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- Management Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Management
- Establishing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Aligning IT Goals with Corporate Business Goals
- Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques
- Developing Worthwhile Mission Statements
- Developing Worthwhile Vision Statements
- Instituting Practical Corporate Values
- Budgeting Considerations in an IT Environment
- Introduction to Conducting an Effective SWOT Analysis
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part One
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part Two
- Customer Management
- Identifying Key External Customers
- Identifying Key Internal Customers
- Negotiating with Customers and Suppliers—Part 1: An Introduction
- Negotiating With Customers and Suppliers—Part 2: Reaching Agreement
- Negotiating and Managing Realistic Customer Expectations
- Service Management
- Identifying Key Services for Business Users
- Service-Level Agreements That Really Work
- How IT Evolved into a Service Organization
- FAQs About Systems Management (SM)
- FAQs About Availability (AV)
- FAQs About Performance and Tuning (PT)
- FAQs About Service Desk (SD)
- FAQs About Change Management (CM)
- FAQs About Configuration Management (CF)
- FAQs About Capacity Planning (CP)
- FAQs About Network Management
- FAQs About Storage Management (SM)
- FAQs About Production Acceptance (PA)
- FAQs About Release Management (RM)
- FAQs About Disaster Recovery (DR)
- FAQs About Business Continuity (BC)
- FAQs About Security (SE)
- FAQs About Service Level Management (SL)
- FAQs About Financial Management (FN)
- FAQs About Problem Management (PM)
- FAQs About Facilities Management (FM)
- Process Management
- Developing Robust Processes
- Establishing Mutually Beneficial Process Metrics
- Change Management—Part 1
- Change Management—Part 2
- Change Management—Part 3
- Audit Reconnaissance: Releasing Resources Through the IT Audit
- Problem Management
- Problem Management–Part 2: Process Design
- Problem Management–Part 3: Process Implementation
- Business Continuity Emergency Communications Plan
- Capacity Planning – Part One: Why It is Seldom Done Well
- Capacity Planning – Part Two: Developing a Capacity Planning Process
- Capacity Planning — Part Three: Benefits and Helpful Tips
- Capacity Planning – Part Four: Hidden Upgrade Costs and
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 1
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 2
- 20 Major Elements of Facilities Management
- Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center
- Evaluating the Physical Environment
- Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process – Part Two
- Automating a Robust Infrastructure Process
- Improving High Availability — Part One: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Two: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Three: The Seven R's of High Availability
- Improving High Availability — Part Four: Assessing an Availability Process
- Methods for Brainstorming and Prioritizing Requirements
- Introduction to Disk Storage Management — Part One
- Storage Management—Part Two: Performance
- Storage Management—Part Three: Reliability
- Storage Management—Part Four: Recoverability
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part One
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part Two
- Meeting Today's Cooling Challenges of Data Centers
- Strategic Security, Part One: Assessment
- Strategic Security, Part Two: Development
- Strategic Security, Part Three: Implementation
- Strategic Security, Part Four: ITIL Implications
- Production Acceptance Part One – Definition and Benefits
- Production Acceptance Part Two – Initial Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Three – Middle Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Four – Ongoing Steps
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part One – Objectives
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part Two – SWOT
- Case Study: Implementing an ITIL Service Desk – Part One
- Case Study: Implementing a Service Desk Part Two – Tool Selection
- Ethics, Scandals and Legislation
- Outsourcing in Response to Legislation
- Supplier Management
- Identifying Key External Suppliers
- Identifying Key Internal Suppliers
- Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service
- Enhancing the Customer/Supplier Matrix
- Voice Over IP, Part One — What VoIP Is, and Is Not
- Voice Over IP, Part Two — Benefits, Cost Savings and Features of VoIP
- Application Management
- Production Acceptance
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Assessing a Production Acceptance Process
- Effective Use of a Software Development Life Cycle
- The Role of Project Management in SDLC— Part 2
- Communication in Project Management – Part One: Barriers to Effective Communication
- Communication in Project Management – Part Two: Examples of Effective Communication
- Safeguarding Personal Information in the Workplace: A Case Study
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 1: Building a Manageable Schedule
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 2: Tracking and Reporting Availability
- References
- Developing an ITIL Feasibility Analysis
- Organization and Personnel Management
- Optimizing IT Organizational Structures
- Factors That Influence Restructuring Decisions
- Alternative Locations for the Help Desk
- Alternative Locations for Database Administration
- Alternative Locations for Network Operations
- Alternative Locations for Web Design
- Alternative Locations for Risk Management
- Alternative Locations for Systems Management
- Practical Tips To Retaining Key Personnel
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Using IT Consultants and Contractors
- Deciding Between the Use of Contractors versus Consultants
- Managing Employee Skill Sets and Skill Levels
- Assessing Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff
- Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside
- Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate
- 7 Tips for Managing the Use of Mobile Devices
- Useful Websites for IT Managers
- References
- Automating Robust Processes
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part One: Quality and Value
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part Two: Benefits and Use of a Quality-Value Matrix
- When Should You Integrate or Segregate Service Desks?
- Five Instructive Ideas for Interviewing
- Eight Surefire Tips to Use When Being Interviewed
- 12 Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive
- Eight Uncommon Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Ten Helpful Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Sorting Out Today’s Various Training Options
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 1
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 2
- 12 Tips for More Effective Emails
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part One
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Two
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Three
- Asset Management
- Managing Hardware Inventories
- Introduction to Hardware Inventories
- Processes To Manage Hardware Inventories
- Use of a Hardware Inventory Database
- References
- Managing Software Inventories
- Business Continuity Management
- Ten Lessons Learned from Real-Life Disasters
- Ten Lessons Learned From Real-Life Disasters, Part 2
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 1
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 2
- 15 Common Terms and Definitions of Business Continuity
- The Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Recovery
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 1
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 2
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 3
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 4
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 1
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 2
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 3
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 4
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part One
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Two
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Three
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Four
- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- The Origins of ITIL
- The Foundation of ITIL: Service Management
- Five Reasons for Revising ITIL
- The Relationship of Service Delivery and Service Support to All of ITIL
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part One
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part Two
- Characteristics of ITIL Version 3
- Ten Benefits of itSMF and its IIL Pocket Guide
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Delivery Processes
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Support Processes
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part One: Service Delivery Processes
- Case Study: Recovery Reactions to a Renegade Rodent
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part Two: Service Support
- Case Studies
- Case Study — Preparing for Hurricane Charley
- Case Study — The Linux Decision
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at an Aerospace Firm
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at a Defense Contractor
- Case Study — Evaluating Mainframe Processes
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part One: Quantitative Comparisons/Natural Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Two: Quantitative Comparisons/Man-made Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Three: Qualitative Comparisons
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Four: Take-Aways
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part One: Planning
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Two: Planning and Walk-Through
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Three: Execution
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Four: Follow-Up
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part One: Qualitative Measures
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part Two: Quantitative Measures
- Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part One: What Did the Team Do Well
- (d) Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part Two
The first part of this article provides information on the background and formation of the information technology service management forum (itSMF). The second part describes ten major benefits of the itSMF and its popular publication: the ITIL Pocket Guide.
Background and formation of the itSMF
The information technology service management forum (itSMF) was formed in the Netherlands in 1991 to promote IT service management principles, and to serve as a user group for the information technology infrastructure library (ITIL). ITIL was developed in 1989 under the sponsorship of the United Kingdom government, and eventually became a de facto standard of IT infrastructure processes best practices.
The following is the mission statement of the itSMF:
"The objective of the itSMF is to promote current IT Service Management expertise and practices, as an independent, not-for-profit organization."
The itSMF implements its mission by organizing local, national and international conferences, by publishing a bi-monthly magazine called Service Talk, by setting up seminars, regional discussion groups and working parties, and by issuing publications. One of the most widely recognized publications of the ifSMF is their ITIL PocketGuide.
The itSMF has the following as its four primary goals:
- to develop and promote industry best practice in IT service management
- to bring about professionalism within Service Management personnel
- to provide a vehicle for helping members improve service performance
- to provide members with a relevant forum in which to exchange information and share experiences with their peers on both sides of the industry
Members come from the following three separate areas:
- Public Sector — central & local government, health & police authorities
- Private Sector — banking, insurance, telecommunications, utilities, retail, transport, leisure
- Vendors — product suppliers, consultancies, trainers, legal, recruitment, outsourcing
By 1995, the itSMF was providing helpful suggestions and dialogues about the understanding and implementation of ITIL. One of the most persistent recommendations involved the development of a condensed version of many ITIL volumes that described the best practices of various infrastructure processes. Later that year itSMF issued the first version of its popular ITIL Pocket Guide. In 1997, the first American chapter of itSMF was formed in Dallas, Texas. Since that time, dozens of other chapters have been formed in the United States and world-wide.
Benefits of itSMF
The following list summarizes the benefits of membership in the itSMF in general, and of the ITIL Pocket Guide in particular.
- Forum for Feedback — One of the most valuable benefits of the itSMF is its ability to provide feedback about service management to and among various parties. IT service providers can supply information to each other about what works well and what does not. They can also provide feedback to vendors of service management products. Perhaps most importantly IT service providers can offer input to ITIL developers that eventually improves future versions of ITIL.
- Localization — Another benefit of the itSMF is its localized nature. With regional user groups springing up all over, it is becoming easier to find a chapter in your area. This allows for the free exchange of information local to your area. For example, if natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes are common to a particular local, the process of IT service continuity may be of interest to service managers in these areas.
- Globalization — On the flip side of localization is the global nature of itSMF. This affords the largest number of contributors and users of the information shared at forums. This benefit also can come into play for members wanting to survey a particular industry on either a nation-wide or world-wide basis.
- Relevancy — The feedback exchanged at itSMF seminars is relevant to what is going on today because the participants, both IT service providers and product vendors, are sharing their experiences today. Current technologies such as wireless, voice-over-IP, radio frequency identification (RFID), and even web-enabled applettes were unheard of 15 years ago when the itSMF was just getting started. But current members using current tools help keep the forum timely and topical.
- Practical Application — The suggestions made to itSMF, and which may find their way into newer versions of ITIL and the Pocket Guide, are practical in nature rather than theoretical or academic. They are offered up by practitioners for practitioners.
- Condensed Content — The ITIL Pocket Guide consolidates almost 300 pages of information about infrastructure processes from the service support and service delivery volumes down to barely 40 pages. While some may point out the font size of the Pocket Guide is considerable smaller than that of the service volumes, there is no questions that the Pocket Guide effectively condenses large amounts of information into smaller, easier to understand nuggets of wisdom.
- Stresses Key Points — One of the many benefits of the ITIL Pocket Guide is that it stresses only the key points about each ITIL process. Instead of pouring over dozens of pages of lengthy descriptions, the Pocket Guide keeps its explanations short, crisp and to the point.
- Demonstrates Integrations — The Pocket Guide shows with diagrams and flowcharts the key integrations among the various ITIL processes. These integrations constitute many of the powerful aspects of the best practices framework, and the Pocket Guide demonstrates these relationships very effectively.
- Ties Processes to Service Management — Another benefit of the ITIL Pocket Guide is how it closely ties the overall goals of service management to the individual goals of each ITIL process. Because the Pocket Guide is published by itSMF if offers a unique perspective on the significance of how these goals all tie together.
- Conveniently Sized — True to its name, the ITIL Pocket Guide is small enough to fit in most any standard-sized shirt pocket. This makes it an excellent traveling companion, a convenient reference book and an effective source of finger-tip knowledge.
Summary
The itSMF and its ITIL Pocket Guide are two effective means to implement IT service management and its associated infrastructure processes in your environment. The preceding sections presented background on the formation of itSMF and described ten key benefits of using the forum and it ITIL Pocket Guide. The following two websites can provide you additional information about itSMF:
http://www.itsmf.com (international website)
http://www.itsmfusa.org (United States website)