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Discover more about the importance of management tool integration in ensuring a successful ITIL project and explore other important key technology aspects, among them, correlation and visualization, which provide critical elements in ensuring ITIL project success.
Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Whi t e Pa er Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM J anuar y 2008 Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 2 Cont ent s I nt r oduct i on- Tr ends i n I TI L Adopt i on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Under st andi ng How Change Af f ect s I T Ser vi ce Qual i t y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Cor e Component s of Pr ocess Mat ur i t y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The Chal l enges of I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Busi ness Ser vi ce Management Def i ned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 How BSM Accel er at es I TI L Pr ocess Adopt i on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Why Managed Obj ect s BSM i s Di f f er ent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Managed Obj ect s CMDB The Foundat i on of I TI L Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Managed Obj ect s Di scover y Aut omat ed and Accur at e Appl i cat i on Dependency Mappi ng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Managed Obj ect s BTI ". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Managed Obj ect s ACM". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Managed Obj ect s BSLM Measur e and Repor t on SLA Compl i ance i n Real - Ti me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Managed Obj ect s MyMo Dashboar ds Rol e- Based Vi sual i zat i on f or any I T or Busi ness Rol e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 How i t al l Fi t s Toget her . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Summar y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 About Managed Obj ect s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 3 I nt r oduct i on- Tr ends i n I TI L Adopt i on Unl ess you have been hi di ng under a r ock busi ness ser vi ce management ( BSM) , ser vi ce l evel agr eement s ( SLA) , I T i nf r ast r uct ur e l i br ar y ( I TI L) , and Sar banes- Oxl ey ( SOX) shoul d be f ami l i ar j ar gon, says Jasmi ne Noel of Pt ak, Noel & Associ at es. I ndeed, mor e and mor e compani es t hese days have st ar t ed i ni t i at i ves ai med at r ai si ng I T ser vi ce qual i t y by i mpr ovi ng pr ocess mat ur i t y and bet t er al i gni ng I T ser vi ces wi t h t he busi ness i t ser ves. BSM, SLAs, I TI L, and SOX ar e al l i ni t i at i ves t hat f ocus on i mpr ovi ng I T pr ocess mat ur i t y. So, why i s t her e so much emphasi s on I T best pr act i ces and pr ocess mat ur i t y? Qui t e si mpl y, because compani es t oday ar e no l onger aski ng f or hi gher qual i t y ser vi ces; t hey r e demandi ng t hem. As execut i ves and l i ne- of - busi ness manager s t ake on hi gher l evel s of account abi l i t y, as di ct at ed by gover nment r egul at i ons l i ke SOX, t hey r e unwi l l i ng t o accept t he same l evel s of ser vi ce qual i t y t hey have accept ed i n t he past . I T management has r esponded by t ar get i ng over al l r i sk wi t hi n t he I T or gani zat i on. I n f act , a r ecent sur vey of 100 I T manager s conduct ed by Hur wi t z & Associ at es conf i r med what For r est er anal yst s have been sayi ng f or qui t e awhi l e I T or gani zat i ons need t o do a bet t er j ob of l ower i ng and managi ng r i sk. Of cour se, r i sk comes i n any number of f or ms f r om si ngl e poi nt s of f ai l ur e t o poor pr ocesses and pr ocedur es t hat expose vul ner abi l i t i es and l ead t o out ages and poor per f or mance. The r esul t i s l ower qual i t y of ser vi ce f r om I T. The gr eat est cause of r i sk wi t hi n an I T ent er pr i se and t her ef or e, t he gr eat est t hr eat t o ser vi ce qual i t y, comes f r om t he number of pl anned and unpl anned changes t hat occur each and ever y day t o t he I T i nf r ast r uct ur e. No mat t er whet her t he change i s pl anned or unpl anned, unl ess t her e ar e ef f ect i ve peopl e, pr ocesses, and sof t war e t echnol ogi es i n-pl ace t o manage t hem, changes wi l l adver sel y af f ect r i sk. To t hat end, Managed Obj ect s r egar ds t he I nf or mat i on Technol ogy I nf r ast r uct ur e Li br ar y ( I TI L) as an excel l ent set of syst emat i c, i nt egr at ed pr ocesses t hat can be ef f ect i vel y ut i l i zed, i n conj unct i on wi t h appr opr i at e t echnol ogi es, t o subst ant i al l y i mpr ove I T ser vi ce qual i t y. I n f act , anal yst s l i ke Thomas Mendel of For r est er Resear ch r epor t t hat of t he gl obal 1B+ compani es t hat he has i nt er vi ewed over t he past year , 20% have f ul l y i mpl ement ed one or mor e of t he best pr act i ce i ni t i at i ves def i ned by I TI L. Thi s may not seem l i ke much, but Mendel pr oj ect s t hat by t he end of 2008 t hi s number wi l l j ump t o 50% and by 2010, t he number wi l l be cl oser t o 80%. Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 4 When put i nt o t hi s ki nd of cont ext , i t s cl ear t hat I T or gani zat i ons bel i eve t hat t he best pr act i ces espoused by I TI L and ot her pr ocess mat ur i t y model s of f er a pr oven pat h t o l ower i ng r i sk, managi ng change, and i mpr ovi ng over al l qual i t y of ser vi ce. Li kewi se, I TI L acknowl edges t hat sof t war e- based management t ool s ar e an i ndi spensabl e aspect of i mpl ement i ng I TI L pr ocesses. These t ool s must , accor di ng t o I TI L, suppor t exi st i ng pr ocesses, openl y shar e i nf or mat i on amongst compl ement ar y pr oduct s and pr ovi de management met r i cs t o ensur e syst em ef f ect i veness can be assessed. So i t i s t hat pr ocess and t echnol ogy cont i nue t o be i nexor abl y i nt er t wi ned. And yet , how ar e compani es t o know whi ch t echnol ogi es t hey shoul d sel ect t o hel p t hem del i ver upon t he pr omi ses made by I TI L? I n t r ut h, t her e ar e no si l ver bul l et s. Just as t her e i s no si ngl e vendor t hat can pr ovi de al l of t he t ool s necessar y t o ensur e compl et e and pr act i cal I TI L pr ocess adopt i on, t her e i s, l i kewi se, no si ngl e t ool t hat can do i t al l when i t comes t o I TI L i mpl ement at i on. What s needed ar e a ser i es of best pr act i ce t ool s, each pr ovi di ng one or mor e of t he t echnol ogi cal essent i al el ement s r equi r ed t o suppor t I TI L pr ocess mat ur i t y. An even mor e cr i t i cal el ement t o I TI L best pr act i ce adopt i on i s a t i ght i nt egr at i on acr oss al l of t he t ool s and t echnol ogi es sel ect ed f or I TI L pr ocess i mpl ement at i on. Wi t hout t hi s i nt egr at i on, Managed Obj ect s asser t s t hat I TI L pr oj ect s ar e doomed t o f ai l ur e. On t he f l i psi de, t he i nt egr at i on and vi sual i zat i on capabi l i t i es pr ovi ded t hr ough such sol ut i ons as Managed Obj ect s Busi ness Ser vi ce Management ( BSM) can have t r emendousl y posi t i ve ef f ect s i n accel er at i ng I TI L best pr act i ce adopt i on. The r emai nder of t hi s paper wi l l f ocus on t he i mpor t ant r ol e management t ool i nt egr at i on has i n ensur i ng a successf ul I TI L pr oj ect . I n addi t i on, we l l l ook at ot her i mpor t ant key t echnol ogy aspect s, among t hem, cor r el at i on and vi sual i zat i on, whi ch pr ovi de cr i t i cal el ement s i n ensur i ng I TI L pr oj ect success. Under st andi ng How Change Af f ect s I T Ser vi ce Qual i t y Changes wi t hi n any l ar ge I T ent er pr i se ar e i nevi t abl e. Whet her i t s addi ng a new ser ver or appl i cat i on, or updat i ng t he mai nt enance on an exi st i ng oper at i ng syst em, t her e ar e any number of changes t hat may occur on a dai l y basi s wi t hi n an I T ent er pr i se. I n f act , i n a r ecent Managed Obj ect s sur vey of 200 I T pr of essi onal s, 53% of r espondent s r epor t ed t hat t hey made over 100 changes t o t hei r I T i nf r ast r uct ur e i n an aver age week. I r oni cal l y, even when changes ar e met hodi cal l y pl anned out and r i gi d change pr ocesses ar e adher ed t o, I T out ages st i l l occur . I n t he case of one of t he l ar gest US I nsur ance Ser vi ces compani es, over 60% of I T out ages i n 2007 occur r ed because of pr obl ems wi t h pl anned changes. Cl ear l y, t he i mpact s of pl anned and unpl anned changes occur because of compl exi t y i n t he I T i nf r ast r uct ur e. I n any l ar ge I T ent er pr i se, t he number of r el at i onshi ps and dependenci es among el ement s wi t hi n t he I T ent er pr i se can number i n t he t housands. . Take f or exampl e, f i gur e 1, an ERP syst em i s not si mpl y a si ngl e appl i cat i on, but r at her i t i s composed of a gr oup of net wor k, syst em, ser ver , appl i cat i on, and dat abase connect i ons. Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 5 Wi t hout a compl et e under st andi ng of al l t he i nt er - r el at i onshi ps of el ement s t hat compr i se t he ERP syst em, i t s i mpossi bl e t o t el l what i mpact any i ndi vi dual change wi l l have. To get a bet t er handl e on t he r i sks caused by changes t o t he I T ent er pr i se, I T or gani zat i ons ar e changi ng t he way t hey manage t hei r under l yi ng I T i nf r ast r uct ur es movi ng away f r om si mpl e el ement or event management par adi gms and adopt i ng BSM model s t hat al l ow t hem t o moni t or , manage, and measur e I T ser vi ces i n a busi ness cont ext . Wor ki ng t o mi t i gat e t he di sr upt i ve f or ces pr esent wi t hi n an I T ent er pr i se ar e, of cour se, peopl e, pr ocess, and t echnol ogy. I t s t he combi nat i on of t hese enabl i ng f or ces t hat cause I T ser vi ce t o i mpr ove and over al l ser vi ce qual i t y t o r i se. What s i nt er est i ng i s t hat whi l e each of t hese f or ces ar e i nt er dependent , t hey cannot be appl i ed equal l y. Take f or exampl e, peopl e& I T budget s t oday si mpl y wi l l not al l ow f or si gni f i cant l y hi gher headcount t han what i s al r eady depl oyed so, addi ng mor e peopl e t o r esol ve t he pr obl em of I T i s si mpl y not an opt i on. For t hi s ver y r eason, compani es ar e t ur ni ng t o pr ocess i mpr ovement s l ever agi ng st r at egi c t echnol ogy i nvest ment s t o achi eve hi gher l evel s of I T ser vi ce qual i t y. Let s t ur n t o pr ocess mat ur i t y now and l ook at some of t he key el ement s necessar y i n i mpl ement i ng a successf ul I TI L pr oj ect . Fi gur e 1: I nf r ast r uct ur e Rel at i onshi ps and Dependenci es Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 6 The Cor e Component s of Pr ocess Mat ur i t y Pr ocess mat ur i t y model s come i n a number of di f f er ent f or ms f r om I SO 9001, t o Si x Si gma, t o COBI T, t o CMM. Even some anal yst or gani zat i ons have devel oped model s of t hei r own t ake Gar t ner f or exampl e. Ot her i nst i t ut i ons such as t he I T Ser vi ce Management For um ( I TSMF) have t hei r own model s as wel l . I TSMF has document ed a sui t e of best pr act i ces i t cal l s t he I T I nf r ast r uct ur e Li br ar y, or I TI L. Fi gur e 2 shows an abbr evi at ed ver si on of I TI L s model f or ser vi ce suppor t and ser vi ce del i ver y. I TI L Ser vi ce Suppor t r epr esent s t hose best pr act i ces by whi ch end user s i nt er f ace wi t h t he I T or gani zat i on t o r esol ve pr obl ems. I TI L Ser vi ce Del i ver y r epr esent s t he measur ement pr ocesses used by an I T or gani zat i on t o measur e t he qual i t y of t he ser vi ces i t pr ovi des t o t he busi ness. The f i gur e above i l l ust r at es I TI L ser vi ce suppor t pr ocesses whi ch i ncl ude I nci dent Management , Pr obl em Management , Change Management , Rel ease Management , and Conf i gur at i on Management . As wel l , t he I TI L ser vi ce del i ver y pr ocess of Ser vi ce Level Management ( SLM) i s shown her e al so. What s most i mpor t ant f r om t hi s di agr am i s t he i dea t hat no mat t er what best pr act i ces a company chooses t o i mpl ement f r om a pr ocess mat ur i t y model & al l pr ocess mat ur i t y r oads l ead t o t he need f or an under l yi ng Conf i gur at i on Management Dat abase ( CMDB) . A CMDB pr ovi des a compr ehensi ve map of t he I T ent er pr i se - not onl y of t he el ement s t hat make up t he ent er pr i se but al so t he r el at i onshi ps bet ween t hose el ement s. One ot her i mpor t ant i dea t o not e i s t he i nt egr al nat ur e of SLM t o I TI L as i t r epr esent s an ef f ect i ve measur ement mechani sm of I T ser vi ce qual i t y f or al l I TI L best pr act i ces. Whet her i nci dent , pr obl em, or change management , under st andi ng t he l evel of ef f ect i veness del i ver ed by each best pr act i ce i ni t i at i ve i s an i mpor t ant mechani sm t o gauge over al l success of I TI L i mpl ement at i on. Fi gur e 2: I TI L Ser vi ce Suppor t and Ser vi ce Del i ver y Exampl es Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 7 I t i s cr i t i cal t o poi nt out t hat I TI L r ef er s t o best pr act i ces i n t he cont ext of I T ser vi ces not as Conf i gur at i on I t ems ( CI s) , event s, or al ar ms but as I T ser vi ces pr ovi ded t o t he busi ness. Thi s i s a di r ect r ef l ect i on of how t he busi ness per cei ves I T t oday not as a ser i es of ser ver s and appl i cat i ons, but r at her as an i nt egr al set of ser vi ces t hat ar e pr ovi ded t o suppor t t he busi ness bot t om- l i ne. The Chal l enges of I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on I n t he pr evi ous sect i on we di scussed t he need f or compani es t o devel op a cent r al i zed way of vi ewi ng t hei r f eder at ed I T i nf r ast r uct ur e i nf or mat i on a need t hat i s bei ng sol ved t oday wi t h t he f eder at ed CMDB. The r eal i t y of bui l di ng a compr ehensi ve CMDB however qui ckl y becomes a ver y compl ex mat t er especi al l y when one consi der s how many di f f er ent I T t ool s and t echnol ogi es ar e depl oyed wi t hi n a t ypi cal I T ent er pr i se t he t hought of i nt egr at i ng al l t hat mul t i - vendor dat a can seem st agger i ng. Fi gur e 3 shows an exampl e of exact l y what compani es ar e f aced wi t h any number of I T management t ool s al l wi t h t hei r own si l o d sour ce of i nf or mat i on and none of t hem adequat el y or easi l y gl ued t oget her t o f or m one cl ear and conci se vi ew of t he I T ent er pr i se. Because di f f er ent t ool s r equi r e di f f er ent r eposi t or i es, or si l os, of dat a, t he cont i nui ng chal l enge i n bui l di ng any CMDB i mpl ement at i on ar i ses i n i nt egr at i ng t hi s dat a i nt o a si ngl e consol i dat ed vi ew of t he over al l I T conf i gur at i on. Mor eover , most of t oday s management t ool s under st and our I T i nf r ast r uct ur e as a ser i es of component s not as I T ser vi ces. Ther e i s a need t o not onl y i nt egr at e t he si l os of dat a t hat compr i se our conf i gur at i on vi ew, but al so t o i nt egr at e t he vi ew our t ool s have of t he under l yi ng ent er pr i se i nt o a set of l ogi cal I T ser vi ces. I n t he next sect i on, we l l see j ust how Managed Obj ect s BSM t echnol ogy can hel p t o sol ve t hese and ot her I TI L adopt i on chal l enges. Fi gur e 3: Real i t i es of Today s Compl ex I T Envi r onment Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 8 S e r vi c e Le ve l Appl i c at i on & Se r vi c e I mpac t Manage Cont r ol Communi cat e T I TPr i r i iBusi ness Ser vi ce Management Def i ned Anal yst s al l of f er t hei r own def i ni t i ons. But when al l i s sai d and done, i t s t he user s def i ni t i on t hat r i ngs most t r ue. When asked, act ual user s def i ne BSM as sof t war e t hat pr ovi des f our essent i al capabi l i t i es: " Maps t echnol ogy& t o appl i cat i ons& t o t he busi ness " Cr eat es a t r ust ed sour ce f or I T and t he busi ness " Tur ns dat a i nt o power f ul i nt el l i gence " Makes vi sual i zat i on r el evant t o a di ver se communi t y. And what about al l t hose ot her cr i t i cal I T i ni t i at i ves you hear about , such as I TI L, CMDB, Ser vi ce Level Management , Appl i cat i on, Busi ness Pr ocess or Pr oj ect Moni t or i ng; Avai l abi l i t y and Per f or mance Dashboar ds how does BSM f i t i n wi t h t hese? Act ual l y, a l l t hese i ni t i at i ves ar e par t of BSM. You see, BSM consi st s of a sui t e of appl i cat i ons t hat can wor k separ at el y or al l t oget her and ar e al l par t of a si ngl e common BSM f abr i c . I n t hi s way, compani es adopt BSM i n a modul ar f ashi on i mpl ement i ng onl y t hose capabi l i t i es t hat addr ess t hei r i mmedi at e needs, whi l e l eavi ng r oom f or gr owt h and adopt i on of ot her BSM appl i cat i ons as t he company gr ows and needs change. How BSM Accel er at es I TI L Pr ocess Adopt i on Managed Obj ect s consi st s of an i nt egr at ed sui t e, or f abr i c, of appl i cat i ons each r unni ng on a cent r al i zed pl at f or m t hat pr ovi des common ser vi ces acr oss each appl i cat i on. BSM appl i cat i ons can be i mpl ement ed i ndi vi dual l y or i n combi nat i on t o sol ve compl ex moni t or i ng chal l enges and accel er at e I TI L best pr act i ce adopt i on. How? Qui t e si mpl y, because BSM sol ves t hr ee key chal l enges t hat have daunt ed I T or gani zat i ons f or t he l ast 20 year s. " Cont r ol l i ng Change: Mi ni mi zi ng t he r i sks caused by i nf r ast r uct ur e changes " Communi cat i ng Val ue: Showi ng how I T meet s and exceeds t he needs of t he busi ness " Managi ng I mpact: Mi t i gat i ng t he busi ness i mpact of out ages and ot her I T pr obl ems when t hey occur The bot t om l i ne i s t hat when appl i cat i ons f ai l and out ages or sl owdowns occur , t he busi ness t op- l i ne suf f er s of t en dr amat i cal l y. Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 9 Cont r ol h nCommuni cat e Val ue Manage I mCMDB Appl i cat i on I mpact Mana ement S er vi ce Level Mana ement Dashboar ds Appl i cat i on Dependency Ma i n I NTE RATIN ERVIEMDELI N ANDANALYTIMana ed Ob ect s Sol ut i ons And whi l e I TI L has si gni f i cant l y i mpr oved I T ser vi ce qual i t y f or hundr eds of I T or gani zat i ons ar ound t he wor l d, t he si mpl e f act i s t hat pr ocess i mpr ovement s al one won t r ai se t he ser vi ce qual i t y i mpr ovement bar hi gh enough t o meet t he l evel s i mposed by t oday s mi ssi on cr i t i cal appl i cat i ons. The US I nsur ance company di scussed ear l i er i s a per f ect exampl e even wi t h r i gi d pr ocess cont r ol s i n- pl ace many I T or gani zat i ons t oday st i l l exper i ence si gni f i cant , busi ness i mpact i ng out ages caused by pl anned and unpl anned changes t o t hei r I T i nf r ast r uct ur e. Ent er Managed Obj ect s BSM cr i t i cal t echnol ogy t o br i dge t he gap bet ween ser vi ce qual i t y l evel s achi eved t hr ough I TI L best pr act i ce i mpr ovement s and what i s act ual l y r equi r ed by t he busi ness. Each Managed Obj ect s sol ut i on i s speci f i cal l y t ai l or ed t o addr ess speci f i c chal l enge ar eas f aced by t he busi ness chal l enge ar eas wel l al i gned wi t h I TI L ser vi ce suppor t and ser vi ce del i ver y best pr act i ces. Because Managed Obj ect s BSM i s so hi ghl y modul ar , compani es can f ocus on t hei r most pr essi ng needs, wi t hout havi ng t o adopt addi t i onal t echnol ogi es t hat onl y add mor e compl exi t y t o over al l I T management . Usi ng uni que obj ect - or i ent ed t echnol ogy, Managed Obj ect s pr ovi des an easy t o i mpl ement , modul ar sui t e of sol ut i ons so you can adopt speci f i c appl i cat i ons t hat sol ve your speci f i c chal l enges. St ar t wi t h any of t he Managed Obj ect s sol ut i on of f er i ngs and gr ow f r om t her e wi t h t he assur ance t hat al l Managed Obj ect s sol ut i ons wor k seaml essl y t oget her . And because we l ever age your exi t i ng I T i nvest ment s, i mpl ement i ng Managed Obj ect s i s f ast and easy of t en i n l ess t han 90 days. To gi ve you a bet t er i dea j ust how Managed Obj ect s BSM sol ut i on sui t e can benef i t your own I T or gani zat i on, t ake a l ook at t he f ol l owi ng summar y of our f eat ur es and capabi l i t i es. Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 10 CMDB Managed Obj ect s CMDB360" r epr esent s t he next gener at i on i n CMDB t echnol ogy. I nt egr at i ng cor e CMDB capabi l i t i es l i ke r econci l i at i on, f eder at i on, vi sual i zat i on, and synchr oni zat i on, CMDB360 adds a var i et y of advanced f eat ur es f or compl ex dat a anal yt i cs and r epor t i ng. What s mor e, CMDB360 aut omat es a number of i mpl ement at i on, conf i gur at i on and oper at i onal aspect s of CMDB management maki ng CMDB360 one of t he easi est CMDB sol ut i ons t o depl oy. And because CMDB360 i s bui l t upon a f ul l y f eder at ed obj ect - based model , compani es usi ng CMDB360 can not onl y l ever age t he t r ust ed dat a sour ces t hey al r eady have i n- pl ace and t her eby r educe depl oyment cost s, t hey can be assur ed t hat t hei r CMDB wi l l be f l exi bl e enough t o adapt t o any changes i n busi ness need or di r ect i on, f or year s t o come. Appl i cat i on Dependency Mappi ng Managed Obj ect s BTI and ACM pr oduct s f or m t he f oundat i on f or t he Appl i cat i on Conf i gur at i on Management sol ut i on. Managed Obj ect s Busi ness Technol ogy I nsi ght " ( BTI ) i s an appl i ance- based appl i cat i on dependency mappi ng t ool t hat pr ovi des compl et e act i ve and passi ve agent - l ess di scover y capabi l i t i es t o map out even t he most compl ex I T i nf r ast r uct ur e f r om har dwar e- based devi ces l i ke ser ver s, r out er s, and swi t ches t o packaged appl i cat i ons l i ke SAP, Peopl esof t and Or acl e appl i cat i ons. Managed Obj ect s Appl i cat i on Conf i gur at i on Manager " ( ACM) i s a sol ut i on t o ef f ect i vel y manage home- gr own appl i cat i on changes by aut omat i ng t he col l ect i on, cor r el at i on, and management of conf i gur at i on dat a associ at ed wi t h t hese appl i cat i ons and t hei r dependenci es. ACM combi nes i nnovat i ve t echnol ogy wi t h a uni que 5-St ep cont i nuous pr ocess and pr of essi onal ser vi ces know- how t o aut omat e t he def i ni t i on, i dent i f i cat i on, and model i ng of appl i cat i on component s al ong wi t h t hei r r el at i onshi ps and dependenci es. The r esul t i s a compl et e genet i c map of t he appl i cat i on st or ed wi t hi n an ACM r eposi t or y i n t he f or m of a set of Managed Obj ect s Per sonas". Appl i cat i on I mpact Management Most l ar ge I T or gani zat i ons use any number of I T net wor k, syst ems, and appl i cat i ons management t ool s t o moni t or t he heal t h of t hei r ent er pr i se. Wi t h t hese t ool s come si l os of i nf or mat i on t hat must be manual l y cor r el at ed maki ng ef f ect i ve end- t o- end ent er pr i se avai l abi l i t y and per f or mance management a daunt i ng, r esour ce- i nt ensi ve t ask. Appl i cat i on I mpact Management ( AI M) consol i dat es essent i al I T management dat a, key per f or mance i ndi cat or s ( KPI s) , and busi ness met r i cs i nt o a r ol e- based si ngl e- pane-of - gl ass dashboar d. By usi ng i nt egr at ed anal yt i cs l i ke i mpact and r oot cause anal ysi s, I T oper at i ons can moni t or and manage t hei r compl et e end- t o- end envi r onment i n r eal - t i me and r educe I T out ages by 50% t o 70%, or mor e. Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 11 Dashboar ds Dashboar ds pr ovi de an ef f ect i ve means t o empower busi ness and I T management wi t h accur at e, r eal - t i me and hi st or i cal i nf or mat i on necessar y t o r unni ng a successf ul and compet i t i ve busi ness. Ut i l i zi ng t he MyMO" dashboar d i nt er f ace, Managed Obj ect s dashboar ds ar e Web 2. 0 compl i ant and can be easi l y t ai l or ed t o any speci f i c I T or busi ness r ol e or i nf or mat i on need whet her i t s cr i t i cal net wor k or syst ems avai l abi l i t y or i mpor t ant t r adi ng appl i cat i on per f or mance. I n addi t i on, Managed Obj ect s MyMO dashboar ds ser ve as a common i nt ui t i ve and i nt er act i ve i nt er f ace acr oss al l Managed Obj ect s sol ut i ons so user s have a much easi er t i me l ear ni ng each new pr oduct , as wel l as t r ansi t i oni ng f r om one sol ut i on t o t he next . Ser vi ce Level Management Ser vi ce Level Management ( SLM) enabl es or gani zat i ons t o measur e and r epor t on I T ser vi ce l evel qual i t y al l owi ng t hem t o mor e ef f ect i vel y del i ver hi gh qual i t y I T ser vi ces t o t he busi ness i n t er ms t hat ar e meani ngf ul t o t he busi ness. Because SLM wor ks wi t h Ser vi ce Level Agr eement s ( SLAs) i n r eal - t i me or hi st or i cal l y, I T or gani zat i ons can accur at el y ensur e t hat commi t t ed l evel s of I T ser vi ce qual i t y ar e met . What ' s mor e, SLM has bui l t - i n pr edi ct i ve al gor i t hms whi ch al l ow you t o see SLA compl i ance t r ends bef or e t hey act ual l y become non- compl i ant . Why Managed Obj ect s BSM i s Di f f er ent Managed Obj ect s BSM sol ut i on l et s compani es mor e ef f ect i vel y moni t or , manage, and measur e t he I T ser vi ces t hat ar e del i ver ed t o t he busi ness. Managed Obj ect s BSM i s a Web- based sol ut i on bui l t wi t h common, st andar ds- based t echnol ogi es, i ncl udi ng Java, XML and I I OP. Thr ough r i ch bi - di r ect i onal i nt egr at i on adapt er s, BSM cor r el at es an or gani zat i on s exi st i ng t echnol ogy dat a f r om net wor k and syst ems management dat a, t o t opol ogy maps and r ul e set s. I n t he case of appl i cat i on and user per f or mance, our BSM pl at f or m has bui l t - i n capabi l i t i es t o di r ect l y moni t or a var i et y of r esour ces. BSM can even i nt egr at e and cor r el at e busi ness met r i cs f r om dat abases l i ke sal es t ot al s and hel p desk t i cket s, or anal yt i cs f r om busi ness i nt el l i gence t ool s wi t h your t echnol ogy dat a. When BSM i nt egr at es wi t h a dat a sour ce or di r ect l y moni t or s r esour ces i t l ever ages an obj ect model t o moni t or , manage and vi sual i ze not onl y t he physi cal el ement s wi t hi n your I T i nf r ast r uct ur e, but al so t he l ogi cal ent i t i es as wel l . I n t hi s way, your I T ent er pr i se i s t r ansf or med i nt o what we cal l t he Managed Obj ect s Ser vi ce Model ". Thi s ser vi ce model pr ovi des a uni que vi ew of your I T oper at i ons as a ser i es of I T ser vi ces each havi ng l ogi cal and physi cal el ement s gr ouped t oget her t o f or m one or mor e I T ser vi ces r epr esent i ng t he act ual pr ocesses ut i l i zed by t he busi ness. Fi gur e 4 shows an exampl e of one such busi ness pr ocess onl i ne t r adi ng, as mi ght be used by any l ar ge f i nanci al ser vi ces i nst i t ut i on t oday. Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 12 I t s easy t o see t hat t he power and advant age of t he ser vi ce model l i es i n i t s f l exi bi l i t y, wher e obj ect s i n t he model can r epr esent not onl y physi cal el ement s, l i ke a ser ver or appl i cat i on, but al so l ogi cal ent i t i es as wel l , l i ke an onl i ne t r adi ng busi ness ser vi ce. The model al so r ef l ect s t he ways i n whi ch obj ect s i nt er act wi t h each ot her , such as how r esponse t i me dat a r el at es t o ser ver - t o- ser ver communi cat i on. Thi s i nt er act i on of r el at i onshi ps i s a cr i t i cal st r engt h of t he ser vi ce model . To vi sual i ze t hi s capabi l i t y, Managed Obj ect s l ever ages a uni que vi sual i zat i on mechani sm t he MyMO dashboar d. MyMO pr ovi des an i nt er act i ve si ngl e pane of gl ass suppor t i ng a consol i dat ed vi ew of al l I T management , per f or mance, and busi ness met r i c i nf or mat i on. The key advant age of MyMO l i es i n i t s abi l i t y t o vi sual i ze t hi s consol i dat ed i nf or mat i on not as a ser i es of I T el ement s, but r at her a cohesi ve set of I T ser vi ces suppor t i ng over l yi ng busi ness pr ocesses. Such a vi ew i s depi ct ed i n f i gur e 5: Fi gur e 4: Managed Obj ect s Ser vi ce Model Fi gur e 5: Managed Obj ect s MyMO Dashboar d Vi ew Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 13 I t s i mpor t ant t o not e t hat t he Managed Obj ect s MyMO i s not j ust anot her pr et t y pi ct ur e, but act ual l y cont ai ns f ul l bi - di r ect i onal command and cont r ol capabi l i t y back i nt o t he net wor k, syst ems, and appl i cat i ons management t ool s f r om whi ch i t gat her s and cor r el at es dat a. Thi s i s a ver y power f ul concept and one t hat has a di r ect r el at i onshi p t o I TI L pr ocess model adopt i on l et s t ake a cl oser l ook at how. Managed Obj ect s CMDB The Foundat i on of I TI L Success Managed Obj ect s CMDB360" act s as a cat al yst t o uni f y f eder at ed I T conf i gur at i on i t em ( CI ) i nf or mat i on a cent r al i zed CMDB vi ew. Managed Obj ect s CMDB360 r epr esent s t he next gener at i on i n CMDB t echnol ogy. Bui l di ng upon t he f undament al capabi l i t i es as def i ned by Gar t ner , namel y: r econci l i at i on, f eder at i on, vi sual i zat i on, and synchr oni zat i on, CMDB360 adds a var i et y of advanced f eat ur es f or compl ex dat a anal yt i cs and r epor t i ng. What ' s mor e, CMDB360 i ncor por at es a number of f eat ur es t o aut omat e bot h i mpl ement at i on and oper at i onal aspect s of CMDB management maki ng CMDB360 one of t he easi est CMDB sol ut i ons t o depl oy. And because CMDB360 i s bui l t upon a f ul l y f eder at ed obj ect - based model , compani es usi ng CMDB360 can be assur ed t hat i t wi l l be f l exi bl e enough t o adapt t o any changes i n busi ness need or di r ect i on, f or year s t o come. Just as i mpor t ant l y, anal yt i cal r esul t s f r om CMDB360 ar e pr oduced by accessi ng r eal - t i me CI dat a maki ng r esul t s bot h up- t o- dat e and accur at e. Fi nal l y, because CMDB360 l ever ages many of t he t r ust ed dat a sour ces you al r eady have i n pl ace, depl oyment cost s and r esour ce r equi r ement s ar e si gni f i cant l y r educed. Why i s CMDB360 bet t er t han compet i t i ve of f er i ngs? Qui t e si mpl y because our CMDB sol ut i on does not r el y upon ext ensi ve Ext r act Tr ansf er Load ( ETL) pr ocesses t o bui l d copi es of CMDB dat a, but r at her , wor ks wi t h di st r i but ed management , asset , and conf i gur at i on dat a al r eady i n- pl ace t o f or mul at e a r eal - t i me vi sual r epr esent at i on of t he under l yi ng I T i nf r ast r uct ur e el ement s and r el at i onshi ps. Managed Obj ect s Di scover y Aut omat ed and Accur at e Appl i cat i on Dependency Mappi ng Managed Obj ect s ADM del i ver s a compr ehensi ve appl i cat i on and I T i nf r ast r uct ur e di scover y and mappi ng sol ut i on f or mul at ed i n t wo seaml essl y i nt egr at ed pr oduct s - - Managed Obj ect s Busi ness Technol ogy I nsi ght " ( BTI ) and Appl i cat i on Conf i gur at i on Management " ( ACM) . Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 14 Managed Obj ect s BTI " Managed Obj ect s BTI i s an appl i ance- based di scover y t ool t hat pr ovi des compl et e act i ve and passi ve agent - l ess di scover y capabi l i t i es t o map out even t he most compl ex I T i nf r ast r uct ur e f r om har dwar e- based devi ces l i ke ser ver s, r out er s, and swi t ches t o packaged appl i cat i ons l i ke SAP, Peopl esof t and Or acl e appl i cat i ons. Wi t h BTI , user s can see a compl et e pi ct ur e of t he el ement s t hat compr i se t hei r I T i nf r ast r uct ur e as wel l as t he pr oper t i es, or at t r i but es, t hat make up each of t he I T el ement s wi t hi n t hei r ent er pr i se. Managed Obj ect s ACM" For compani es l ooki ng f or an aut omat ed sol ut i on t o map r el at i onshi ps and dependenci es f or home- gr own appl i cat i ons wi t hout t he need f or t he cust om- bui l t f i nger pr i nt s t her e s Managed Obj ect s Appl i cat i on Conf i gur at i on Manager " ( ACM) . Managed Obj ect s ACM i s a sol ut i on t o ef f ect i vel y manage home- gr own appl i cat i on changes by aut omat i ng t he col l ect i on, cor r el at i on, and management of conf i gur at i on dat a associ at ed wi t h t hese appl i cat i ons and t hei r dependenci es. ACM combi nes i nnovat i ve t echnol ogy wi t h a uni que 5- St ep cont i nuous pr ocess and pr of essi onal ser vi ces know-how t o aut omat e t he def i ni t i on, i dent i f i cat i on, and model i ng of appl i cat i on component s al ong wi t h t hei r r el at i onshi ps and dependenci es. The r esul t i s a compl et e genet i c map of t he appl i cat i on st or ed wi t hi n an ACM r eposi t or y i n t he f or m of a set of Managed Obj ect s Per sonas". ACM Ar chi t ect ur e Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 15 Managed Obj ect s BSLM Measur e and Repor t on SLA Compl i ance i n Real - Ti me Managed Obj ect s r obust , commer ci al - r eady SLM capabi l i t i es pr ovi de t he cr i t i cal capabi l i t i es necessar y t o moni t or , measur e, and r epor t on t he qual i t y of ser vi ces I T del i ver ed t o t he busi ness. Most I TI L adher ent s agr ee t hat SLM s pr i mar y goal i s t o mai nt ai n and enhance ser vi ce qual i t y t hr ough a const ant , r eal - t i me cycl e of moni t or i ng, r epor t i ng and i mpr ovi ng on ser vi ce. I t s i mpor t ant t hat appr opr i at e ser vi ce l evel s ar e det er mi ned i n l i ne wi t h busi ness and cost j ust i f i cat i ons. Usi ng Managed Obj ect s Busi ness Ser vi ce Level Manager " ( BSLM) , you can def i ne and measur e t he avai l abi l i t y and per f or mance of an I T ser vi ce and t hen capt ur e and anal yze hi st or i cal met r i cs t o val i dat e ser vi ce def i ni t i ons and i dent i f y oppor t uni t i es f or i mpr ovement . You can even quant i f y t he ROI i n ser vi ce i mpr ovement s you ve made or t he pot ent i al ROI i n changes you r e consi der i ng. Havi ng t hi s i nf or mat i on gi ves I T and t he busi ness a common f r ame of r ef er ence f r om whi ch t o set Ser vi ce Level Obj ect i ves ( SLOs) . SLOs measur e ser vi ce l evel compl i ance r el at i ve t o t he wei ght ed i mpor t ance of t he di f f er ent t echnol ogy component s t hat cor r espond t o di f f er ent busi ness ser vi ces. Most or gani zat i ons pr ef er t o est abl i sh basel i nes bef or e t hey commi t t o obj ect i ves. Or gani zat i ons t hat wor k wi t h I TI L may have al r eady est abl i shed t hem and can l ever age such met r i cs t hr ough t he BSM pl at f or m. SLOs can be def i ned agai nst ei t her t echnol ogy or I T ser vi ce qual i t y l evel s. For exampl e, cr eat i ng an SLO f or onl i ne t r adi ng may r equi r e busi ness SLOs, l i ke keepi ng over al l avai l abi l i t y at 98% and avai l abi l i t y at peak t r adi ng t i mes at 100%. At t he same t i me, oper at i onal SLOs mi ght i ncl ude r esol vi ng sever i t y 1 event s i n l ess t han 15 mi nut es, havi ng no mor e t han f i ve event s ol der t han an hour , and keepi ng ser ver memor y ut i l i zat i on under 80%. The poi nt i s t o ensur e t hat t echnol ogy compl i es wi t h busi ness obj ect i ves l i ke t he number of t r ansact i ons a suppl y chai n must suppor t dur i ng peak use as wel l as t o enf or ce what condi t i on t echnol ogy must be i n t o meet t hese obj ect i ves. That way, you can guar ant ee t he ser vi ce l evel s t hat t he busi ness demands i n t he most cost - ef f ect i ve way possi bl e. Lever agi ng BSLM, SLAs and SLOs can be easi l y cr eat ed agai nst any I T ser vi ce t hi s i s especi al l y usef ul f or or gani zat i ons adopt i ng I TI L best pr act i ces who need an accur at e, r eal - t i me mechani sm t o measur e t hei r success i n i mpl ement i ng I TI L. BSLM put s I T and t he busi ness on t he same page, wor ki ng t owar d t he same goal s. At any t i me, aut hor i zed user s can dr i l l down f r om a t op- l i ne SLA vi ew t o l ook at t he st at us of under l yi ng t echnol ogy SLOs, l i ke net wor k avai l abi l i t y or ser ver upt i me. Compl i ance can be r epor t ed on bot h i n r eal t i me and hi st or i cal l y. The hi st or i cal r ecor d i s mai nt ai ned i n a JDBC- compat i bl e dat abase, and i t s cont ent s ar e avai l abl e f or expor t i n t he suppor t of ot her I TI L pr ocesses. Resul t s can be r et r oact i vel y modi f i ed t o ensur e t hei r accur acy. Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 16 Managed Obj ect s MyMo Dashboar ds Rol e- Based Vi sual i zat i on f or any I T or Busi ness Rol e To del i ver f ast and f l exi bl e vi sual i zat i on t o I T oper at i ons, ser vi ce suppor t , and ser vi ce del i ver y user s, Managed Obj ect s l ever ages a uni que r ol e- based vi sual i zat i on capabi l i t y cal l ed Managed Obj ect s MyMOT M ( MyMO) . MyMO pr ovi des an i nt er act i ve JSR 168 compl i ant si ngl e pane of gl ass t hat consol i dat es I T management , per f or mance, and busi ness met r i c i nf or mat i on i nt o one easi l y cust omi zed r ol e- based r eal - t i me dashboar d. The key advant age of t he MyMO l i es i n i t s abi l i t y t o cor r el at e and vi sual i ze consol i dat ed i nf or mat i on not as a ser i es of I T component s, but r at her as t he l ogi cal set of I T ser vi ces suppor t i ng over l yi ng busi ness pr ocesses. Exampl es of t hese dashboar ds ar e depi ct ed i n t he f ol l owi ng di agr am: Fi gur e 6: Managed Obj ect s Rol e- based Dashboar ds - Exampl es I t s i mpor t ant t o not e t hat t he Managed Obj ect s MyMO i s not j ust anot her pr et t y pi ct ur e , but act ual l y cont ai ns f ul l bi - di r ect i onal command and cont r ol capabi l i t y back i nt o t he net wor k, syst ems, and appl i cat i ons management t ool s f r om whi ch i t gat her s and cor r el at es dat a. SLA Coml i ance I T Mana ement Or der Pr ocessi n Avai l abi l i t Mana ement Cal l Cent er Moni t or i n Tel ecom Ser vi ces Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 17 Feder at i on M DB ppl i cat i on I mpact Management Ser vi ce Level Management Appl i cat i on Dependency Mappi ng Ser vi ce Cat al og er vi ce Cont r act Management I nt egr at e Model & Anal yze i sual i ze n rr vinr Rv ni nMr iat a Base How i t al l Fi t s Toget her Managed Obj ect s ar chi t ect ur e consi st s of 3- t i er s al l wor ki ng t oget her t o pr ovi de a compl et e sui t e of BSM capabi l i t i es al l r unni ng on a si ngl e common pl at f or m. The f i r st t i er i n t he BSM ar chi t ect ur e ( see f i gur e 9) , i s t he i nt egr at i on t i er . I t i s her e wher e Managed Obj ect s adapt er s ar e l ever aged t o i nt egr at e t echnol ogy, busi ness, and per f or mance met r i cs. The second t i er of our BSM ar chi t ect ur e consi st s of t he BSM Engi ne, whi ch i s t he wor k hor se pr ovi di ng key capabi l i t i es l i ke dat a aggr egat i on, cor r el at i on, r oot cause, and i mpact anal ysi s. As wel l , t hi s i s wher e cr i t i cal f unct i ons l i ke CMDB, Di scover y and ADM r un. I n t he t hi r d t i er of t he BSM ar chi t ect ur e, t he vi sual i zat i on l ayer pr ovi des bot h oper at i onal as wel l as dashboar d i nt r ospect i ve vi ews i nt o aggr egat ed and cor r el at ed dat a. Fi gur e 9: Managed Obj ect s 3- Ti er Ar chi t ect ur e Summar y I f you have BSM sol ut i ons i n pl ace t hen you ar e managi ng t he i nf r ast r uct ur e t o busi ness-or i ent ed SLAs. SOX compl i ance i s si mpl y a mechani sm t o r epor t whet her you ar e f ol l owi ng your I TI L best pr act i ces. I f you i mpl ement I TI L best pr act i ces t hen you end up wi t h a BSM sol ut i on. Ahh, i t s t he ci r cl e of I T l i f e. 4 Untitled Document Accel er at i ng I TI L Best Pr act i ce Adopt i on Wi t h Managed Obj ect s BSM Copyr i ght 2007 Managed Obj ect s Sol ut i ons, I nc. Page 18 Wr i t es Jasmi ne Noel of Pt ak, Noel & Associ at es i n a r ecent r epor t on t he conver gence of BSM, I TI L and compl i ance. She goes on t o say: I ndeed many ent er pr i ses have separ at e i ni t i at i ves t hat bear t hese acr onyms ( and a sl ew of ot her s) . I T execut i ves of t en f i nd t hemsel ves i nvol ved i n al l sor t s of meet i ngs di scussi ng t he benef i t s, r i sks, i mpl ement at i on pl ans f or t hei r busi nesses t o become SOX compl i ant or I TI L t r ai ned and so on. So t he quest i on i s how can I T st af f keep up wi t h al l of t he acr onyms t hey ar e supposed t o be wor ki ng on? Noel goes on t o say: We bel i eve al l of t hese acr onyms l ead I T or gani zat i ons t o t he same pl ace one wi t h bet t er al i gnment bet ween I T act i vi t i es and busi ness out comes, cl ear er and st r eaml i ned I T pr ocesses and communi cat i on, and i mpr oved aut omat i on t hr ough management t echnol ogy. But t her e i s a pot ent i al pi t f al l t hat t hese acr onym i ni t i at i ves ar e t ackl ed i ndependent l y wi t hout any cohesi ve vi si on or st r at egy. Lack of pl anni ng wi l l spawn a whol e new l evel of I T si l os. Pr oduct s i mpl ement ed t o manage SLAs f or a par t i cul ar busi ness uni t may not i nt egr at e wi t h t he conf i gur at i on dat abases i mpl ement ed f or t he BSM i ni t i at i ve. Di f f er ent audi t i ng syst ems mi ght be dupl i cat i ng ef f or t f or di f f er ent SOX and I TI L i ni t i at i ves. Mul t i pl e busi ness uni t s may i mpl ement di f f er ent management t echnol ogi es t o manage t hei r SLAs l eavi ng I T admi ni st r at or s t o l ear n t o use mul t i pl e t ool s t o compl et e t he same t asks. Thi s scenar i o wi l l cost ent er pr i ses mi l l i ons i n dupl i cat ed pr oduct f unct i onal i t y, wast ed i mpl ement at i on ef f or t and excessi ve mai nt enance f ees. Thi s i s not somewher e ent er pr i se I T or gani zat i ons want t o end up. I t seems cl ear t hat t her e i s a subst ant i al over l ap bet ween BSM, SLAs, and I TI L not t o ment i on SOX as wel l . Fundament al l y, t hi s over l ap exi st s at t he I T ser vi ce l evel of vi r t ual l y ever y I T or gani zat i on who i s seeki ng t o bet t er al i gn t hemsel ves wi t h t he busi nesses t hey suppor t . Wi t hout t hi s i mpor t ant al i gnment , I T cannot be pr oper l y posi t i oned t o suppor t t he cr i t i cal needs of t he busi ness. About Managed Obj ect s Managed Obj ect s i s t he Busi ness Ser vi ce Management Company. Compani es use our sol ut i ons t o mor e ef f ect i vel y moni t or , manage, and model t hei r I T ent er pr i se. Our uni que ser vi ce per spect i ve over l ays exi st i ng management t ool s so compl ex I T i nf r ast r uct ur es can be managed, not as a set of component s, but r at her as t he set of ser vi ces t hat I T del i ver s t o t he busi ness - - ser vi ces l i ke or der pr ocessi ng, e- commer ce, onl i ne t r adi ng, or emai l . Compani es t hat use Managed Obj ect s r eal i ze measur abl e i mpr ovement s i n I T ser vi ce qual i t y, cost savi ngs, and i ncr eased I T r esponsi veness. A vent ur e- backed company headquar t er ed i n McLean, VA, wi t h oper at i ons i n t he U. S. , Eur ope, and Asi a Paci f i c, Managed Obj ect s i s consi st ent l y acknowl edged by l eadi ng i ndust r y anal yst s as wel l as i ndust r y l eader s l i ke AI B, CSC, Cr edi t Sui sse, DI SA, JPMor ganChase, Pr ogr ess Ener gy, UBS, US Ar my, US Cust oms and Bor der Pr ot ect i on Agency, Ver i zon and ot her gl obal or gani zat i ons who r el y on Managed Obj ect s BSM t echnol ogy. For mor e i nf or mat i on, vi si t www. managedobj ect s. com.
