As with any new software that is being considered at IT Organizations today, a common challenge of implementing HP IT Executive Scorecard is getting the available resources to get it up and running.
Linium is pleased to announce that they have partnered with HP to develop a solution that will allow organizations to rapidly implement HP IT Executive Scorecard via the cloud, simply in a matter of weeks! This solution will give clients multiple options as a means to overcome the initial hurdles of implementing new software and provide speed to consumption for the game changing Executive Scorecard.
Leverage the Cloud for Rapid IT Executive Scorecard Implementation:
Linium and HP’s IT Executive Scorecard via the cloud is a great solution for organizations that understand the value of metric driven performance tracking but don’t have the personnel to stand it up quickly. With this solution an organization will be able to:
- Manage and monitor its IT performance more efficiently
- Get HP IT Executive Scorecard up and running the soonest
- Have improved manageability and less maintenance
- Quickly leverage automated data extraction from other HP IT Performance Suite solutions and proven role-based dashboards with hundreds of KPIs for IT performance trends analysis
Get the Ability to Try HP IT Executive Scorecard Prior to Purchase:
With this solution, the multiple HP IT Executive Scorecard ownership options available to an organization include: owning the software but offloading infrastructure and support for it; purchasing the software as a term service; or paying for the software per use. All of these modes will help give organizations an option to try out the HP IT Executive Scorecard solution prior to purchase, and will quickly provide impact and value to the organization.
For more information and a demo on this new offering from Linium and HP visit: http://www.linium.com/form-offering-tp-0100-xs.
HP Executive Scorecard is sought out by organizations that are ready to move to a collaborative and efficient centralized view of performance over time. Trending of performance can drive focus on common objectives that are no longer out of context but are now seen within the framework of what we have done to date. A metrics driven performance tool is meant to narrow in on where you are doing ok but want to do great. If the bar is set low then how high can you expect to jump? I was working with a client that stated that seeing a dashboard that has red metrics should not be a scary prospect because it means you are really seeing where you can do things better. If a dashboard is configured to make everything look fine then you have missed the objective. All these concepts and discussion begin to take shape when the concept of a quick to ramp up and flexible performance framework come into play. HP XS in the Cloud will help make this happen so fast that leadership will be talking about additional visibility they want to bring into play as opposed to who owns what data…
As is often the case with any new software that is being considered at IT organizations today, what is a common challenge is not purchasing the software but getting available resources to get up and running.
HP and Linium have partnered to give our clients multiple options as a means to overcome those initial hurdles and provide speed to consumption for the game changing Executive Scorecard. It allows organizations that understand the value of metric driven performance tracking but don’t have the personnel to stand it up to quickly onboard the solution for their organizations. Clients can opt to own the software yet offload infrastructure and support for it or purchase it as a term service or to pay per use. All of these modes of ramping up will help give organizations an option to try out the XS solution prior to purchase if they wish to do so or quickly provide impact and value to the organization. This will provide a dashboard that is available to the executive team while on the road as well via iPad, iPhone, Android Phone, or tablet.
Program Management within HP PPM is often an overlooked nugget of functionality that many organizations do not capitalize on. It’s one of the modules and functionalities that do not require a lot of configuration and can bring tremendous efficiencies to any organization using HP PPM.
Most organizations undertake projects that are driven by their leadership initiatives and goals (whether through formal or informal business objectives). With these diverse but interrelated projects, resources and processes, conflicts are inevitable and success is often elusive. IT organizations want to know which programs are in trouble at any given time and how to get those programs back on track; yet, it is difficult to manage complicated program management processes. HP PPM Program Management provides immediate value to these processes.
Real-time Project Status
HP PPM Program Management provides a real-time project status to all participants and stakeholders, using personalized dashboard pages. Red, yellow, and green indicators show program health, real-time updates, and notifications for exception conditions. Managers reviewing a program’s summary project status can drill into project details, including individual tasks or outstanding issues. Many views let the Program Management Office (PMO) act directly on the information, reducing the time lag and overhead associated with approvals, status updates, and priority changes.
Intuitive User Interface
Using an intuitive user interface, the PMO can model programs in HP PPM Program Management, specify which projects roll up to each program, and link projects to multiple programs.
The Overall Benefit
The end result of using HP PPM Program Management is real-time access to all aspects of an IT organization’s complex programs, including consolidation of the risk, issue and scope landscape of programs, as well as financial and project task execution status.
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library 2011 is the latest release on IT service management standards. Prior to this release the ITIL version 3 (TIL v3) or ITIL 2007 was the accepted set of standards for IT departments to follow.
Companies that make a point of following standards of ITIL v2 or v3 will find significant standards changes focused on strategic planning, organized control, evaluation of change management, and documentation of risks and benefits to improvements and their new uses. The major changes of the new release may seem at first to be cosmetic; however, quite a bit of information was added to the various sections of the ITIL 2011 that has bolstered the various standards. In addition, sections were added with regards to strategic IT management as well as business relationships and their IT management.
Summary of ITIL 2011 Release Changes:
- Service Portfolio did not have new sections added; however, along with strategic planning, the service portfolio was redesigned to be consistent
- Demand Management was rewritten. Previously associated with capacity control in an IT system, the new updates made demand management more of a conscious standard tied into strategic IT direction and control.
- Financial Management for IT services section did not change at all.
- Business Relationships were also added. This section now provides tools on how to determine customer satisfaction as well complaint response best practices.
- Design policy was added to ITIL 2011 to standardize design approaches. Rather than have ad hoc creation, the design coordination standards provide steps for design production as well as documentation for after-the-fact referencing.
- Change Management has been rewritten. Because the action can be so risk-prone with new procedures and processes, standards were revised to include authorization approvals at different points of progress. This provides a check to unfettered changes in IT systems without any review to determine benefits and risks. These checks come in the form of new standards titled “assessment of change proposals” and “change evaluation process.” Reviews of change processes before implementation come in the form of a change evaluation report, documenting concerns or identification of benefits before they are put into action.
- Project Management has been rewritten as well to focus on coordination of change projects rather than letting them create conflicts with existing IT systems. Project management has also been coordinated heavily with earlier sections under release planning and design coordination.
- Continual System and Design Improvement has been given major emphasis in ITIL 2011. This emphasis did not exist in ITIL v2 and was touched upon in ITIL v3. As part of continual service improvements, ITIL 2011 now emphasizes that IT departments have a service improvement plan in place to regularly be looking for ways to upgrade and to integrate new advances into existing systems. This section is also integrated into strategic management as well.
How Linium Can Help
Linium can provide expertise in adjusting to ITIL 2011, helping with the revision of actual business processes to match ITIL 2011 revisions. So if help is needed, Linium can provide the technical assistance to keep change management on track.
Check out this great article on how VP's of Operations are using innovation to reduce their operational cost across the board.
A former VP-Ops at Salesforce.com discusses the importance of aligning with the business in a fast-changing IT environment.
Read the article now http://h30458.www3.hp.com/us/us/ezine/it-execs/sep/1233232.html?jumpid=em_inflexion_US_aug12_sw_1871840_ezine_us_1233232_0&DIMID=EMID:1177605142&DICID=null&mrm=1-4BVUP
Laurie Jacobson Jones is a former VP-Ops at Salesforce and SupportSoft who also held a VP title at PeopleSoft—experiences that she has brought to her new consultancy, which focuses on customer success automation and transformation. Discover Performance talked to her about how a VP-Ops can succeed in an increasingly complex world. Her answers focused less on the pressures of individual technologies and more on how an Operations leader can connect with the business as a whole to drive—and demonstrate—true IT value.
http://h30458.www3.hp.com/us/us/ezine/it-execs/sep/1233232.html?jumpid=em_inflexion_US_aug12_sw_1871840_ezine_us_1233232_0&DIMID=EMID:1177605142&DICID=null&mrm=1-4BVUP
Source: hp.com
Excerpt From Whitepaper....
"Moving IT services to the cloud, or more specifically the delivery of IT services, is not just a technology issue for service managers. As with the introduction of any new or replacement system, a change in the IT service delivery method can have an impact on end users, and IT needs to ensure that it manages the cultural implications of this. At a minimum, there will be end-user education needs to fulfill, and the potential for non- conformance needs to be managed through a mixture of communication, education, training, and senior management support. Business perceptions of the potential for degradation of service in terms of availability, speed of response, and security will also need to be managed."
Source: Roy Illsley Published July 2012 ©Ovum
Service asset and configuration management (SACM) is at the very core of any effective business management system. Data quality within a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) affects the level of efficiency for an entire corporate infrastructure strategy, since all processes will feed into and utilize the SACM system.
SACM Components
As defined by the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), service asset and configuration management best practices will relate to the essential:
- Registry of physical assets
- Documentation
- Service Level Agreements
- Service catalogs
- Warranties
- Internal and external business knowledge
Best practices for SACM are designed to ensure that businesses, companies, organizations and enterprises possess the ability to manage the relationships that evolve in relation to their assets with:
- Current and potential customers
- Internal and external departments
- Company locations
- Varied outside organizations
- External vendors and suppliers
Comprehensive Service Asset and Configuration Management requires a deep level of industry experience, along with rigorous analytical capabilities. With a pragmatic mindset, and broad technical capabilities, Linium’s services are designed to empower its clients to solve the most complex of business challenges, so that they may capitalize on opportunities, while still avoiding any unnecessary risks.
SACM Strengthens Infrastructure!
An effective SACM system must capture, maintain and provide current IT
infrastructure information. The system’s goal should be to provide the most reliable details possible concerning the IT infrastructure. For example, when information is collected after the completion of major projects, audits or analyses, these particulars should be considered key components, as Configuration Items (CIs).
One of the more important characteristics of SACM is how it relates each of the CIs to each other. These relationships are what will differentiate between the usual processes of Asset Management, as opposed to the more seldom implemented SACM. In order for IT organizations to impactfully improve services by adopting best practices, an efficient and effective SACM system is crucial.
Some Management Tools
SACM best practices should follow defined processes. First, create a logical plan that includes:
- Populating all of the physical infrastructure
- Creating relationships for the physical infrastructure
- Adding commercial software
- Populating business and custom applications
SACM should be safeguarded by:
- Storing all IT configuration information (software, equipment and hardware) in databases
- Providing links to ensure a complete understanding of impact prior to change implementation
- Enforcing standardized SACM methods and procedures
- Changing, updating, recording, tracking and verifying CIs
- Eliminating invalid and unauthorized changes
Want to learn more about how you can leverage SACM to drive efficiency? Join Linium experts for their upcoming SACM webinar on September 5! If you handle or are charged with asset or configuration management within your organization, you do not want to miss this webcast.
Register now and reserve your spot! - register today at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/977701434.
Posted by
Jason Wier on Thu, Aug 23, 2012 @ 08:44 AM
When an IT organization begins to get its "arms around" its portfolio of initiatives, one of the common challenges is the categorization of initiatives. The various IT workflow tools in the market have various ways to address this, but this article will focus on what I feel is the best approach. HP's PPM product out-of-the-box defines an IT Portfolio into three buckets.
- Proposal: An idea for a initiative. While very few of these may ever get worked on, the estimates of work, costs, benefits allow for IT leadership to quantitatively weight which proposals "fit" best into the next planning cycle. The process may have one or more phase gates that will need to be passed to move on to a Project.
- Project: These are the Proposals that have been approved for development/implementation. Typically, more in depth costs, benefits, requirements, etc. are flushed out as this project moves through its lifecycle and eventually becomes and asset (or contributes to an existing asset). Here is where you will want to associate a Workplan for all but your most trivial of Projects.
- Asset: These are the entities within an organization's portfolio that are "in production" and will:
- Cost money (infrastructure, licenses, etc.)
- Require a resource commitment to maintain
- Bring benefit to an organization
This breakout allows an organization to define different information (on the Entity's form) and have a different process (via different workflows). While an asset workflow is typically very simple (maybe just a periodic "wake up" to evaluate SLA, licenses, etc.), the proposal workflow may have many phase gates (business case development, high level requirements, cost/risk analysis, executive sponsor review, Portfolio Committee Review, etc.).
Choosing a tool like HP Portfolio & Project Management (HP PPM) allows an organization to accurately track initiatives at all points in its lifecycle and reports of them as needed.The ability to configure each lifecycles as one or more sets of Request Types and Workflows enables an organization to use the tool with the current business Portfolio Process or use an industry standard one.
When you also add on the HP PPM dashboard functionality, the level of Portfolio Analysis you can perform is amazing. You can drill down into initiative based upon endless criteria (say by Business Objective, Executive Sponsor, or Region) and easily create "What if" scenarios to optimize the Portfolio.
Let Linium help you "take control of your portfolio"! - contact us today to get started!
One of the funny things that happens to me as an ITIL trainer of Fortune 500 companies includes those occasional “A-Ha” moments. You know, when the light bulb goes on in someone’s head, and they get it! I wanted to share a few of those moments:
- One thing I can tell you is I am a firm believer that ITIL is here and it is here to stay! I was at a Training event in Chicago this week were I was chatting with several Information technology recruiters who had taken or were inquiring about ITIL foundations training. I thought it strange they would want to take this course until I heard the rational. In today’s IT world technical acumen is needed but not enough, hiring managers are looking for smart people who can understand and implement process. The recruiters logic was very sound in that they what to make sure they were getting the right people to their clients the first time. They All agreed that they have seen a major influx of these types of skill sets being sought after in today’s job market. In this case the light bulb went on for me.
- One of the comments I often hear in classes is, “This ITIL stuff seems great, but let’s be honest is process Optimization about job elimination?” “I love to counter this statement with,when is the last time you worked a 40 hour work week?” I think we are all aware that with staffing cuts and reductions in workforce that amount of work has gone up. Business demands and target service levels (SLA’s) have not taken into account we have less resource and may have less capability for value delivery. ITIL is about using (and understanding) what you have to eliminate waste and meet business objectives without killing yourself. The formation of synergy and communication of IT and business people is critical to this. In fact ITIL with the many new of enhanced process will often require more resources to accomplish goals.
- It is no secret that every company can have better asset management, I love to show a article about how many laptops the IRS has lost in the last three years, “don’t ask unless you want your stomach to churn!”The best reaction I ever got to the article was when a CIO in class blurted out, “at least they know how many they have lost” Talk about hearing a pin drop, the VP’s and Dir in the room (his staff) didn’t know if they should laugh or cry? Needless to say for the first time in my life I was at a complete loss for words, come on people what do you say after that?
- One of the major tenets of Training Delivery understands the cultural and social mores of your audience. Being from Chicago I used an analogy once that CSI- ITIL continual Service Improvement can act as kind of a (Internal affairs-Like as in the case of the police department.) My very Chicago centric view of Internal Affairs being an Assisting/guiding/advocating body to aid the organization. Well it seems Internal Affairs in New York City is not viewed that way! Two People who held the CSI role in the organization said to me at the break, “you basically told people, not to trust us, not to talk to us, and that we were out to get them, by using that analogy.” It seems there was a major scandal in the New York city press about How bad the internal police corruption and become, and you guessed it Internal affairs was given a, “Hunt-um down and hang-um mandate” the month before my training. I was back peddling at about 60 MPH after the break.
One thing I love about ITIL is that it is a framework, I often say, “treat it like a salad bar, take what you want, (or should be having) and leave the rest.” All major companies have elements of Process Optimization working. Let’s face it if they did not they would not be around in today’s market place. Everyone always gets caught up on some of the ITIL Verbiage,
I like to joke that the British, (ITIL’s founders) call it the Kings English. The point is, at the end of the day terms that are relevant to your company and your way of doing business are fine, as long as they are agreed upon, documented, and followed. One attendee once quipped, “Could we call major outages, Pink fuzzy bunnies, to sound more pleasing?” “I replied sure, but you can be the one on the Hierarchical escalation to the CIO at 2am, saying we have a Pink fuzzy bunny going on in which 50% of our functionality is down.”
Contact us at Linium - we can show you how the ITIL framework can make a very big difference!