs. McMurdo is finding itself unable to support these promised service levels, without causing major disruptions in the company’s day-to-day operations. After the amalgamation, the company’s focus has switched from one centered around maintaining day-to-day functionality to meeting these promised service levels at all costs. McMurdo is finding itself unable to support these promised service levels, without causing major disruptions in the company’s day-to-day operations. Currently, McMurdo transport finds itself in a “catch 22” scenario; they are experiencing significant lag in their ability to meet daily service delivery levels. The company seeks to refocus on the operational aspects of IT, with initiatives including: o Knowledge standardization. o Automation of change and asset management processes. o Increased efforts into ensuring quality of information and visibility across the organization. Currently, McMurdo transport finds itself in a “catch 22” scenario; they are experiencing significant lag in their ability to meet daily service delivery levels. The company seeks to refocus on the operational aspects of IT, with initiatives including: o Knowledge standardization. o Automation of change and asset management processes. o Increased efforts into ensuring quality of information and visibility across the organization. Operations management is crucial to IT service delivery CASE STUDY Industry Source Transportation McMurdo Transport

7. Info-Tech Research Group7 7 Start the process by assessing your current IT operations management practice – you can’t improve what you don’t know This blueprint will guide you to improve your operations management using the following process. 1 1 2 2 3 3 Assess your current state Validate your service level agreements Develop and implement your roadmap Identify pain points and weaknesses As a team, identify your current IT pain points. Where are the breakdowns occurring? Understanding current pain points will provide insight into your current IT strengths and weaknesses. Use Info-Tech’s Improve IT Operations Management Current State Assessment to assess the maturity of your IT operations management practices. Align business needs with your service delivery goals Target your pain points to work towards improvement The goal of IT operations management is to deliver IT operational service outcomes as planned. In order to do this, IT needs to know what the business expectations are. Whether or not a formal SLA currently exists, IT needs to establish and validate SLAs with the business to ensure they align with business needs. If IT cannot deliver on required SLAs, IT needs to communicate this with the business and develop a plan to bridge the gap. Once IT establishes its service delivery goals, it can begin to develop a roadmap to improve IT operations based on current pain points and functional maturity. Info-Tech will provide the tools and templates for you to develop an IT operations management roadmap and implement your projects.

8. Info-Tech Research Group8 8 Follow Info-Tech’s methodology to develop your service level management process After assessing your current state, the first thing you should do is validate your service level agreements with the business. The process of developing SLAs is critical to the success of IT. The clarity gained by both the business and IT regarding current capabilities, business needs, and the steps that can be taken to close those service gaps, is the key benefit that comes from this process. It’s almost impossible to manage IT operations without understanding and clarifying business needs and expectations. The SLA process is just as important as the actual artifact. Don’t just develop an SLA – use Info-Tech’s methodology to generate value from the SLA creation process. When IT does not establish SLAs, the business will set its own expectations without regard to current capabilities. In cases like these, IT is almost guaranteed to fail.

9. Info-Tech Research Group9 9 Info-Tech’s Improve IT Operations Management Current State Assessment will help you identify areas to prioritize for improvement. Use the rest of the blueprint and supporting Info-Tech research to guide you through each of the improvement processes. Pinpoint and focus on maturing your pain points to improve your IT operations Capacity Management Cost Management Incident and Problem Management Asset Management Change Management Organization Management

10. Info-Tech Research Group10Info-Tech Research Group10 Info-Tech Involvement Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs DIY Toolkit Guided Implementation Onsite Workshop Consulting “Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.” “Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.” “We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.” “Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.” Degree of Customization Diagnostics and consistent methodologies throughout all four options

11. Info-Tech Research Group11Info-Tech Research Group11 Best-Practice Toolkit 1.1 Identify your key pain points. 1.2 Assess your service level management maturity. 1.3 Assess your capacity management maturity. 1.4 Assess your cost management maturity. 1.5 Assess your incident and problem management maturity. 1.6 Assess your asset management maturity. 1.7 Assess your change management maturity. 1.8 Assess your organization management maturity. 2.1 Identify the SLA you need. 2.2 Evaluate current service levels. 2.3 Build and manage your SLAs. 3.1 Improve your capacity management and planning capabilities. 3.2 Improve your cost management capabilities. 3.3 Improve your incident and event management capabilities. 3.4 Improve your asset management capabilities. 3.5 Improve your change management capabilities. 3.6 Improve your organization management capabilities. 3.7 Develop a final report and action plan. Guided Implementations Discuss current pain points within the organization. Review the current state assessment results. Discuss your current service level management capabilities. Build and manage your SLAs. Prioritize and plan for your functional area deep-dives. Assess and review the implementation process. Onsite Workshop Module 1: Perform an assessment of the current state. Module 2: Build or validate service level agreements. Module 3: Develop and implement the operations management roadmap. Phase 1 Results: Completion of the current state assessment tool. Areas to target for improvement. Phase 2 Results: Validated service level agreement. Phase 3 Results: Action plan to improve your IT operations and a final report. Assess the current state IT Operations Management Project Overview Define and validate service level requirements Develop and implement your roadmap

12. Info-Tech Research Group12Info-Tech Research Group12 Info-Tech Research Group Helps IT Professionals To: Sign up for free trial membership to get practical solutions for your IT challenges www.infotech.com Quickly get up to speed with new technologies Make the right technology purchasing decisions – fast Deliver critical IT projects, on time and within budget Manage business expectations Justify IT spending and prove the value of IT Train IT staff and effectively manage an IT department “Info-Tech helps me to be proactive instead of reactive – a cardinal rule in a stable and leading edge IT environment. - ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co., LP Toll Free: 1-888-670-8889