'Business is IT' and 'IT is Business'.
In recent years, it has become increasingly known that information
is the most important strategic resource that any organization has
to manage. Information Technology is a critical enabler and key
differentiator for a business' success. CEO's, CIO's, CTO's, and
senior management are concerned about optimizing their IT
investments and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of IT
resources to support business requirements. IT investments are key
for businesses to successfully deliver products and services.
Equally critical is an effective management of IT services within
an organization to maximize the return on IT investments.
Key to collection, analysis, production, and distribution of
information within an organization, is the quality of the
Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems and IT services
provided to the business. It is essential that we recognize that
ICT systems are crucial and strategic organizational assets;
therefore, organizations must invest appropriate levels of
resources into the support, delivery and management of these
critical IT services and the ICT systems that underpin them.
However, these aspects of IT are often overlooked, or only
superficially addressed within many organizations.
IT management is all about the efficient and effective use of the 4
P's: People, Processes, Products (tools and technology), and
Partners (suppliers, vendors and outsourcing organisations).
Management, therefore, needs to develop joint strategies and plans
for all four areas. Many organizations, until today, recognize the
four P's, but do not use them to their maximum advantage. Very
often, products are bought to manage areas of technology, and then
the processes, partners, and people's roles are engineered to fit
the technology and its limitations.
In the current organization paradigm, beyond the need to manage IT
technology, is the need to establish and employ best practices
processes to optimize IT services. This is the focus of IT
Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) and IT Service Management (ITSM).
Key Challenges
The challenge for IT managers is to coordinate and work with all
the core business functions to deliver high quality IT services.
This has to be achieved while reducing the overall TCO, and often
increasing the frequency, complexity, and the volume of change.
The key issues facing many of today's senior business managers and
IT managers are:
| IT and business strategic planning |
| Integrating and aligning IT and business goals |
| Acquiring and retaining the right resources and skill sets |
| Implementing continuous improvement |
| Measuring IT organizations' effectiveness and efficiency |
| Reducing costs and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) |
| Achieving and demonstrating Value for Money (VFM) |
| Increasing return on IT investments |
| Demonstrating the business value of IT |
| Developing business and IT partnerships and relationships |
| Improving project delivery success |
| Outsourcing, in sourcing, and smart sourcing |
| Using IT to gain competitive advantage |
| Delivering the required, business justified IT services. In other
words, delivering what is required when required, and at an agreed
cost |
| Managing constant business and IT change |
| Following the sun and off shore operations |
| Demonstrating appropriate IT governance |
How can the QAI Global Institute help?
The main objective of the ITSM initiative is to assist IT service
organizations to improve their efficiency and effectiveness to be
better prepared for new challenges arising due to the globalization
of the service industry.
QAI's ITSM practice facilitates organizations towards making
significant improvements in the way they manage their services,
relationships, processes, people, and technology required to
deliver and support IT services and products according to
world class standards.
