theartofservice

In this episode of ‘Ask Claire’ your questions are answered with regards to the ITIL version 3 Certification Scheme and the best pathways to achieving ITIL Expert status.

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The green movement and economic pressures of the business world is forcing companies to look for ways to conserve energy and save money for every aspect of the business, particularly IT. Making changes to the infrastructure has some benefits realized, but the heart of long-term changes will be the result of educating the workforce in the vocabulary and specifics of the concern.

Most companies have very little practical education in energy conservation, obtaining efficiencies in IT components, or the like. ISO14000 training is the most prevalent education found and in most cases, attendance is an attempt to fulfill a requirement than to actually learn and apply what is taught. The real change is when that education is applied. Here’s some suggestions:

Change the daily vocabulary. Make it a point to bring into conversation the need to understand where efficiencies are needed and what to do to obtain them. For instance, data in most organizations is increasing at alarming rates. The most data, the more storage which is needed and hence the more energy consumed. Control the data, a department has more control over the energy consumed. Though the elimination of data is not foreseeable, the proper management of that data is and can provide several additional benefits to the department.

To support the use of the vocabulary, expose the team to relevant discussions about energy consumption, space requirements, and IT technologies on a regular basis. The closer the department is to managing the facilities or IT of an organization, the more meaningful the discussions are because actions based on the discussions are more prevalent.

Make efficiency gains a criteria for performance. Ensure that everyone understands that they have a role in fulfilling the need for efficiency in the organization and encourage everyone’s idea.

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NEW: ITIL Intermediate Lifecycle program: Continual Service Improvement CSI Complete Certification Online Learning

Who Knew ITIL Certification E-Learning This Quick and Easy Could Make You Look This Good.

“The Art of Service has dramatically changed the way we deliver employee training. We can now deliver more training at less cost to a wider audience in a shorter period of time.”

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The issues surrounding the need to drive efficiencies within the Data Center are clear. Pressures on budget, on energy consumption, on physical space are forcing organizations to look for new ways to better use what they already have.

The task of driving efficiencies is not the responsibilities of a single group. In an interwoven campus of support groups, the path must a collaborative effort. For example in many companies, the IT group and Facilities group are two separate entities, often under different management structures. Particularly in saving space and energy, the two groups need to work closely to support any improvements. Striving for cooperation requires that departments start breaking down the walls that separate them and build some mutually beneficial goals. Then working together to identify improvements that will fulfill on those goals.

Just a warning though. Make improvements that can be measured. With the pressures to conserve and save, many businesses are even more critical of spending. If an improvement cannot be measured before, during and after its implementation, whose to say it ever happened or was needed.

To prepare for improving the efficiency of the data center, start with finding the right metrics for the components that you are improving. The more historical information that is available will only serve to strengthen any case that needs to be built for what needs to be done or has been done. Clearly identify the influences on the metrics that you use. For instance, the cost of electricity is has three influences: price, consumption, and component usage. If the utility pricing increases per unit consumed, then the price of electricity rises as well. If more electricity is consumed in a single period of time which often happens with the degradation of equipment, than the cost rises. If the usage of the device requiring power increases, than more electricity is consumed in total. It’s not enough to simply measure the cost of electricity, all the variables have to be understood and measured as well.

The request to be more efficient is present for most managers already. Now is a good time to reevaluate that the proper preparations are being made to fulfill that request. Build relationships with peer managers and put the right metrics in place to drive improvements to the environment.

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ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation Complete Certification Kit - Study Guide Book and Online Course

As the industry standard in terms of Process, Service and Lifecycle Management for IT, the ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation exam is the most popular entry-level certification, particularly for individuals switching from another career to IT.

ISO/IEC 20000 is the international, independent standard for quality in IT Service Management. A standard that enables organizations to prove the quality of IT Services to clients, and to build and maintain an IT Service Management System that meets the international ISO/IEC 20000 quality requirements. This delivers a significant competitive advantage, since clients demand high quality of IT Services. These organizations need IT-professionals who are certified for ISO/IEC 20000.

This kit prepares you for the certification exam by offering valuable information on the ITIL and ISO/IEC 20000 Framework, ISO/IEC 20000 Certification and IT Service Management.

This Kit contains the book and online course access that provides everything you need to prepare for the ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation 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 the ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation 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 ISO/IEC 20000 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 Service Management.
• Practice what you’ve learned with challenging ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation exam style questions.

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

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For a long time, the concerns over high IT costs have plagued business. For companies that do not specialize in computing or software, increasing dependencies on IT only serve to dedicate more of the overall budget to something other than the reason for the business. Gartner and other research firms have estimated that the average operating cost for a Tier 3/Tier 4 data center is around $1250 per square foot. Driving those costs down have become a major focus for companies of all sizes.

But costs are not the only efficiencies that data centers are striving for. Nearly 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from commercial and industrial buildings, according to the EPA. And the power consumed by data centers have doubled in the last five years. And this trend does not look like it will be changing any time soon. And as the demand of energy raises, so does the cost of utilities.

With the growing demand of IT, data centers are having to expand physically. For many companies, their IT infrastructure is pushing personnel out of their offices as more floor space is required. Companies are faced with having to acquire additional space to continue or grow the business. In order to expand physically, the budget needs to expand also; and this is not happening for many companies in the midst of an economic decline.

Unfortunately, instabilities in real estate, the mortgage crisis, rising utilities, and reduced activities by consumers are all issues that are making the matter worse for companies. Even some promising approaches, such as cloud computing, the green movement, and process management, can prove disastrous if not handled with care. Any solution that a company takes on, must have the ability to positively impact the efficiencies required by business in this new age.

The best thing that any company can do is to create a checklist of efficiency concerns and use it as a reality check for any major decision or project in the future.

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This Service Strategy Toolkit (60 Documents) is created to give you a head start and strong foundation in mapping and developing your IT Service Strategy.

There is a lot more to implementing ITIL Service Management than meets the eye. The ITIL Framework is quite large and at first may be daunting if you are investigating the implementation of the framework in the IT organization.

The first step is to understand the current situation. Where are we now? What is our current state of affairs? What can stay, and what has to change?

This is also the time when your team will create the vision for the future: where do we want to be? What type of IT organization do we want to be, and what level of maturity is required? The planning stage of an ITIL Implementation project can last anywhere between a month and a year. However, without this solid planning phase the outcome of the project will most likely be at risk.

Based on the outcome of this assessment a long term plan can be painted as well as a selection of the first few processes that will be improved and implemented.

IMPLEMENTATION OF SERVICE STRATEGY

Strategic positions are converted into plans with goals and objectives for execution through the Service Lifecycle. Service Strategy discusses the reason WHY the IT service is needed, and to what extent the service would be needed by the customers. The processes are driven by the need to service specific customers and market spaces and are influenced by strategic perspectives as a service provider.

Plans are the means of achieving those positions. They include the Service Catalogue, Service Pipeline, Contract Portfolio, financial budgets, delivery schedules, and improvement programs. Plans will ensure that each phase in the Service Lifecycle has the capabilities and resources necessary to reach strategic positions. Clarity and context for the development of these is provided by the Service Lifecycle.

The intent of strategy into action through Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation and Service Improvement is translated through plans. Service Strategy provides input to each phase of the Service Lifecycle.


All the 60 Service Strategy Files you will get with this Toolkit:


│   │   │   └───Service Strategy
│   │   │       ├───Demand Management
│   │   │       │       Business and IT Service Mapping.doc
│   │   │       │       Business Justification Document.doc
│   │   │       │       Capacity Management Process Manager.doc
│   │   │       │       Capacity Management- Roles & Responsibilities.doc
│   │   │       │       Communication Plan.doc
│   │   │       │       Demand Management Review Doc.xls
│   │   │       │       Demand Modeling.doc
│   │   │       │       Implementation Plan - Project Plan.doc
│   │   │       │       ITIL V3 Demand Management Presentation.ppt
│   │   │       │       Objectives and Goals.doc
│   │   │       │       Policies Objectives Scope.doc
│   │   │       │       Reports KPI’s and Other Metrics.doc
│   │   │       │       Toolkit Introduction Presentation - Demand Management.ppt
│   │   │       │       Toolkit Roadmap - Demand Management.doc
│   │   │       │
│   │   │       ├───Financial Management
│   │   │       │       Accounting Policies.doc
│   │   │       │       Accounting Template.xls
│   │   │       │       BONUS File Standardized Financial Statements Template.xls
│   │   │       │       Budget Template.xls
│   │   │       │       Budgeting Guidelines.doc
│   │   │       │       Business Justification Document.doc
│   │   │       │       Charging Policies.doc
│   │   │       │       Charging Template.xls
│   │   │       │       Common Business Objectives.doc
│   │   │       │       Communication Plan.doc
│   │   │       │       Cost Model Template.xls
│   │   │       │       Example -Multiple business impact can affect single business objectives.doc
│   │   │       │       Example -Single business impact can affect multiple business objectives.doc
│   │   │       │       Example Model Calculation of a Service Management ROI.doc
│   │   │       │       Example NPV Decisions.doc
│   │   │       │       Example Trend Line Analysis.doc
│   │   │       │       Financial Management Powerpoint.ppt
│   │   │       │       Financial Management Process Manager.doc
│   │   │       │       Financial Review Doc.xls
│   │   │       │       Implementation Plan - Project Plan.doc
│   │   │       │       Objectives and Goals.doc
│   │   │       │       Policies Objectives and Scope.doc
│   │   │       │       Reports KPI’s other metrics.doc
│   │   │       │       Sample Business Case Structure.doc
│   │   │       │       Toolkit Introduction Presentation - Financial Management.ppt
│   │   │       │       Toolkit Roadmap - Financial Management.doc
│   │   │       │
│   │   │       ├───Service Portfolio Management
│   │   │       │       Business Justification Document.doc
│   │   │       │       Communication Plan.doc
│   │   │       │       Example Service Catalogue.doc
│   │   │       │       Implementation Plan_Project Plan.doc
│   │   │       │       Objectives and Goals.doc
│   │   │       │       Reports KPI’s Other Metrics.doc
│   │   │       │       Roles and Responsibilities of Product Manager.doc
│   │   │       │       Service Catalogue 1.doc
│   │   │       │       Service Catalogue 2.doc
│   │   │       │       Service Catalogue.doc
│   │   │       │       Service Design - The Big Picture.doc
│   │   │       │       Service Portfolio Management Presentation.ppt
│   │   │       │       Service Portfolio Review Doc.xls
│   │   │       │       The Key Links, Inputs and Outputs of Service Design.doc
│   │   │       │       Toolkit Introduction Presentation - Service Portfolio Management.ppt
│   │   │       │       Toolkit Roadmap - Service Portfolio Management.doc
│   │   │       │       Use of the Service Portfolio.doc
│   │   │       │
│   │   │       └───Service Strategy START
│   │   │               Challenges, CSFs and Risks.doc
│   │   │               Description of Asset Types.doc
│   │   │               Service Strategy Introduction Presentation.ppt

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IT organizations have always run the risk of setting a business on a technology that they cannot get out of at a later date. This is one of the reasons that new trends in IT are both very exciting because they can solve long standing issues and highly resisted because of concerns over longevity. The same concerns are present for companies hoping to use solutions in cloud computing. Understanding the potential antagonists to the problem can assist in deciding the proper approach to take.

There are few standards that exist within cloud computing, which is a highly potential risk. With open standards between service providers, very few similarities can be counted on from one solution to the next. As a result, the risk of being tied to a specific service provider increases, as well as the cost of migrating to another solution if required.

These variables extend to every aspect of the solution, particularly data. In traditional environments, more control is available on how and where data is stored. Cloud platforms provide schemas which are solution specific. For the IT organization, this means that data may not be able to be transferred from one platform to the next with ease. Source code is another concern. If developed within the cloud, can it be used on other platforms, or is a rewrite required?

These concerns should not stop a company’s plan to utilize a cloud solution; only that such a move requires careful thought and planning on the long term consequences. Understanding that these concerns exist will assist in assessing the capabilities of potential cloud providers.

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