Provide Your Organization With a Structured Approach to Change

Change Management is often considered to be the process that most actively links all the ITIL processes together. This process aims to improve and maintain IT Service quality providing a structured approach to managing and implementing changes in the IT Infrastructure. The actions to achieve this include the requirement to conduct repetitive actions that include scheduling, reporting and monitoring of IT Changes. The process must review achievements based on customer expectations and take steps to improve or modify Changes and the process accordingly. The Change Management Process Kit provides a wide variety of resources to boost your understanding and ability to implement Change Management in your organization.

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The updated toolkit provides information on the Change Management process and provides guidance that is scalable for:

• Different kinds and sizes of organization
• Small and large changes required at each lifecycle stage
• Changes with major and minor impact
• Changes in a required timeframe
• Different levels of budget or funding available to deliver change.

Mike Hawk: Solid path through a political minefield “Changing IT is akin to herding cats because as a whole there is a legacy mindset at one end of the spectrum, and lack of discipline at the other. This Toolkit provides a workable approach to changing the culture and effecting real change.

As in their other Toolkits the authors take a project and process-oriented approach to the goals and objectives. Where other books and Toolkits that attempt to address this subject are focused on solely human factors and considerations, this one does that, but gives a structured approach as well. The set milestones and wealth of associated checklists are what set this Toolkit apart from others, and are the means of systematically changing IT in an effective manner.

To be sure, human factors are taken into consideration - the authors show a keen understanding of, and give advice for dealing with, organizational dynamics, politics and resistance to change. This is an essential set of knowledge and skill factors without which change cannot be accomplished.

The keys to the approach given in this Toolkit, though, are in the files dealing with defining your goals and developing an overall strategy, then selecting the approach that is most suitable for your organization. The project-oriented aspects are covered in chapters dealing with characterizing “as-is” tasks, planning, and working towards the long-term objectives. The approach also includes a viable measurement strategy with which to ascertain results, and advice on how to build enthusiasm and support - instead of resistance - as the change initiative is being implemented. A key chapter is “Prevent Reversion and Fallback”, which all too frequently happens in the real world. By recognizing this particular risk in change and addressing how to prevent it the authors provide sound advice to avoid a major pitfall.

Overall this is an excellent Toolkit by The Art of Service who I hold in high regard. I recommend getting it because it contains information that will help you select and develop an optimum overall strategy for an IT organization that is customer-focused and efficiently run.”

The new toolkit provides a concise introduction to Change Management from an ITIL version 3 perspective, beginning with ITIL’s definition of a Change and how to manage the process.

The PowerPoint presentations go into more detail covering aspects such as:

• Goal of the process
• Scope
• Terminology and process concepts, including all the changes from Version 2 e.g. removal of the term Forward Schedule of Change and Emergency Change Committee and descriptions of the additional Change Types that have evolved in Version 3.
• The PowerPoint presentation is much more detailed than the previous toolkit.  The focus is on Change Management, from implementation to management and maintenance.

There is up to date information on:

• Change process models and workflows
• Defining and using Standard Changes
• Remediation Planning
• Creating and Recording RFC’s

And there are competent and user friendly supporting documents to aid knowledge and understanding.

The activities of Change Management are discussed in more detail, including the:

• 7 R’s of Change Management - and new but essential concept in ITIL Version 3
• Risk Categorization
• Authorizing and coordinating Changes.

There is more information on the Value that Change Management provides to the organization and this is supported by an updated Business Justification document.

Other new Supporting documents include:

• Example Contents of Change Documentation
• Example Request for Change Workflow
• Types of Change Request
• Roles and Responsibilities

This toolkit also includes relevant Bonus Materials, to add to your organizations knowledge base.  This includes:

• An updated PowerPoint Presentation on the MOF Framework
• COBIT Factsheet
• Six Sigma Factsheet

Contents include Change Management Objectives and Goal templates, Change Key Performance Indicators, Critical Success Factors and a checklist to help understand just how well Change Management is performed in your environment.

It is tailor-fit for IT managers who need to move towards a services-oriented organization, but they don'’t have the time or resources at hand to develop the required templates and structure for implementation. Here is a list of the specific documents included:

• Change review and assessment worksheet
• Business justification document
• PowerPoint presentation explaining the process of Change management
• Project and implementation plan template
• Communication plan to describe Change management to your organization.
• Policies, objectives and scope overview template
• Specific objectives and goals template
• Change process manager role(s) definition
• Forward schedule of changes document
• Change catagory definitions document
• Request for change (RFC) template
• Key Performance Indicators and Other Metrics definition template
• Change requirements template

The documents listed above correspond directly with IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes. Clear instructions explaining the application of each template are provided within the corresponding documents.

The Change Management Process Kit is Yours Risk Free Today!

The instant you purchase the collection, the fact sheets, presentations and tools listed above will be available to you through a simple download. You may use the documents for up to 30 days. If anytime during that period you decide it does not meet the needs of your company, just let us know and we will refund the purchase.

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Yes, cloud computing can provide numerous benefits to an organization. The ability to scale with the increases and decreases of usage can handle most unexpected situations. Numerous opportunities for redundancies and multiple instances of applications can increase an applications availability. Sharing the infrastructure with other customers keeping the costs of the infrastructure down.

But this doesn’t mean that all concerns have completely disappeared and companies still need to understand what their service provider can deliver. Especially when it comes to performance. Of greatest concern is bandwidth. Using a cloud solution has to potential for raising the bandwidth requirement because applications are more accessible through the web. Companies need to make sure the promises by service providers are achievable. For solutions that use the cloud for a front end with a backend within the company’s IT environment, increased bandwidth between the two environment may be required.

Bandwidth isn’t the only concern to improve performance. Redundancies are another crucial component to ensure that service disruptions have minimal impact on business operations. Identify the server solutions that the provider has in place to promote redundancy and replication. Cluster environments are of course the best choice, but can be more expensive depending on the number of instances that are found int eh cluster.

Latency is still another major concern. If the data center for the service provider is 1000 miles away, performance issues will occur. For companies that are striving for a global presence, they need to seek service providers that have multiple data centers around the world.

The bottom line. Cloud computing does have its benefits. However, careful planning and knowledge of the service providers capabilities will ensure both parties are clear that the business requirements are met.

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We’re helping 1000s of IT Professionals save time and money and grow their business. How?

This self-study exam preparation guide for the ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle Service Strategy (SS) certification exam contains everything you need to test yourself and pass the Exam, including all the processes, and inputs and outputs. Exam topics are covered and insider secrets, complete explanations of all ITIL V3 subjects, test tricks and tips, numerous highly realistic sample questions, and exercises designed to strengthen understanding of ITIL V3 concepts and prepare you for exam success on the first attempt are provided.

Can you imagine valuing a book so much that you send the author a “Thank You” letter?

Tens of thousands of people understand why the material by The Art of Service is a worldwide best-seller. Is it their years of ITIL experience? The endless hours of ongoing research? The interviews with those who failed the exam, to identify gaps in their knowledge? Or is it the razor-sharp focus on making sure you don’t waste a single minute of your time studying any more than you absolutely have to? Actually, it’s all of the above.

This book includes new exercises and sample questions never before in print. Offering numerous sample questions, critical time-saving tips plus information available nowhere else, this book will help you pass the ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle Service Strategy (SS) exam on your FIRST try.

Done the ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle Service Strategy (SS) course, up to speed with the theory? Buy this. Read it. And Pass the ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle Service Strategy (SS) Exam.

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Why Experience E-Learning?

Official The Art of Service E-Learning is designed for self-motivated learners as a guided, self directed, interactive learning experience. The Art of Service E-Learning delivers value by providing a cost-effective, flexible means of acquiring knowledge and skills on ITIL and IT service Management subjects.

Training on Your Terms

Official The Art of Service E-Learning products provide a thorough learning experience by incorporating features designed to improve your ITIL proficiency and boost your productivity. Assessments, hands-on virtual labs, expert advice, and an interactive, non-linear approach all contribute to make The Art of Service E-Learning an engaging and flexible learning experience.

The Advantages of E-Learning from The Art of Service

Regardless of your type of organization, skill levels, or learning styles; The Art of Service E-Learning can provide access to just the right ITIL and It service Management training—anytime and anywhere—for IT Professional, developers, and managers, at work or at home.

The Art of Service E-Learning content is created by The Art of Service experts, so the training comes straight from the source.

Click Here for Demo Course

Value to Managers and Organizations

For your organization, The Art of Service E-Learning provides cost-effective learning solutions that are easy to use and reliable. Our products provide rich learning content and flexible options for content delivery to address your specific business needs.

• The Art of Service E-Learning meets the needs of a highly skilled technology workforce by providing tailored learning experiences that address their specific business needs.
• The Art of Service E-Learning features the most up-to-date content developed by The Art of Service service management experts for the most relevant learning experience available.
• E-Learning delivers value by offering a cost-effective way to enhance training, stretch resources, and acquire practical skills.

A license to The Art of Service E-Learning for your organization provides a consistent and high-quality learning experience for all of your staff.

Value to Individuals

For individuals, The Art of Service E-Learning content is a smart way to enhance your current skill set, to get up to speed on a new subject, or to prepare for ITIL Certification exams.

• The Art of Service E-Learning addresses specific training needs and learning styles, allowing individuals to learn the way they want to learn utilizing activities, exercises, games, and hands-on virtual labs.
• Learners can assess their knowledge before and after training, as well as track their progress and save their learning history.
• The Art of Service E-Learning delivers training right to the desktop; which makes it easier to incorporate learning into individual schedules.

My Learning

The Art of Service has designed My Learning as a first step in providing learning customers with a centralized, personalized learning experience. By adding learning products of interest to you to My Learning, it’s easier for you to plan your time; keep track of progress in your courses, exams, and other learning products; and to achieve your learning goals.

Comments from participants:

I suppose you’re wondering if its worth investing your money in this ITIL Foundation course, well as far as I’m concerned, it is. The content is well laid out, easy to follow, easy to absorb and the mock exam on-line is a great bonus. All in all, in my opinion it is money very well spent (and yes, I passed first time!)

Caroline Redmond

I’m getting ready to take my exam on the 24th.  I’ll be spending some time here prior to that date and trying to prepare as best I can.  This program has provided me with an excellent tool to get acquainted with the ITILexam I know whose fault it’ll be - mine.  In any case, I’ve never found anybody to have died from receiving too many ‘attaboys’, so to the expert crew; thanks for putting this together.

Brian Berardo

Here is what is included in the ITIL V3 eLearning Bundle:

The ITIL Version 3 Foundation Course eLearning  - This exciting and dynamic eLearning course introduces learners to the lifecycle of managing IT services to deliver to business expectations. As well as an engaging, case study based approach to learning the core disciplines of the ITILexam, required for entry into the future ITIL Version 3 intermediate level training courses. best practice, this course also positions the student to successfully complete the associated

The ITIL V3 Exam Prep  The Art of service’s ITIL V3 Foundation exam prep offers all the 7 modules for the ITIL Foundation V3 exam comprising of 80 questions in total designed to help candidates pass the ITIL V3 Foundation Exam.

The ITIL V3 Factsheet Benchmark Guide - Known as the “ITIL V3 Encyclopedia”, The Art of Service’s Guide brings you exclusive data for all ITIL V3’s 19 processes, plus implementation advice, supporting info and related processes help into one handy Guide for you.

Get your access and book today and start getting ready for passing your ITIL V3 Foundation Exam tomorrow — risk-free!

Order now and we’ll give you your *instant* eLearning access codes and PDF download link. Plus, we’ll also ship you a printed-and-bound copy of the book within 24 hours via Priority Mail.

Your order is risk-free because it’s 100% money-back guaranteed. If you are not satisfied by The Art of Service’s ITIL V3 Foundation eLearning bundle, just return for a 100% refund.

To get your instant ITIL Foundation AND Exam Prep access and PDF download plus 132-page printed copy ORDER NOW!

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For years, IT departments have been focused on consolidating identify management technologies and processes. This approach forced professionals to contain security measures within the enterprise’s IT infrastructure. The use of the web through cloud computing have raised questions about this approach.

Cloud computing forces identity management to be extended outside of the in-house IT environment, which can lead in additional vulnerabilities in the authentication systems if the service provider’s systems are compromised. Another solution is to have a separate identify management system for each cloud computing solution, but that requires integration the multiple systems together.

Another concern is data storage and backups. The expectation using cloud solutions is that data will be on shared storage and therefore have a greater potential in risk. Techniques, such as fit to risk measures, can be used to ensure that highly sensitive is not placed on the cloud but on in-house storage. However, such separation between the web application and the storage requires knowing the standards used by the service provider and how those standards can be adapted to integrate the systems. Encryption abilities vary between service providers, so sufficient planning is required if this technique will be used to protect data. Backup abilities between service providers are also varied with some providing backups applications while others require customer or third party solutions.

With cloud computing solutions, the customer has no control over the actual patching and monitoring of vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, the customer is still responsible for the risk to data. This requires some effort to assess what data needs to be protected and the best method of protection. It’s not wise to expect that all cloud providers have the most secure platforms.

Using a utility-based solution is not a hands off situation. Customers need to understand the technologies used by the solution and make up any gaps that exist for the business. Not taking this accountability can prove more costly than staying with traditional distributed IT.

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The opportunities provided by Cloud Computing solutions allowed for significant growth within an industry that continues to mature and develop at a rapid pace.

The primary goal of this book and course is to provide the quality education and support materials needed to enable the understanding and application of Cloud Computing in a wide-range of contexts.

This comprehensive book is designed to complement the in-depth eLearn Virtualization Specialist program. The interactive eLearn course uses a combination of narrated PowerPoint presentations and multiple choice assessments which will ultimately prepare you for the Virtualization Specialist certification exam.

IT professionals need to know a whole lot more about the various ways of delivering services to the customers and end-users. It is no longer sufficient just to know the differences between Windows based or Linux based architecture. These days, most services will utilize some form of Cloud Computing, be it virtualization or SaaS offerings.

So with the change in computing and IT Service delivery comes a whole new series of qualifications and certification. The Cloud Computing Certification Scheme has been created to support the IT Professional who needs to be a ‘niche generalist’, especially in a rapidly changing area like Virtualization.

First, you need to create the foundation – The Virtualization Specialist Program focuses on the fundamentals, general knowledge, terminology and BASIC concepts used in Virtualization. This program earns you 3 points toward your Cloud Computing Expert Certificate.

This kit prepares you for the certification exam by offering valuable information on Virtualization application and Cloud Computing Certification.

This Kit contains the book and online course access that provides everything you need to prepare for the Virtualization Specialist Certification Exam, including in-depth coverage of all exam objectives, scenarios to easily demonstrate the processes in action, and practice exam questions for that last minute test preparation.

This Study Guide and Online Course access provides complete, in-depth coverage of all exam objectives for theVirtualization Specialist exam in a systematic approach, so you can be confident you’re getting the instruction you need.

• Real-world scenarios put what you’ve learned in the context of service solutions.
• Thought provoking questions to challenge your thinking and understanding.
• Exam Essentials in each chapter helps you zero in on what you need to know.
• Includes practice exam questions
• A Real World Guide to Virtualization Skills.
• Key information and real world examples organized around the actual day-to-day tasks and challenges you’ll face in the field of IT Management.
• Practice what you’ve learned with challenging Virtualization Specialist exam style questions.

Based on specific exam objectives - use this as a lab manual for certification preparation.

Contents

FOREWORD 1

1 INTRODUCTION  8

1.1 WHAT IS VIRTUALIZATION? 8

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF VIRTUALIZATION 9

1.3 HISTORY OF VIRTUALIZATION 11

1.4 BENEFITS OF VIRTUALIZED TECHNOLOGY 12

1.5 THE VIRTUAL SERVICE DESK 15

1.6 WHAT CAN BE VIRTUALIZED? 15

1.7 RELATED FORMS OF COMPUTING 17

1.7.1 CLOUD COMPUTING 17

1.7.2 SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE - SAAS 18

1.7.3 GRID COMPUTING 18

1.7.4 UTILITY COMPUTING 19

1.8 VIRTUALIZATION PROCESSES 19

1.9 INTRODUCTION REVIEW QUESTIONS 20

2 COMMON TERMINOLOGY 21

3 VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES 26

3.1 UBUNTU (SERVER EDITION) 26

3.2 ALTIRIS 27

3.3 WINDOWS SERVER 28

3.4 SOFTWARE VIRTUALIZATION 29

3.5 VMWARE 30

3.6 INTEL VIRTUALIZATION 31

3.7 RED HAT VIRTUALIZATION 32

3.8 SOFTGRID APPLICATION 33

3.9 LINUX VIRTUALIZATION 35

3.10 DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION 37

3.11 HARDWARE VIRTUALIZATION 38

3.12 RESOURCE VIRTUALIZATION 39

3.13 PROCESSOR VIRTUALIZATION 40

3.14 APPLICATION VIRTUALIZATION 41

3.15 STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION 42

3.16 VIRTUALIZATION DENSITY 43

3.17 PARA-VIRTUALIZATION 44

3.18 OS VIRTUALIZATION 44

3.19 VIRTUALIZATION SOFTWARE 46

3.20 DATA STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION 58

3.21 INTEL VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY 60

3.22 THINSTALL VIRTUALIZATION SUITE 62

3.23 NET FRAMEWORK VIRTUALIZATION 64

3.24 WINDOWS VIRTUALIZATION ON FEDORA 66

3.25 STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES 67

3.26 VIRTUALIZATION LEVEL 69

3.27 SECURITY MONITORING AND VIRTUALIZATION 70

3.28 ORACLE VIRTUALIZATION 74

3.29 VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGIES REVIEW QUESTIONS 75

4 ACCOMPLISHING VIRTUALIZATION 76

4.1 MIGRATING TO A VIRTUALIZED ENVIRONMENT 76

4.1.1 THINGS TO DO AND CONSIDER BEFORE MIGRATION 76

4.2 THINGS TO DO AFTER MIGRATION 79

4.2.1 A SIMPLE HOW-TO GUIDE 80

4.2.2 FURTHER MIGRATION CONSIDERATIONS 83

4.2.3 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH VIRTUALIZATION 90

4.2.4 PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH VIRTUALIZATION 95

5 MANAGING A VIRTUALIZED ENVIRONMENT 97

5.1 SUPPORT ISSUES 97

5.2 MEASURING CAPACITY AND PERFORMANCE 99

5.3 CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS SUCH AS LICENSING 101

5.4 ORGANIZATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS 103 SERVICE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES 105 IT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 105

5.4.1 IT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND VIRTUALIZATION 106 INFORMATION SECURITY MANAGEMENT 107

5.4.2 INFORMATION SECURITY MANAGEMENT AND VIRTUALIZATION 107

5.5 RELEASE & DEPLOYMENT MANAGEMENT 107

5.5.1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 108

5.5.2 SCOPE 108

5.5.3 BENEFITS 108

5.5.4 TERMINOLOGY 109

5.5.5 TRIGGERS AND INTERFACES 112

5.5.6 RELEASE DESIGN OPTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS 113

5.5.7 RELEASE POLICY 115

5.5.8 RELEASE AND DEPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES 115 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 125

5.5.9 POLICIES AND PRINCIPLES OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 126

5.5.10 THE SERVICE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SKMS) 127 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT 128

5.5.11 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT AND VIRTUALIZATION 128

5.6 CHANGE MANAGEMENT 129

5.6.1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 130

5.6.2 SCOPE 130

5.6.3 DESIGNING AND PLANNING 131

5.6.4 CHANGE MANAGEMENT POLICIES 132

5.6.5 CHANGE MODELS 132

5.6.6 TRIGGERS AND INTERFACES 134

5.6.7 CHANGE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES 136

5.6.8 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN CHANGE MANAGEMENT 141

5.6.9 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS) OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT 142

5.6.10 CHALLENGES AFFECTING CHANGE MANAGEMENT 143

5.6.11 RELATIONSHIP WITH PROJECT MANAGEMENT 144

5.6.12 TYPICAL CONTENTS OF CHANGE DOCUMENTATION 145

5.7 SERVICE DESK 149

5.7.1 GOAL AND OBJECTIVES 149

5.7.2 BENEFITS 150

5.7.3 SERVICE DESK ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES 150

5.7.4 SERVICE DESK TYPES (SKILL LEVELS) 155

5.7.5 SERVICE DESK STAFFING 155

5.7.6 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIS) FOR THE SERVICE DESK 157

5.7.7 OUTSOURCING THE SERVICE DESK 157

6 VIRTUALIZATION AND STORAGE MANAGEMENT 158

6.1 THE HEART OF CLOUD COMPUTING: VIRTUALIZATION 158

6.2 DEFINING VIRTUALIZATION 159

6.3 WHY VIRTUALIZE? 159

6.4 WHAT CAN BE VIRTUALIZED? 160

6.5 WHERE DOES VIRTUALIZATION HAPPEN? 161

6.6 HOW DOES VIRTUALIZATION HAPPEN? 162

6.7 ON THE ROAD TO STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION 163

6.8 IMPROVING AVAILABILITY USING VIRTUALIZATION 164

6.9 IMPROVING PERFORMANCE THROUGH VIRTUALIZATION 164

6.10 IMPROVING CAPACITY THROUGH VIRTUALIZATION 165

6.11 BUSINESS VALUE FOR VIRTUALIZATION 166

7 APPLYING CLOUD COMPUTING TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT 167

7.1 BENEFITING FROM CLOUD COMPUTING 167

7.2 THE EASE OF LINKING (HYPERLINKS) 168

7.3 SUBSCRIBING TO SUCCESS (BLOGGING) 169

7.3.1 EVERYONE IS A PROJECT MANAGER (OPEN SOURCE) 171

7.4 TREATING THE PROJECT AS PARTS, NOT THE WHOLE (REUSE) 173

7.5 TESTING THE LIMITS (PORTABILITY) 174

7.6 PROCESS REVIEW QUESTIONS 175 ANSWERS 177

7.6 PROCESS REVIEW 177 CERTIFICATION 177

7.7 CLOUD COMPUTING CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS 177

7.8 ITIL® CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS 180

7.9 ISO/IEC 20000 CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS 181

8 VIRTUALIZATION SPECIALIST EXAM TIPS 182

9 REFERENCES 183

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Cloud computing solutions can provide easy adoption for most organizations. Quick implementation and low costs offer simple opportunities to handle business functions that can be done on the web. Unfortunately, the ease of the solution can often make it just as easy to forget about the technologies behind cloud services.

Essentially the difference between cloud computing and traditional enterprise architecture is how IT components are used. The components are the same: programming languages, databases, web services, operating systems, protocols, and APIs. Ensuring which cloud services can fit with an organization’s systems, applications, and knowledge is a crucial step in choosing the right provider.

Many cloud services are limited in their support of programming languages, database frameworks, even operating systems. Quick implementation without long term planning can restrict the future improvements to the environment. A driving force behind IT Service Management initiatives is the interoperability of several business applications to tie in workflow or shared data. This raises the possibility of multiple cloud solutions from different vendors. Use standards and similar specifications, like REST or SOAP, in all the solutions, to make integration easier.

Before stepping into the next cloud solution, focus on understanding the long-term aspects of including particular solutions into the already existing enterprise architecture. Taking this small step in planning will go a long way in ensuring that your choice is not limiting.

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Complete Handbook of IT service Management and ITIL V3 Roles and Responsibilities. How does your organization match IT roles to ITIL roles?

Many of our clients asked us for help in ITIL v3 role and responsibility descriptions, here is the utterly excellent guide to roles and responsibilities in ITIL v3.

If you have ever worked in, been a partner or managed an IT organization, this book will not only answer a lot of your troubling questions, it will also explain matters that you did not know the questions to - just the obnoxious frustration of something that was not working.

It is with incredible ease, yet depth and understanding that this book ploughs through the important issues that concerns not only HR managers and CIOs, but anyone who wants to climb up the ladder.

It explains how you got to balance your IT staff (process managers and specialists) and why it is so vitally important to mix people on the right combination of processes and projects (brains, grey hair and procedure projects) as this builds up the organization’s human capital, and provides the means and profitability to continue to align with business objectives and grow.

This book is not filled with theoritical babble but practical and useful information, knowledge and experience!

The book is divided into six parts : CSI, Service Design, Service Operation, Service Strategy, Service Transition and ISO/IEC 20000. All in all it comprises of 52 documents.

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Cloud computing options are expanding for companies. The attraction of low-cost infrastructures for developing and hosting web applications is pulling more organizations in marketing products and handling business affairs over the Internet with their customers.

However there are still some useful considerations that required attention if a company is looking to use cloud computing solutions as part of their IT strategy. Here’s a basic list:

• Make sure the existing IT architecture works with cloud services.
• With so many providers of cloud services, find one or two that meet your needs and keep with them.
• Deploy monitoring and management tools for cloud services.
• If required, ensure a federated identify management system is implemented.
• Have all sensitive data stored on the cloud encrypted.
• Have an existing backup plan in case of failure in the cloud.
• Add bandwidth between the cloud and the IT architecture to support increases in network traffic.

One of the perils of cloud computing is the lack of management by the organization using it. Just because some IT is being handled by another party does not warrant completely removing control. Put in some mechanism to continually ensure that the cloud still benefits the company in all its aspects.

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