SOLUTION BRIEF
5 Issues to Consider When Kicking Off an ITIL Initiative IT service management principles built on the IT Infrastructure Library remain relevant even as more organizations turn to the cloud. — GovTechWorks
According to the news source, the U.S. Air Force recently completed an aggressive move to implement the cloud. Along the way, it also worked to implement an ITIL-based ITSM strategy and found focusing on effective service delivery led to significant gains for the organization. ITSM capabilities allowed the Air Force to establish a standardized service delivery paradigm that makes it easier to ensure consistency regardless of who provides the IT solution. Furthermore, increased visibility into who users can go to for different services has led to benefits across the entirety of the agency. ITIL is all about establishing a framework for stable, reliable and high-performing IT operations, and it doesn’t matter if an organization is focused on maintaining an internal configuration, building around cloud solutions or establishing a hybrid IT model. The Air Force’s success with ITIL emphasizes the relevance the framework has
for modern IT departments and is something other organizations can replicate. Preparation is key if you consider implementing ITIL in your IT department, and considering these five issues can help you get off to a good start.
1. Invest in Training ITIL is a best practice framework, not a how-to guide. It is designed to help technology leaders identify what they need to do to ensure reliable service delivery. This means companies must have ITIL practitioners with enough expertise in the framework to go beyond following rules and who are able to think analytically and problem solve. Investing in training can ensure your IT team has the skills it needs to step into an ITIL implementation with relative ease.
2. Assess Your Configuration Visibility is a key component of any ITIL strategy, and finding success begins with careful analysis of your existing IT environment. Starting off with a clear understanding of how your systems and services align can inform your ITIL strategies and improve decision-making. This can include identifying all of your configuration items and centralizing data pertaining to the various third-party services you subscribe to.
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SOLUTION BRIEF 5 Issues to Consider When Kicking Off an ITIL Initiative (continued)
3. Identify Shadow IT The rise of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and cloud movements has led to shadow IT departments emerging in many organizations. Shadow IT is a situation in which business users, empowered to use personal devices and subscribe to cloud services with ease, end up subscribing to solutions or using devices the IT department is not aware of. This can have many negative consequences for IT teams, including: • A lack of budget transparency, as different locations - some of which the IT department may not have access to - track spending. • Limited control over or awareness of where company or customer data is stored. • Proliferation of devices accessing the network without IT users’ knowledge, making it difficult to monitor traffic and secure the network. • Increased risk as apps deployed by end users may not meet security standards set by the IT department.
ITIL includes provisions to eliminate shadow IT without severely limiting business users, such as establishing a service catalog, but you can’t use ITIL to put a stop to shadow IT unless you are aware of how it impacts your organization.
4. Identify Business Goals ITIL strategies must be employed in such a way that IT service improvements align with what the company tries to achieve. Proper IT-business alignment establishes a clear path for return on investment by helping you set the best priorities within your ITSM strategies.
5. Assess Where ITIL Makes Sense Many organizations are exploring new ways to deliver IT services, with strategies such as DevOps gaining steam. ITIL is capable of residing alongside other IT management tactics, but only if you are intentional about picking and choosing where to align with ITIL and where to make exceptions. Creating structure and visibility is critical within an ITSM plan, and knowing when and how you will stray from ITIL is vital in ensuring you maintain discipline and transparency throughout your operations.
Enacting an ITIL plan can seem daunting, but proper preparation can ensure a smooth implementation. Learning Tree can help with a full curriculum of ITIL training courses that can help you prepare your staff for success. US1609 ITILInitiative
Sources: 1 https://www.govtechworks.com/in-age-of-cloud-itsm-still-matters/#gs.Bj0aaMc
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