Monthly Archives: June 2012

CIO Wisdom
Best Practices from Silicon Valley’s Leading IT Experts

First edition; 412 pages
ISBN 0-13-141115-2
( by: Dean Lane)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Within and Beyond: Understanding the Role of the CIO
By Al Pappas & Stuart Robbins

• Perspective 1: The Extended Enterprise CIO
• Perspective 2: Back to the Basics- What is a CIO?
  • Overview of the CIO Role
  • Background of the CIO- Technology Vs. Business
  • Business Environments and the CIO’s Role
  • Reporting Relationships, Hierarchy, and the CIO’s Role
  • Understanding the Dynamic Role of the CIO

Chapter 2
Women CIO’s
By Judy Armstrong

• Why Single Out a Particular Group of CIO’s
• Why Is IT Unfriendly to Women?
• What is IT Losing When Women Leave the IT Workforce?
• What Do We Need to Change to Attract More Women into the IT Profession?
• Why Do Some Women Prevail and Others Do Not?
• What Is Different for Women CIO’s in Their First 90 Days?
• Who Are Some of the Successful Women CIO’s and Why?
  • Pat Anderson, CIO of Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems
  • Polly Moore, Former CIO of Genentech
  • Tama Olver, CIO of Applelera
  • The Value of Women in IT

Chapter 3
The First 90 Days
By Mark Egan

• Key Takeaways
• Overview
• Ninety-Day Tactical Plan
• IT Organization Review
• IT Strategic Plan
  • Step 1
  • Step 2
  • Step3
  • Step 4
  • Step 5
• IT Architecture Blueprint
  • Architecture Overview
  • Management Recommendations
  • Pulling It All Together

Chapter 4
The Tao Perspective
By George Lin

• An Indirect but Fundamental Approach
• CIO Challenges
  • Creating a Business-Focused IT Organization
  • Leading by Example: Five Fundamentals for Better IT/Business Alignment
  • Uniting the Forces: Five Strategies to Align the Business
  • Sustaining Success: Two Practices
• In Closing

Chapter 5
Communications: Communication Excellence in IT Management
By Brenda J. Fox

• The Problem: Us Vs. Them
• How to Break Down Stereotypes that Threaten Good Communication
  • Lead by Example
  • Know Your Audience
  • Create Awareness of the Lines of Communication
  • Start Thinking Like a Service Organization
  • Ask Your Staff for Help
  • Stop the Blame Game
  • Provide Accurate Information
  • Foster Teamwork
• Essential Management Practices that Produce Good Communication
  • Plan
  • Set IT Policy and Standards
  • Understand the Company’s Commitments, Schedules, and Dependencies
  • Integrate Project Planning
  • Budget as a Team
  • Control Production Changes
  • Continuously Improve Quality
  • Be Explicit in Your Decision-Making Process
• What to Keep in Mind when Implementing Communication Tools and Practices
  • Deliver Information that Each Group Requires
  • Communication Tools Depend on Accurate Process-Level Information
  • IT is a Team Support
  • Tools Must Measure Project Status at All Levels
• How to Make Yourself a Better Communicator
  • Assess Yourself
  • Know Your Audience
  • Set and Manage Expectations
  • Insist on Accountability
  • Be Aware of the Political Environment
• How to Know When Communication Is Good
  • Measure Behavioral Improvements
  • Process Improvements
  • Improvements in IT Business Fundamentals
• Conclusion

Chapter 6
IT Organization
By Guy de Meester

• Challenges in Determining the Ideal IT Organization
  • Follows the Business Plan
  • Be the Driver or Be Driven
• Centralized Vs. Decentralized Organizational Structure
  • Helpdesk and Desktop Support
  • Network and System Administrator Functions
  • Telecomm Support Functions
  • Applications Support Functions
• Reflections on Critical Information Systems Functions
  • Operations Director
  • Architect Function
  • Database Administrator Function
  • Desktop, Helpdesk, and System Administration Support
  • Project Management
• Decisions and Topics Impacting the Organizational Model
  • Policies and Procedures: Impact on the Organization
  • Roles and Cooperation of functional Departments
  • Effect of Budget Type on Organizational Model
  • Remote Management and Its Implications
  • Business Drivers: Impact on the Organization
  • Internet Support and Implications
  • Insourcing or Outsourcing: Impact on the Organization
  • Metrics and Management
  • Mergers and Acquisitions: Impact on the Organization
  • The IT Organization in Down Times
• Final Comments on IT Organizations

Chapter 7
Governance
By Danny Maco

• The Paradox of IT
• The Role of the New CIO
• What is Governance?
• Successful Governance
• Skills to Help You Govern
• Typical Governing Bodies
• Considerations Related to Governing Bodies
• Operational Governance
• Creating a Governance Model for Your Organization
• Putting a Governance Model in Place
• Managing Expectations for Governance
• How Much Energy should Be Committed to Governance?
• Evolution of Governance
• Mistaken Uses of Governance
• Effect of Acquisitions on Governance
• Summary

Chapter 8
Architecture
By John Dick, Holly Simmons, Maureen Vavra, and Steve Zoppi

• Are We Having Fun Yet?
• Overview
• The Classic Architecture Approach
• Enterprise Architecture Overview
• Planning for an Enterprise Architecture
  • Aligning IT with the Business
  • Budgeting for an Enterprise Architecture
  • Structuring an Organization to Support Your Enterprise Architecture
  • Architectural Review and Fit Assessments for Systems, Technology, Major Changes
  • Change Management at the Meta and Operational Level: A Critical Success Factor
• Component Architecture
  • Overview of the Functional Roadmap
  • Drilling Down in the Functional Roadmap
• Multi-tier Architecture, Layer by Layer
  • The Network Access Layer
  • The Distributed Data Access Layer
  • The Applications and Database Layers
  • The Inter-Enterprise Integration Layer
• Developing Strategic IT Portfolio

Chapter 9
Strategic Outsourcing
By Bharat C. Poria

• Understanding Outsourcing
• Elements of Outsourcing
  • Options for Outsourcing
  • Onsite Support
  • Offsite and Offshore
  • Offsite and Onshore
  • Functional Support
  • Program or Project Support
• Conclusion: Trends and Opportunities

Chapter 10
IT Workforce
By Dean Lane

• Five Basics for Retaining IT Professionals
  • Training
  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Environment
  • Motivation
• A Can-Do Attitude Cannot Be Beat
• Conclusions

Chapter 11
Strategic Planning
By Maureen Vavra and Dean Lane

• Chapter Profile
• The CIO’s Planning Role within the Business
• Business Strategizing
  • Follow the Corporate Strategic Plan?
  • How CIO’s Influence Strategy
  • Systems Planning and the Business
  • Departmental IT Models
  • IT Plans in a Technology-Oriented Company
• Approaches to Setting Strategic Goals and Objectives
  • Traditional Models
  • Situational Analysis: The SWOT Model
  • Critical Success Factors
  • Value Chain Analysis
  • Scenario Analysis and Impact Assessment
• IT Planning
  • Importance and Value
  • Plans Your IT Organization Must Have
  • IT Planning Checklist
  • Steps to an IT Plan
  • Plan to Plan
  • Critical Soft Components
  • Drivers for Change
  • Migration
• Managing to Plan an Outgoing/Evergreen Planning
• Milestones for Applications Portfolio Planning and Project Management
• Setting Priorities
  • Putting Things in Context
  • Good Staff Work
  • Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)
  • High-Medium-Low and Variations
  • Rack and Stack
• The Big Picture and Feedback Loop

Chapter 12
IT Infrastructure Management and Execution
By Joe Feliu

• The Operational Framework
• Focus Areas in Operations
  • Asset Management
  • Capacity Planning
  • Change Management
  • Disaster Recovery Planning
  • High Availability
  • Problem Management
  • Security Management
  • Service-Level Agreements
• Focus Areas in Development
  • Programming Practices
  • Project Management Process
  • Systems Development Lifecycle
• Focus Areas in Human Resources
  • Company New Employee Orientation
  • Managing Staff Performance
  • Training and Staff Development
• A Closing Comment

Chapter 13
Budgeting
By Bob Denis, Maureen Vavra, and John Dick

• Building Blocks for a Strong Budget
• Relationships and Budgets
• Budget Feeds: Significant Influencing Factors to Consider
• Partitioning Your budget
  • Capital Expenditures
  • Strategic Vs. Sustaining Capital Expenditures
  • Expenses
  • Headcount Budget
• Ratios and Operating Metrics
  • IT Spending as a Function of Revenues
  • Other Useful Ratios and Metrics to Consider
• A Simplified Budget Generation Process
• Managing the Budget
• The Budgeting Toolkit
• IT Expense Distribution
• Conclusions

Chapter 14
Marketing the Value of Information Technology
By Judy Armstrong and Steve Zoppi

• Chapter Overview
• The Importance of IT (to Everyone)
• The Plan
  • PEST and SWOT (Conceptual Overview)
  • Plan Outline
• Assessing the Value Chain
• Operational Excellence: how Will They Know You Are Excellent?
• Walking the Talk
  • Making It Your Policy
  • Success Stories in Effective Communication
  • Customer ecCentricity?
  • Highlighting the Basics
• Marketing Advocate: The Credible Individual
  • People
  • Process
  • Technology
  • The Right Person for the Job
• Borrowing From Established Best Practices
• Marketing Consistency
• More Marketing Vehicles
• Conclusion

Chapter 15
The Metrics of IT: Management by Measurement
By Shel Waggener and Steve Zoppi

• CFO- Credible Financial Obfuscation
• CEO- Cross Examining Opportunity
• Back to Basics- Breaking the Cycle
• Management by Measurement- Keep It Simple
• Quality Over Quantity- Always
• The Wheel Already Exists
• Money Metrics- You Are What You Eat
• Automate IT
• The balanced Scorecard
• Service-Level Agreements
• Some Final and Initial) Thoughts

Chapter 16
Ladder of Business Intelligence: A Systematic Approach to Success for Information Technology
By James E. Cates

• Business Intelligence
• The Ladder of Business Intelligence
• Defining the Stages of the LOBI
  • Value in Moving Up the LOBI
  • The LOBI Business Odyssey
• Using The LOBI Model
  • Meaning of the LOBI Rating
  • Using the BRIA Methodology
  • Productivity and LOBI Rating
  • An Example Using the LOBI Model
  • Approach Using the LOBI Framework
• Summary

Chapter 17
Communities of Practice: Continuing the Learning
By John Moran and Lee Weimer, Community of Practice Facilitators

• Overview of the CoP
• The Silicon Valley CIO Community of Practice (CIOCoP)
• Finding a CoP

Index

CIO Wisdom
Best Practices from Silicon Valley’s Leading IT Experts

First edition; 412 pages
ISBN 0-13-141115-2
( by: Dean Lane)

Preface
By Regis McKenna

I’ve had the good fortune to work with many information professionals during my forty years in technology and business marketing. Contrary to the popular notion that the IT professionals are technical nerd or incapable of addressing the needs of customers, I have found that they have much to offer beyond their functional expertise.

More often than not, I am stimulated by their imaginations ands their innovative visions of what is possible. They are men and women who love to exchange ideas, to explore the impact they and their decision have on their companies and customers, and to discuss the nature of their work as well as business processes, leadership, and financial management. Often our conversations revolve around qualitative ideas such as process management, customer empowerment, branding, and the governance of information technologies. IT is taking then to places they had not anticipated, and teaching them to explore well beyond the silos of traditional, hierarchical organizations.

Consider for a moment that IT spending, as a percentage of total corporate capital expenditures, has grown steadily over the past 40 years from roughly 15 percent to an expected 50 percent in the near future. It is no surprise that in this age of information, IT has become a powerful strategic asset, vital to the enterprise. Worldwide expenditures by IT professionals are expected to exceed $1.5 trillion by 2005. This means that the talents, expertise, and investment decisions of the CIO and other information technology professionals will have profound effects on every business process within the modern enterprise.

The term “information age” is not simply a cliché. Indeed, the evidence of its significance is everywhere; it is clear that the modern enterprise has developed an insatiable appetite for easily-accessed, real-time, user-defined information. IT transforms everything- employees, processes, costs, operational inter-dependencies, cultures, competition, productivity, R&D, marketing, and customers. As a result, every industry and business today faces market demands and unforeseen challenges far more complex than ever before. For one thing, IT infrastructures are much more powerful, distributed, complex, universally accessible, and costly than in the past, and these trends will continue. Even as they address the needs of the present, however, executives cannot fail to keep looking beyond the observable horizon.

The most important business trend we have seen in the past few decades, emerging from the dramatic reduction in IT and communication costs, is the growth of network and software-based service economies. Indeed, almost half the employees in the advanced economies of the world market-the United States, Britain, Germany, Japan, and France- are employed in the service sectors. As services evolve, IT becomes a more crucial resource in maintaining customer relationships, managing distribution, discovering value-added revenue growth opportunities, and sustaining competitive productivity.

In the industrial era of the past, many leading corporations saw their manufacturing-based positions fade due to lack of competitive factories and increasing labor costs, which resulted in declines in productivity and competitiveness. When labor began to consume a large percentage of production costs, automation changed the economics of manufacturing and new leaders emerged. This same phenomenon dramatically altered the structure and leadership of the retail and banking industries.

Today, all businesses are facing a similar challenge- only this time, it stems from rising service costs. With approximately 80 percent of American jobs currently related to the service sector, the pressure to expand services while improving productivity will hasten the development of IT supply chain and self-service solutions.

Already, we can see the trend toward IT- based services with such advances as CRM, real-time service networks, dynamic content management, supply chain management, personalization tools, identity management, and the synchronization of diverse data centers with transaction access points. Marketing, for example, is rapidly becoming architecture of mass-customized services. More than half of all marketing infrastructure functions will soon be fulfilled by software and intelligent networks.

The extent to which the modern enterprise has become, in effect, an information resource broker points to the emergence of the information professional and a new kind of leadership. This new leadership has both the general business and relationship skills and the specialized expertise needed to make informed choices and judgments concerning the management of the enterprise’s core asset- information.

The new IT-smart leadership understands that the creative application of information technology is essential for coordinating all the various elements of the business: operations, investment, and innovation, as well as sustaining competitive market positions and customer loyalty. The fact is that most successful enterprises today are energized by high-speed information networks and applications tailored to every function and business process. Functional silos are giving away to networked organizational models, and those who have grasped this concept are well ahead of the game. For it is the IT network that provides the glue that holds the enterprise’s knowledge assets together, and most IT professionals understand very well that it is incumbent on them to understand both the user’s needs and the technology in order to deliver dependable, quality solutions.

Out real-time, complex, inter-connected world demands a rethinking of how best to manage the enterprises of the 21st century. We need more and better knowledge of the information infrastructure and process in order to express imagination and creativity in the necessary context- that is, within a competitive, purposeful, value-added, sustained business process.

Great business leaders are made, not born. Unique, personal experience is what equips individuals to lead. Not all information professionals will bring together the right mix of experience, knowledge, and insight to become successful CEO’s but the CIO is well-positioned to grasp the golden ring because he or she is already on the fast-track learning curve, dynamically engaged with every core function and asset of today’s enterprise. Every element of a successful information age business will find that innovation lies in the knowledge and understanding of the IT-smart executive.

This book was written by a group of IT executives. It is a brief but rewarding glimpse into their thoughts and ideas, not only about their future as IT professionals but about the emerging IT-smart enterprise of the 21st century.

First edition; 208 pages
ISBN: 0-13-019195-7
( by: Anthony F. Tardugno, Thomas R. DiPasquale and Robert E. Matthews )

1. “Lights Out”-Exposed.

Identifying the Components and Complexity of Lights Out Operations. Automation-The Reality Check. The Two-Second Validation.

2. Gap Analysis.

The Gap Model. Your Data Center Today-The Before Picture. The After Picture-The Lights Out Data Center. Needs Analysis. Obtaining Business User Requirements. Working with Applications Development and Data Center Staff. Automation Requirements. Validation of Automation Requirements vs Needs Analysis. The Gap.

3. The Organization.

Prototype IT Organization. Applications Development-by Line of Business (LOB). (New) Technology-Research and Planning. Business Consulting. Enterprise Services. Typical Problems and Issues. Fragmentation. Process Infrastructure. Operations Functions. The Shared vs Distributed Services Dilemma. Automation Initiative-Staffing Issues. High-level Functional Roles in the Automation Project. Team Leader. Enterprise Services. Applications Development. Technology. Business Consulting. User Community.

4. Design and Planning.

Designing the Technical Architecture and Administrative Processes. Technical Architecture Design. Related Selection Criteria. Identifying Vendor and Outsourcing Opportunities. Administrative Process Components. Document and Audit Existing Processes. Production Acceptance Objective and Process. Problem Management Objective and Process. Change Management Objective and Process. Asset Management Objective and Process. Disaster Recovery Objective and Process. Administration Process Design Review. Consolidated Design. Planning-Highlighting Automation Project Nuances. Planning the Automation Initiative.

5. Financial Planning.

Ownership. Choosing Lease versus Buy. Leasing Benefits. Leasing Types and Realities. Cost of Implementation. Ongoing Service. Cost Benefit Analysis. Flat Growth. Efficiency and Performance. The Financial Plan.

6. Communicating and Presenting the Plan.

Building Support Among Key Constituencies. Gathering Information and Getting Organized.

7. Deployment and Continuous Improvement.

Technology Deployment. Assumptions and Risks. Downtime. Communication. Testing. Administrative Process Deployment. Inventory. Summary. Continuous Improvement. Reporting. Evolving. Internal Service Levels. In Closing.

Appendix A: Most Frequently Asked Questions.

People. Processes. Technology. General.

Appendix B: Enterprise (Data Center) Services.

Sample Organization and Management Job Descriptions. Enterprise (Data Center) Services Director. Computer Operations Manager. Network (WAN) Infrastructure Manager. LAN (Desktop) Administration Manager. End User Services Manager. Individual Contributor Roles/Purposes.

Appendix C: Sample IT Operations Internal Service Level Agreement.
Tables.

Table I-1. Methodology and Chapter Mapping. Table 1-1 Data Center Components for Automation Consideration. Table 1-2. Automation Components-Reality Check. Table 2-1. Gap Analysis Steps. Table 2-2. Sample User Questionnaire. Table 2-3. Automation Requirements. Table 2-4. The Sample Gap Matrix. Table 4-1. Sample Disk Capacity Management Requirements. Table 5-1. Leasing Options. Table 5-2. Resource Worksheet. Table 5-3. Staff Reduction Matrix. Table 5-4. Efficiency Example. Table 6-1. Engaging the Enterprise to Build Support. Table 6-2. Presentation Criteria. Table 7-1. Data Center Upgrade Assumptions/Risks Checklist. Table 7-2. Performance Metrics. Table 7-3. Management Metrics. Table 7-4. Methodology and Exercise Review.

Figures.

Figure I-1. Data Center Diagram. Figure I-2 Lights Out Execution Methodology. Figure 3-1 Prototype High-Level IT Functional Organization. Figure 3-2. Prototype IT Functional Org-Enterprise Service Detail. Figure 3-3 Project Team Organizational View. Figure 4-1. Technical Solution. Figure 4-2. Technology Design Process. Figure 4-3 Administrative Process Reengineering and Technical Design. Figure 4-4. Production Acceptance Process Flow. Figure 4-5. Problem Management Process Flow. Figure 4-6. Change Management Process Flow. Figure 4-7. Asset Management Process Flow. Figure 4-8. Administrative Process Reengineering and Technical Design. Figure 4-9. Sample Automation Project Plan. Figure 7-1. Sample Automation Project Plan-Technical Automation Deployment. Figure 7-2. Sample Automation Project Plan-Administrative Process Deployment. Figure 7-3. Change Management Process Flow. Figure B-1. Sample Personnel IT Organization Chart.

Index.

First edition; 190 pages
ISBN: 0-13-013786-3
( by:Howie Lyke with Debra Cottone )

Introduction

As new and enhanced information technologies penetrate the enterprise at increasing rates, the IT executives who recommend and approve them are doing so with higher and higher expectations for increased automation and measurable returns.

In an automated enterprise, managers expect lower personnel requirements, greater reliability, quicker problem resolution, less downtime, and lower maintenance costs. With these benefits, no wonder the investment in new technologies continues to escalate. However, the complexities of distributed computing, integrated systems including outsourced service bureaus, and heterogeneous data centers have made these benefits difficult to come by. In many cases, the new data center environment is more manually intensive and more expensive to operate than ever before.

Lights Out, in its purest definition, is not a perfectly attainable goal. This book presents a methodology for achieving the highest level of automation possible.

This book addresses the problem with practical advice, guidelines and tools that will lead you through the analysis, planning, and implementation of data center automation projects. The process begins with an exercise that develops realistic expectations for a level of automation that you can expect to achieve in your data center environments.

Next, the book guides you through a gap analysis and the identification of automation requirements. Lights Out addresses IT organization and project staffing issues, followed by a thorough review of the steps, options, and considerations of the design phase. The particular challenges of planning an automation project are defined in the section on project planning.

Most IT managers will need to “sell” their automation initiative to upper management. This book details the steps and techniques required, including the development of financial plans and strategies. Of equal importance, you will find valuable, easy-to-apply tips and communications approaches to package and sell the total project.

This book also contains experience-proven guidelines for successful deployment and post-implementation improvement.

Data Center Definition

A data center is more than a computer room full of hardware and software. In the new enterprise, “the network is the data center.” The data center is comprised of the network and virtually everything attached to it-the computer center, workstations, desktops, and all related components.

Figure I-1 depicts a data center spanning two locations: a central area where the main computer room is located and a remote facility that is connected to the components in the computer room via a Wide Area Network (WAN). The central computer room contains enterprise (database), application, and file servers, communications equipment, and supporting hardware.

The distributed servers in the location where the computer room resides are located within and outside the computer room. In general, distributed servers may be located anywhere from a central computer room to the most remote locales of the enterprise, and at any point in between.

Data center production processes manage most if not all of the components shown in the Data Center Diagram. Take, for example, the distribution of software from the server to the desktop. Software distribution models, which consist of a combination of software and technical processes, centrally house and manage applications and make the software automatically available to other systems and to desktop users. The technical and administrative processes to effectively manage software distribution are executed by the data center.

As you read this book, remember that the term “data center” refers to the network, all of its components as illustrated above, and all of the technical and administrative processes that it executes.

Target Audience—Who Should Read This BookThe IT Executive

IT managers and executives, from director to CIO, will benefit from the content and layout of this book. Executive-level managers are responsible for providing direction, reviewing progress, and making key decisions regarding initiatives targeted at automating operations. To fulfill these management responsibilities, many rely solely upon their intuitive management skills and past experience. Lights Out serves as a reference guide and a useful resource to validate intuition and augment experience gained in different data center environments. In its pages, IT executives will find a thorough guide to decision-making, including key questions to ask in each phase of the project, from planning and budgeting through execution and fine-tuning. As a desk-side reference manual, Lights Out can be utilized to challenge assumptions, improve planning, and validate checkpoints and milestones being established as realistic and achievable.

The Operations Manager

Operations managers, tasked with managing front-line personnel and executing projects, will also use this book as a reference guide. However, the operations manager will reference this material from a different perspective. Whereas the IT executive provides direction, review, and approval, the operations manager develops the project, sets expectations and manages implementation to meet the executive’s focus on the IT mission, budget, and corporate objectives. To succeed, the manager must dive into the dirty details and follow each one of the disciplines described in this book. The manager should focus particularly on technical evaluation, planning, and associated cost management. The manager must then “sell” his/her proposal to the executive(s), without raising expectations beyond realistic delivery. And if that’s not enough, should he/she be successful in the sale-be careful what you ask for-the manager is then responsible to execute the plan and stick around to make it work!

Like the executive, the manager relies upon his/her intuitive management skills and past experience. All too often, one or more areas of discipline described in this book do not receive the appropriate level of attention, and the project is delayed, is underfunded, or proceeds without sufficient senior management support. Lights Out will take the guesswork out of planning, selling, and executing a successful data center automation initiative.

Infrastructure Personnel

Wherever they are located and whatever their position, all data center staff will benefit from reading Lights Out, by understanding how they can add value to an automation initiative and how they might be asked to participate. Any data center employee anticipating a pending automation project should use this book to prepare for the project. In addition, employees who think that their company should be investing in additional automation can use this book to initiate a project. In Lights Out, they will find the tips, tools, and a process to focus their manager on the right issues in the right way.

Consultants and Technology Vendors

Individuals who make a living in data center and infrastructure consulting or product and service sales will benefit from the practical advice, tips, and field-tested methodology described in Lights Out. They can use this material to validate previously used approaches and refresh their proposals. Since Lights Out is written from the perspective of the internal IT manager, the consultants and sales personnel will pick up valuable contextual sensitivity that should help them tailor communications to reflect real business issues. Lights Out deals with concerns that every thoughtful CIO and Infrastructure Services Manager will face as they consider additional automation and the investment in new technologies. In fact, Lights Out will help the consultant and salesperson to identify key questions that will or should be asked. As a result, proposals and on-going client interactions will be more relevant, effective, and productive.

The IT Management Students and Instructors

Students of information services and technologies will benefit from the practical, real-world reference materials, information, and examples contained in Lights Out. All students, full-time or part-time, about to begin an IT career or mid-career and climbing the management ladder, will gain access to the lessons learned automating data center operations in a myriad of organizations. By completing the exercises, students will develop valuable skills and understand the steps required to successfully scope, plan, and sell an automation initiative. By reading each chapter, students will expand their IT knowledge base. By discussing the materials in the classroom, students will validate their understanding versus the experiences and knowledge of their colleagues.

Instructors of IT can use Lights Out to teach the skills and processes that will be required in the real world of enterprise automation. The material lends itself particularly well to role playing, classroom discussion, and group assignments. Case studies may be developed, wherein the instructor supplies the case facts and the students use the materials to evaluate automation opportunities, scope and plan the project, develop the cost analysis, and role play the sales pitch.
Reader Assumptions

This book assumes that you understand general IT industry terms, have knowledge of or experience managing or working in a data center and supporting infrastructure, and understand the difference among mainframe, client/server, and distributed platform computing. In addition, I assume that you have basic project planning and project management experience and skills.
How to Read This Book

This book presents a methodology to plan and execute data center, infrastructure automation projects. In summary, the methodology takes you through the various phases of the project, and the chapters of the book are mapped to follow the methodology. In Chapters One and Two, the reader will define the purpose and scope of the automation project with a series of exercises that set realistic expectations, identify the problems and opportunities, and establish automation requirements. In Chapter Three, IT organization and project staffing issues and key considerations are highlighted. The details of design and a high-level project planning approach are presented in Chapter Four. The methodology suggests that the development of an effective financial strategy, described in Chapter Five, can be undertaken on a parallel track with design and project planning.

The next step involves packaging and selling the project to management. Chapter Six reviews the importance of communications throughout the project and offers a template for the final presentation prior to approval. Deployment, or a successful implementation, is described in Chapter Seven. Chapter Seven covers the post-implementation phase, which is referred to as continuous improvement.

To repeat, each chapter in this book maps to the methodology and to the symbols associated with each phase, as Table I-1 shows:

Each chapter begins with an introductory section containing the purpose of the chapter, orientation to the methodology, a narrative of a real situation that illustrates the application of the steps described in the chapter, and key questions that are addressed in the narrative.

The material is presented in several formats to allow for different learning styles. Each chapter contains some combination of narratives, tables, and figures that depict the processes.

First edition; 208 pages
ISBN: 0-13-019195-7
( by: Anthony F. Tardugno, Thomas R. DiPasquale and Robert E. Matthews )

1. Introduction.

Background. Sourcing from Within—Why Insource? Planning for Success.

2. Getting Started.

Writing the Job Ticket—”The Ask.” Forming “The Core Team.” Charting the Approach.

3. Establishing and Managing Coalitions—Gaining Buy-In.

Establish Management Buy-In Early. Establish Customer Buy-In Early. Establish Supplier Coalitions. Establish an Information Network. Identify and Understand Risk.

4. Business Linkage.

Understanding the Company Mission. Services in a Traditional Business Framework. Object-Oriented Service Delivery Framework. Balancing the Services. Services Linkages.

5. Marketing and Communications.

Marketing 101. Communicate Early and Often—Who,What, When, Where, How. Define/Communicate the Metrics Upfront—Quality, Cost, Delivery, Value. Understand/Identify and Communicate Risk. Explain Roles and Responsibilities.

6. Taking a Customer Approach.

Understanding Your Customers’ Requirements. Developing the Service Model. One-Stop Shopping—Seamless Delivery. Customer Satisfaction.

7. Processes and Procedures.

Introduction. Customer Communication. Internal Communication Processes and Procedures. Change Control Process.

8. Structuring for Success.

Introduction. Structuring the Organization.

9. Resource and Cost Model.

Introduction. Resource Model. Estimating Server Units. Resource Spreadsheet. Cost Management. Ongoing DB Monitoring and Maintenance. Application Server Support. Cost Model.

10. Benchmarking.

Why Benchmark? Establishing a Company Profile. Identifying Target Companies. Developing Your Questionnaire. Analyzing the Benchmark Data. Implementation.

11. Measuring Success.

Defining Success. Ensuring Success. Metrics. When Have You Reached Success?

12. Lessons Learned—Key Messages.

Overview. Processes. People. Communication. Technology.

13. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Appendix A:

Job Descriptions Account Manager. Education. Experience. Skills. Performance Expectations. Training and Development. Oracle System Administrator (OSA). Education. Experience. Skills. Performance Expectations. Training and Development. System Administrator (SA). Education. Experience. Skills. Performance Expectations. Training and Development. Database Administrator (DBA). Education. Experience. Skills. Performance Expectations. Training and Development. Network Specialist (NS). Education. Experience. Skills. Performance Expectations. Training and Development. Operational Manager (Ops Mgr). Education. Experience. Skills. Performance Expectations. Training and Development. Manager Customer Services (CS Mgr). Education. Experience. Skills. Performance Expectations. Training and Development.

Appendix B:

Sample Service Level Agreement. Section I: System Availability. Section II: Problem Management. Section III: Support Services. Attachment B: Problem Severity Definitions. Attachment C: Problem Resolution Control. Attachment D: Status Call Contacts. Attachment E: Escalation Contacts.

Index.

First edition; 208 pages
ISBN: 0-13-019195-7
( by: Anthony F. Tardugno, Thomas R. DiPasquale and Robert E. Matthews )

It was not our initial intention to write a book dealing with IT services. We were assembled as a team to solve a real business problem. We were given our mission, put on our armor, jumped on our horses, and rode off to “slay dragons” in the name of customer satisfaction. The reason we draw this distinction is to point out the advantage this has for you, the reader, of being able to see demonstrated and proven results. It becomes obvious as you progress through each chapter that you are not getting a bunch of theory or unproved strategy. Instead, you are getting the benefit of a strategy and approach that has been implemented and refined, and is providing results.

It is without question that we now live in an age where customer satisfaction is the primary motivating factor among industries. Businesses are focusing their efforts toward improved, expeditious, and more convenient products and services. There is a growing customer “obsession” that is having a net effect not only on what products and services a company or organization is offering, but how they are organized to deliver them. IT services are no exception.

In the not too distant past, business was tied to its internal IT shop as the “only game in town” to deliver their requirements. With consulting and outsourcing strongly making their way onto the scene in the early nineties, the need to get services “inside” has waned, opening up delivery options to the business. This competition alone has probably done more for customer satisfaction than any single factor in the IT arena. As a business manager and customer of IT services, you want the most cost-effective solution that best meets your requirements regardless of who delivers them. As an IT provider of services, you want to maximize customer satisfaction by optimizing the level of service and optimizing cost. Whether the service delivery remains in-house or goes outside is almost immaterial. The delivery must go to the supplier most capable of delivering to the metrics defined. It is meeting or exceeding the customer’s requirements that matters most.

The “knowledge revolution” has spawned an army of “knowledge workers” equipped with “intellectual property” ready to do battle in today’s “information on demand” market. As a result, there is an ever-increasing need for applications and associated infrastructure to be up and available when the customer requires them, and to keep the critical supply of information flowing. It is for this reason that your business needs to have the delivery of its IT services organized and resourced to meet the current business requirements, and at the same time be flexible enough to be able to change with the same frequency and velocity that the business does.

For years, customers of IT computer services have long enjoyed the stability and predictability of centralized legacy mainframe applications. Most of their interactions with systems were through straightforward, unsophisticated, character-based screens, which essentially reflected a relatively simple single-threaded work process. Uncomplicated data structures served as the solid foundation on which the well-established custom application would reliably “chug” along. Database and system administrators lived a pretty uneventful existence, given the maturity of not only the application and hardware, but also the monitoring and maintenance tools.

In the scheme of things, it is really only recently that large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, residing on a distributed UNIX environment with sophisticated front-ends served by PC-based servers and workstations, have really begun their assault on the mainframe market. Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) ERP packages are becoming commonplace and more and more appear to be among the strategy of major industries. With the systems trend moving in this direction, IT operations have turned their attention to the infrastructure required, both environment and support structure, to deliver the level of service to which the customer base has become accustomed.

Having had the experience of little information and benchmarking from which to draw, it seemed to make sense that we put pen to paper, or more appropriately finger to keyboard. Our goal was simple: to document and share our findings, and more importantly, share the process we used to develop an integrated service delivery (ISD) model. IT Services: Costs, Metrics, Benchmarking, and Marketing was written to address the issues and challenges surrounding the development and implementation of an enterprise-wide operations center for application software. It’s no mystery, if you are able to clearly define your end state, where you want to be, and if you have a “map” clearly marked with how to get there, and you have the resources and the means, then you will successfully make the “trip!” This book is your “map” to successfully developing, implementing, and measuring an ISD model.

As you progress through the book you will see that there are no “magic formulas” or proprietary methodologies, just a straightforward, organized, customer-oriented approach. The key being customer-oriented. With technology so widespread and readily available, competitive advantage must be sought through other avenues. These days a main competitive advantage comes through customer care and satisfaction. Think about your last PC shopping experience. In your search you probably noticed that PCs, for the most part, are essentially all the same. What factors went into your choice? After-sale support and service, 800 number ease of use, onsite repair versus depot or mail-in repair? All of these are customer-related factors. It is for this reason that we took a customer approach in developing our ISD model. Whether it is PCs, appliances, cars, or computing operations services, customers all want to be “handled with care.” Using a ground-up approach, we modeled the services required and expected by our customer base, and it was from this base set of services that we developed and defined the entire ISD model. An approach that is implemented, is working, and is proven!

Here is a brief overview of what is contained within the book:

• Chapter 1 frames the book by describing the background and the reason for developing an integrated service delivery model. This chapter basically puts the book in perspective and gives you a frame of reference.
• Chapters 2 and 3 provide the detailed steps necessary to get started-from writing the “job ticket” and “charting the approach” to organizing the project and management teams.
• Chapters 4 and 5 describe the business linkages from a services and services framework perspective while defining the marketing and communication aspects of service development and delivery.
• Chapters 6 and 7 describe the development of requirements and the service model from a customer perspective. The chapters further detail how to develop the processes necessary to deliver the service model to the defined level of service.
• Chapters 8 and 9 detail how to structure the organization to deliver the service model, as well as how to develop a correlating resource and cost model.
• Chapters 10 and 11 walk you through the benchmarking process, help you to define the metrics against which you should measure your ISD delivery, and define how you know when you reach success.
• Chapters 12 and 13 review lessons learned and “key messages” along with the answers to frequently asked questions.

Who Should Read This Book?

IT Services: Costs, Metrics, Benchmarking, and Marketing was written to be viewed from multiple perspectives: the IT professional, the business manager, the customer, and the student.

It serves as a “road map” for IT executives, IT managers, and IT senior technical personnel who are tackling the issues surrounding the development and implementation of an enterprise-wide operations center for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) application software.

It is a practical guide for business managers working with the IT community to develop a stable, predictable, cost-effective support infrastructure for COTS application software supporting the enterprise.

It is an educational vehicle to help customers better understand what they should expect from their COTS application software support infrastructure and to be better able to articulate their requirements.

It is also an educational vehicle that provides the student, the aspiring IT and business professional, with a real-life practical application of developing and implementing an integrated service delivery model. Practical, not just theory.

Thomas R. DiPasquale has over 18 years IT experience in the utilities, manufacturing, and government sectors. He is now Technical Operations Manager at Xerox, responsible for server operations, software delivery, and database operation in an environment encompassing 70+ Sun and Compaq servers running over 100 Oracle databases.

Published Works

• IT Services: Costs, Metrics, Benchmarking, & Marketing