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Why Semantic web is important to business?

The “semantic Web” is hugely important to tomorrow’s business.

But what is it? And what does it mean for your business?
“Semantic” is the latest buzzword to hit the online world. It’s come to mean everything and nothing.

From semantic search to the semantic Web; and from semantic marketing to semantic technologies, it seems like everyone wants to ride the semantic train.

So What?

It marks the transition into a new phase of the Web, where we stop searching and start finding.

In other words, we discover not just the information that matches the keywords we search for, but the information that we really wanted to find. Information directly related in context, not just in keywords.

This is exactly what is happening with Google GOOG -0.46%’s semantic search, which finds content in direct response to the intent of our search query. It uses contextual signals to understand what we really mean when we type into Google’s search box, or talk to a virtual assistant, such as Siri.

New Products; New Services
The semantic Web is far more open, transparent and personalized. It’s being transformed into a place where the same content means different things to different people.

A search for “pizza” from my desktop at 9am will generate informational links and pizza recipes, yet the same search carried out on my smartphone at 8pm will pop up ads for pizza restaurants near my location.

Google looks not just at the content in its search index, but also at who is asking the question, where, and when. In a sense, it matches detailed knowledge of the searcher’s profile with an understanding of the search, in order to deliver the best possible answer.

Tomorrow’s businesses need to take advantage of semantic search.
The Age Of Checkbox Marketing Is Over
The semantic Web requires an entirely different type of thinking about online marketing content. Information placed online needs to be capable of generating some kind of interaction with the online population, which means “marketing deliverables” have to contain real value, not just keywords.

In the semantic Web, there’s no such thing as inert data: Information always means something. It becomes a signal that acquires relevance—in the right context. (I’ll explain how and why, in the next two sections.)

Similarly, products and services can no longer take the convenient approach of “one size fits all.” An online population that’s becoming accustomed to total personalization won’t take kindly to a company that treats customers as faceless numbers in a crowd.

Semantic Search Is All About Big Data
As the Web grows in size and the amount of data on it increases, the only way to make use of it is to contextualize it.

That means it can be used in a more personalized, relevant way. The moment you have masses of anything, you can find patterns emerging, which often release new insights.

The entire Big Data movement is based on this. Semantic search is no exception to the rule. The only difference is that, instead of a business analyzing data from operations, we have Google search being transformed into the world’s biggest database, categorizing the Web itself.

So how’s it achieved? How does the Web acquire greater meaning than just what’s contained in the information on it?
The Answer Lies In Hyperconnectivity
For example, if we could somehow acquire all of the world’s knowledge, it wouldn’t make us smarter. It would just make us more knowledgeable. That’s exactly how search worked before semantics came along.

In order for us to become smarter, we somehow need to understand the meaning of information. To do that we need to be able to forge connections in all this data, to see how each piece of knowledge relates to every other.

In the semantic Web, we users provide the connections, through our social media activity. The patterns that emerge, the sentiment in the interactions—comments, shares, tweets, Likes, etc.—allow a very precise, detailed picture to emerge.

That’s why the success of Google Plus is critical to Google’s move to semantic search.

The Bottom Line
The semantic Web is accelerating change across the board, challenging companies that move too slowly to adapt. Embrace it, or risk extinction.

The old rules no longer apply. If you want to be found, social is no longer an option.

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TEN important steps for ITIL Implementation

Step 1: ITIL Project Preparation

Step 2: Definition of the IT Service Structure

Step 3: Selection of ITIL Roles and Role Owners

Step 4: Analysis of As-Is Processes: ITIL-Assessment

Step 5: Definition of the To-Be Process Structure

Step 6: Definition of Process Interfaces

Step 7: Establishing Process Control

Step 8: Designing the Processes in Detail

Step 9: Selection and Implementation of Application Systems

Step 10: ITIL Process Implementation and Training

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Processes in Service Strategy phase for ITIL

The IT service management framework for ITIL® is logically divided into five phases based on what a provider offers, and the IT service that the customer enjoys and values. The other four phases in ITIL® are service design, service transition, service operations and continual service improvement.

The first of the five phases is the service strategy. In this phase, the strategy to implement a service into an IT organization is closely tied to the management approach for that service.

Let’s say a cell phone provider wants to introduce a new service, such as high-speed internet. In the service strategy phase the stakeholders develop the strategy for what to introduce, how to launch, where to source, how to meet demands and manage operations.

Overview of the service strategy phase

In the service strategy phase, the service provider and the customer define the terms of what the service entails, how will it be of value to the customer, and what type of customers (age groups, genders, geography, etc.) are likely to opt for the service.

In this phase, the high-level strategy is laid out and the feasible services will pass to the service design phase where the conceptual services would be given definite form, figure and dimensions. A number of conceptual services get filtered through the sieve as well.

With a good strategic advisory team in place, organizations can hope to meet a number of goals. Some common ones for organizations include branding with innovative and customer-focused services, annulling the competition and showing ROI on their IT investments.

Processes in the service strategy phase

To achieve all that I have mentioned under the strategic management, ITIL® has developed a few processes to aid the aims of a service strategy.

Process 1: Service portfolio management

Service portfolio management ensures that the organization has the right set of services to offer to its customers. It also ensures that customers perceive the offered services as valuable so the organization makes a balanced return on investment.

The service portfolio management process involves researching and identifying the services that can be offered to customer. Here, the riders are the return on investment and the risk appetite. Once a list is drawn up, they track how the service performs, how it’s perceived and check whether the service fits into the overall scheme of things. The service portfolio also consists of the services that once existed but have been retired and/or replaced.

The output of the service portfolio management process is the service portfolio itself, which consists of three components:

  • Existing services
  • Services in pipeline
  • Retired services

The existing services consist of all that is being offered to customers, similar to a menu card that you find in a restaurant. Services in pipeline are those services that are under development. At times, it is important that customers are lured in with the services that they can enjoy in the future. For example, a cell phone service provider can claim that they offer 3G internet service, and within the next 6 months the customer can expect to use the 4G service that’s under testing.

Process 2: Financial Management for IT Services

As the name of the process indicates, the financial management for IT services aids in bringing in the investors, and channeling investments to services that have the most potential.

When a new service is to be introduced, or if an existing service needs an upgrade, this process starts by evaluating the financial impact. This usually involves convincing investors secure the funding for the provision of the services.

Other aspects of finances, such as budgeting for a service, accounting for how money was spent and charges for the customer’s use of services, all fall under the financial management process. Balancing income and outflow and forecasting financial requirements are some of the other activities that are performed in this process.

Process 3: Business Relationship Management

You can own top-notch services, but if you can’t keep your customers loyal to you, then the organization might start looking to close down the shop and consider alternatives. Business relationship management is a new introduction to ITIL® which deals with building customers relationships through value proposition and meeting their business needs.

Many case studies over the years have pointed to the conclusion that it costs a lot more to bring in new customers than to keep existing ones. To keep customers, organizations must hear the pulse of the customer; understand how the customer views your organization and the services you offer. The Business relationship management process looks at all these aspects of retaining customers and more.

The business relationship management process specifically focuses on the customer requirements and working within the organization to meet the customer goals. The process keeps tabs on the customer’s perception towards the IT organization and works to keep it positive.

This process does not deal with the customer at an operational level or on an incident basis, but rather on a level where the governance body is seated. There is a sister process in the service design phase called as service level management, which is responsible for interacting with the customer regularly over the performance of its services and making sure service level agreements are adhered to.

Outflow from Service Strategy

The output from service strategy provides direction to all other phases in the ITIL® framework. People in organizations who form service strategy are generally the board members, CXOs and others with a mature head on their shoulders.

The decisions taken by the board and senior management percolate to various nooks and corners of the organization and bears on how the services are run and what the customers can expect. An organization gifted with a strong strategic team is an organization that focuses on the right credentials to go the distance, and win.

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Enterprise Architecture Principles…..

Business Principles

Principle 1:
Primacy of Principles
Statement:
These principles of information management apply to all organizations within the enterprise.
Rationale:
The only way we can provide a consistent and measurable level of quality information to decision-makers is if all organizations abide by the principles.
Implications:
  • Without this principle, exclusions, favoritism, and inconsistency would rapidly undermine the management of information.
  • Information management initiatives will not begin until they are examined for compliance with the principles.
  • A conflict with a principle will be resolved by changing the framework of the initiative.
Principle 2:
Maximize Benefit to the Enterprise
Statement:
Information management decisions are made to provide maximum benefit to the enterprise as a whole.
Rationale:
This principle embodies “service above self”. Decisions made from an enterprise-wide perspective have greater long-term value than decisions made from any particular organizational perspective. Maximum return on investment requires information management decisions to adhere to enterprise-wide drivers and priorities. No minority group will detract from the benefit of the whole. However, this principle will not preclude any minority group from getting its job done.
Implications:
  • Achieving maximum enterprise-wide benefit will require changes in the way we plan and manage information. Technology alone will not bring about this change.
  • Some organizations may have to concede their own preferences for the greater benefit of the entire enterprise.
  • Application development priorities must be established by the entire enterprise for the entire enterprise.
  • Applications components should be shared across organizational boundaries.
  • Information management initiatives should be conducted in accordance with the enterprise plan. Individual organizations should pursue information management initiatives which conform to the blueprints and priorities established by the enterprise. We will change the plan as we need to.
  • As needs arise, priorities must be adjusted. A forum with comprehensive enterprise representation should make these decisions.
Principle 3:
Information Management is Everybody’s Business
Statement:
All organizations in the enterprise participate in information management decisions needed to accomplish business objectives.
Rationale:
Information users are the key stakeholders, or customers, in the application of technology to address a business need. In order to ensure information management is aligned with the business, all organizations in the enterprise must be involved in all aspects of the information environment. The business experts from across the enterprise and the technical staff responsible for developing and sustaining the information environment need to come together as a team to jointly define the goals and objectives of IT.
Implications:
  • To operate as a team, every stakeholder, or customer, will need to accept responsibility for developing the information environment.
  • Commitment of resources will be required to implement this principle.
Principle 4:
Business Continuity
Statement:
Enterprise operations are maintained in spite of system interruptions.
Rationale:
As system operations become more pervasive, we become more dependent on them; therefore, we must consider the reliability of such systems throughout their design and use. Business premises throughout the enterprise must be provided with the capability to continue their business functions regardless of external events. Hardware failure, natural disasters, and data corruption should not be allowed to disrupt or stop enterprise activities. The enterprise business functions must be capable of operating on alternative information delivery mechanisms.
Implications:
  • Dependency on shared system applications mandates that the risks of business interruption must be established in advance and managed. Management includes but is not limited to periodic reviews, testing for vulnerability and exposure, or designing mission-critical services to assure business function continuity through redundant or alternative capabilities.
  • Recoverability, redundancy, and maintainability should be addressed at the time of design.
  • Applications must be assessed for criticality and impact on the enterprise mission, in order to determine what level of continuity is required and what corresponding recovery plan is necessary.
Principle 5:
Common Use Applications
Statement:
Development of applications used across the enterprise is preferred over the development of similar or duplicative applications which are only provided to a particular organization.
Rationale:
Duplicative capability is expensive and proliferates conflicting data.
Implications:
  • Organizations which depend on a capability which does not serve the entire enterprise must change over to the replacement enterprise-wide capability. This will require establishment of and adherence to a policy requiring this.
  • Organizations will not be allowed to develop capabilities for their own use which are similar/duplicative of enterprise-wide capabilities. In this way, expenditures of scarce resources to develop essentially the same capability in marginally different ways will be reduced.
  • Data and information used to support enterprise decision-making will be standardized to a much greater extent than previously. This is because the smaller, organizational capabilities which produced different data (which was not shared among other organizations) will be replaced by enterprise-wide capabilities. The impetus for adding to the set of enterprise-wide capabilities may well come from an organization making a convincing case for the value of the data/information previously produced by its organizational capability, but the resulting capability will become part of the enterprise-wide system, and the data it produces will be shared across the enterprise.
Principle 6:
Compliance with Law
Statement:
Enterprise information management processes comply with all relevant laws, policies, and regulations.
Rationale:
Enterprise policy is to abide by laws, policies, and regulations. This will not preclude business process improvements that lead to changes in policies and regulations.
Implications:
  • The enterprise must be mindful to comply with laws, regulations, and external policies regarding the collection, retention, and management of data.
  • Education and access to the rules. Efficiency, need, and common sense are not the only drivers. Changes in the law and changes in regulations may drive changes in our processes or applications.
Principle 7:
IT Responsibility
Statement:
The IT organization is responsible for owning and implementing IT processes and infrastructure that enable solutions to meet user-defined requirements for functionality, service levels, cost, and delivery timing.
Rationale:
Effectively align expectations with capabilities and costs so that all projects are cost-effective. Efficient and effective solutions have reasonable costs and clear benefits.
Implications:
  • A process must be created to prioritize projects.
  • The IT function must define processes to manage business unit expectations.
  • Data, application, and technology models must be created to enable integrated quality solutions and to maximize results.
Principle 8:
Protection of Intellectual Property
Statement:
The enterprise’s Intellectual Property (IP) must be protected. This protection must be reflected in the IT architecture, implementation, and governance processes.
Rationale:
A major part of an enterprise’s IP is hosted in the IT domain.
Implications:
  • While protection of IP assets is everybody’s business, much of the actual protection is implemented in the IT domain. Even trust in non-IT processes can be managed by IT processes (email, mandatory notes, etc.).
  • A security policy, governing human and IT actors, will be required that can substantially improve protection of IP. This must be capable of both avoiding compromises and reducing liabilities.
  • Resources on such policies can be found at the SANS Institute (www.sans.org/newlook/home.php).

Data Principles

Principle 9:
Data is an Asset
Statement:
Data is an asset that has value to the enterprise and is managed accordingly.
Rationale:
Data is a valuable corporate resource; it has real, measurable value. In simple terms, the purpose of data is to aid decision-making. Accurate, timely data is critical to accurate, timely decisions. Most corporate assets are carefully managed, and data is no exception. Data is the foundation of our decision-making, so we must also carefully manage data to ensure that we know where it is, can rely upon its accuracy, and can obtain it when and where we need it.
Implications:
  • This is one of three closely-related principles regarding data: data is an asset; data is shared; and data is easily accessible. The implication is that there is an education task to ensure that all organizations within the enterprise understand the relationship between value of data, sharing of data, and accessibility to data.
  • Stewards must have the authority and means to manage the data for which they are accountable.
  • We must make the cultural transition from “data ownership” thinking to “data stewardship” thinking.
  • The role of data steward is critical because obsolete, incorrect, or inconsistent data could be passed to enterprise personnel and adversely affect decisions across the enterprise.
  • Part of the role of data steward, who manages the data, is to ensure data quality. Procedures must be developed and used to prevent and correct errors in the information and to improve those processes that produce flawed information. Data quality will need to be measured and steps taken to improve data quality – it is probable that policy and procedures will need to be developed for this as well.
  • A forum with comprehensive enterprise-wide representation should decide on process changes suggested by the steward.
  • Since data is an asset of value to the entire enterprise, data stewards accountable for properly managing the data must be assigned at the enterprise level.
Principle 10:
Data is Shared
Statement:
Users have access to the data necessary to perform their duties; therefore, data is shared across enterprise functions and organizations.
Rationale:
Timely access to accurate data is essential to improving the quality and efficiency of enterprise decision-making. It is less costly to maintain timely, accurate data in a single application, and then share it, than it is to maintain duplicative data in multiple applications. The enterprise holds a wealth of data, but it is stored in hundreds of incompatible stovepipe databases. The speed of data collection, creation, transfer, and assimilation is driven by the ability of the organization to efficiently share these islands of data across the organization.Shared data will result in improved decisions since we will rely on fewer (ultimately one virtual) sources of more accurate and timely managed data for all of our decision-making. Electronically shared data will result in increased efficiency when existing data entities can be used, without re-keying, to create new entities.

Implications:
  • This is one of three closely-related principles regarding data: data is an asset; data is shared; and data is easily accessible. The implication is that there is an education task to ensure that all organizations within the enterprise understand the relationship between value of data, sharing of data, and accessibility to data.
  • To enable data sharing we must develop and abide by a common set of policies, procedures, and standards governing data management and access for both the short and the long term.
  • For the short term, to preserve our significant investment in legacy systems, we must invest in software capable of migrating legacy system data into a shared data environment.
  • We will also need to develop standard data models, data elements, and other metadata that defines this shared environment and develop a repository system for storing this metadata to make it accessible.
  • For the long term, as legacy systems are replaced, we must adopt and enforce common data access policies and guidelines for new application developers to ensure that data in new applications remains available to the shared environment and that data in the shared environment can continue to be used by the new applications.
  • For both the short term and the long term we must adopt common methods and tools for creating, maintaining, and accessing the data shared across the enterprise.
  • Data sharing will require a significant cultural change.
  • This principle of data sharing will continually “bump up against” the principle of data security. Under no circumstances will the data sharing principle cause confidential data to be compromised.
  • Data made available for sharing will have to be relied upon by all users to execute their respective tasks. This will ensure that only the most accurate and timely data is relied upon for decision-making. Shared data will become the enterprise-wide “virtual single source” of data.
Principle 11:
Data is Accessible
Statement:
Data is accessible for users to perform their functions.
Rationale:
Wide access to data leads to efficiency and effectiveness in decision-making, and affords timely response to information requests and service delivery. Using information must be considered from an enterprise perspective to allow access by a wide variety of users. Staff time is saved and consistency of data is improved.
Implications:
  • This is one of three closely-related principles regarding data: data is an asset; data is shared; and data is easily accessible. The implication is that there is an education task to ensure that all organizations within the enterprise understand the relationship between value of data, sharing of data, and accessibility to data.
  • Accessibility involves the ease with which users obtain information.
  • The way information is accessed and displayed must be sufficiently adaptable to meet a wide range of enterprise users and their corresponding methods of access.
  • Access to data does not constitute understanding of the data. Personnel should take caution not to misinterpret information.
  • Access to data does not necessarily grant the user access rights to modify or disclose the data. This will require an education process and a change in the organizational culture, which currently supports a belief in “ownership” of data by functional units.
Principle 12:
Data Trustee
Statement:
Each data element has a trustee accountable for data quality.
Rationale:
One of the benefits of an architected environment is the ability to share data (e.g., text, video, sound, etc.) across the enterprise. As the degree of data sharing grows and business units rely upon common information, it becomes essential that only the data trustee makes decisions about the content of data. Since data can lose its integrity when it is entered multiple times, the data trustee will have sole responsibility for data entry which eliminates redundant human effort and data storage resources.

Note:
A trustee is different than a steward – a trustee is responsible for accuracy and currency of the data, while responsibilities of a steward may be broader and include data standardization and definition tasks.

Implications:
  • Real trusteeship dissolves the data “ownership” issues and allows the data to be available to meet all users’ needs. This implies that a cultural change from data “ownership” to data “trusteeship” may be required.
  • The data trustee will be responsible for meeting quality requirements levied upon the data for which the trustee is accountable.
  • It is essential that the trustee has the ability to provide user confidence in the data based upon attributes such as “data source”.
  • It is essential to identify the true source of the data in order that the data authority can be assigned this trustee responsibility. This does not mean that classified sources will be revealed nor does it mean the source will be the trustee.
  • Information should be captured electronically once and immediately validated as close to the source as possible. Quality control measures must be implemented to ensure the integrity of the data.
  • As a result of sharing data across the enterprise, the trustee is accountable and responsible for the accuracy and currency of their designated data element(s) and, subsequently, must then recognize the importance of this trusteeship responsibility.
Principle 13:
Common Vocabulary and Data Definitions
Statement:
Data is defined consistently throughout the enterprise, and the definitions are understandable and available to all users.
Rationale:
The data that will be used in the development of applications must have a common definition throughout the Headquarters to enable sharing of data. A common vocabulary will facilitate communications and enable dialogue to be effective. In addition, it is required to interface systems and exchange data.
Implications:
  • We are lulled into thinking that this issue is adequately addressed because there are people with “data administration” job titles and forums with charters implying responsibility. Significant additional energy and resources must be committed to this task. It is key to the success of efforts to improve the information environment. This is separate from but related to the issue of data element definition, which is addressed by a broad community – this is more like a common vocabulary and definition.
  • The enterprise must establish the initial common vocabulary for the business. The definitions will be used uniformly throughout the enterprise.
  • Whenever a new data definition is required, the definition effort will be co-ordinated and reconciled with the corporate “glossary” of data descriptions. The enterprise data administrator will provide this co-ordination.
  • Ambiguities resulting from multiple parochial definitions of data must give way to accepted enterprise-wide definitions and understanding.
  • Multiple data standardization initiatives need to be co-ordinated.
  • Functional data administration responsibilities must be assigned.
Principle 14:
Data Security
Statement:
Data is protected from unauthorized use and disclosure. In addition to the traditional aspects of national security classification, this includes, but is not limited to, protection of pre-decisional, sensitive, source selection-sensitive, and proprietary information.
Rationale:
Open sharing of information and the release of information via relevant legislation must be balanced against the need to restrict the availability of classified, proprietary, and sensitive information.Existing laws and regulations require the safeguarding of national security and the privacy of data, while permitting free and open access. Pre-decisional (work-in-progress, not yet authorized for release) information must be protected to avoid unwarranted speculation, misinterpretation, and inappropriate use.

Implications:
  • Aggregation of data, both classified and not, will create a large target requiring review and de-classification procedures to maintain appropriate control. Data owners and/or functional users must determine whether the aggregation results in an increased classification level. We will need appropriate policy and procedures to handle this review and de-classification. Access to information based on a need-to-know policy will force regular reviews of the body of information.
  • The current practice of having separate systems to contain different classifications needs to be rethought. Is there a software solution to separating classified and unclassified data? The current hardware solution is unwieldy, inefficient, and costly. It is more expensive to manage unclassified data on a classified system. Currently, the only way to combine the two is to place the unclassified data on the classified system, where it must remain.
  • In order to adequately provide access to open information while maintaining secure information, security needs must be identified and developed at the data level, not the application level.
  • Data security safeguards can be put in place to restrict access to “view only”, or “never see”. Sensitivity labeling for access to pre-decisional, decisional, classified, sensitive, or proprietary information must be determined.
  • Security must be designed into data elements from the beginning; it cannot be added later. Systems, data, and technologies must be protected from unauthorized access and manipulation. Headquarters information must be safeguarded against inadvertent or unauthorized alteration, sabotage, disaster, or disclosure.
  • Need new policies on managing duration of protection for pre-decisional information and other works-in-progress, in consideration of content freshness.

Application Principles

Principle 15:
Technology Independence
Statement:
Applications are independent of specific technology choices and therefore can operate on a variety of technology platforms.
Rationale:
Independence of applications from the underlying technology allows applications to be developed, upgraded, and operated in the most cost-effective and timely way. Otherwise technology, which is subject to continual obsolescence and vendor dependence, becomes the driver rather than the user requirements themselves.Realizing that every decision made with respect to IT makes us dependent on that technology, the intent of this principle is to ensure that Application Software is not dependent on specific hardware and operating systems software.

Implications:
  • This principle will require standards which support portability.
  • For Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and Government Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) applications, there may be limited current choices, as many of these applications are technology and platform-dependent.
  • Application Program Interfaces (APIs) will need to be developed to enable legacy applications to interoperate with applications and operating environments developed under the enterprise architecture.
  • Middleware should be used to decouple applications from specific software solutions.
  • As an example, this principle could lead to use of Java, and future Java-like protocols, which give a high degree of priority to platform-independence.
Principle 16:
Ease-of-Use
Statement:
Applications are easy to use. The underlying technology is transparent to users, so they can concentrate on tasks at hand.
Rationale:
The more a user has to understand the underlying technology, the less productive that user is. Ease-of-use is a positive incentive for use of applications. It encourages users to work within the integrated information environment instead of developing isolated systems to accomplish the task outside of the enterprise’s integrated information environment. Most of the knowledge required to operate one system will be similar to others. Training is kept to a minimum, and the risk of using a system improperly is low.Using an application should be as intuitive as driving a different car.

Implications:
  • Applications will be required to have a common “look and feel” and support ergonomic requirements. Hence, the common look and feel standard must be designed and usability test criteria must be developed.
  • Guidelines for user interfaces should not be constrained by narrow assumptions about user location, language, systems training, or physical capability. Factors such as linguistics, customer physical infirmities (visual acuity, ability to use keyboard/mouse), and proficiency in the use of technology have broad ramifications in determining the ease-of-use of an application.

Technology Principles

Principle 17:
Requirements-Based Change
Statement:
Only in response to business needs are changes to applications and technology made.
Rationale:
This principle will foster an atmosphere where the information environment changes in response to the needs of the business, rather than having the business change in response to IT changes. This is to ensure that the purpose of the information support – the transaction of business – is the basis for any proposed change. Unintended effects on business due to IT changes will be minimized. A change in technology may provide an opportunity to improve the business process and, hence, change business needs.
Implications:
  • Changes in implementation will follow full examination of the proposed changes using the enterprise architecture.
  • We don’t fund a technical improvement or system development unless a documented business need exists.
  • Change management processes conforming to this principle will be developed and implemented.
  • This principle may bump up against the responsive change principle. We must ensure the requirements documentation process does not hinder responsive change to meet legitimate business needs. The purpose of this principle is to keep us focused on business, not technology needs – responsive change is also a business need.
Principle 18:
Responsive Change Management
Statement:
Changes to the enterprise information environment are implemented in a timely manner.
Rationale:
If people are to be expected to work within the enterprise information environment, that information environment must be responsive to their needs.
Implications:
  • We have to develop processes for managing and implementing change that do not create delays.
  • A user who feels a need for change will need to connect with a “business expert” to facilitate explanation and implementation of that need.
  • If we are going to make changes, we must keep the architectures updated.
  • Adopting this principle might require additional resources.
  • This will conflict with other principles (e.g., maximum enterprise-wide benefit, enterprise-wide applications, etc.).
Principle 19:
Control Technical Diversity
Statement:
Technological diversity is controlled to minimize the non-trivial cost of maintaining expertise in and connectivity between multiple processing environments.
Rationale:
There is a real, non-trivial cost of infrastructure required to support alternative technologies for processing environments. There are further infrastructure costs incurred to keep multiple processor constructs interconnected and maintained.Limiting the number of supported components will simplify maintainability and reduce costs.

The business advantages of minimum technical diversity include: standard packaging of components; predictable implementation impact; predictable valuations and returns; redefined testing; utility status; and increased flexibility to accommodate technological advancements. Common technology across the enterprise brings the benefits of economies of scale to the enterprise. Technical administration and support costs are better controlled when limited resources can focus on this shared set of technology.

Implications:
  • Policies, standards, and procedures that govern acquisition of technology must be tied directly to this principle.
  • Technology choices will be constrained by the choices available within the technology blueprint. Procedures for augmenting the acceptable technology set to meet evolving requirements will have to be developed and emplaced.
  • We are not freezing our technology baseline. We welcome technology advances and will change the technology blueprint when compatibility with the current infrastructure, improvement in operational efficiency, or a required capability has been demonstrated.
Principle 20:
Interoperability
Statement:
Software and hardware should conform to defined standards that promote interoperability for data, applications, and technology.
Rationale:
Standards help ensure consistency, thus improving the ability to manage systems and improve user satisfaction, and protect existing IT investments, thus maximizing return on investment and reducing costs. Standards for interoperability additionally help ensure support from multiple vendors for their products, and facilitate supply chain integration.
Implications:
  • Interoperability standards and industry standards will be followed unless there is a compelling business reason to implement a non-standard solution.
  • A process for setting standards, reviewing and revising them periodically, and granting exceptions must be established.
  • The existing IT platforms must be identified and documented.

 

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What is ISO 27001?

ISO/IEC 27001 formally specifies a management system that is intended to bring information security under explicit management control. Being a formal specification means that it mandates specific requirements. Organisations that claim to have adopted ISO/IEC 27001 can therefore be formally audited and certified compliant with the standard. ISO/IEC 27001 requires that management:

  • Systematically examines the organisation’s information security risks, taking account of the threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts.
  • Designs and implements a coherent and comprehensive suite of information security controls and/or other forms of risk treatment (such as risk avoidance or risk transfer) to address those risks that are deemed unacceptable.
  • Adopts an overarching management process to ensure that the information security controls continue to meet the organisation’s information security needs on an on-going basis.

Why is ISO 27001 so important and what business benefits does it offer?

The business benefits from ISO 27001 certification are considerable. Not only do the standards help ensure that a business’ security risks are managed cost-effectively, but the adherence to the recognised standards sends a valuable and important message to customers and business partners: this business does things the correct way. ISO 27001 is invaluable for monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and improving a company’s information security management system and will unquestionably give partner organisations and customers greater confidence in the way they interact with your business.

The benefits

  • ISO 27001 is the de facto international standard for Information Security Management
  • It demonstrates a clear commitment to Information Security Management to third parties and stakeholders
  • It can provide a framework to ensure the fulfilment of commercial, contractual and legal responsibilities
  • It provides a significant competitive advantage, and can effectively be a license to trade with companies in certain regulated sectors
  • It provides for inter-operability between organisations or groups within an organisation
  • It can provide compliance with, or certification against, a recognised external standard which can often be used by management to demonstrate due diligence.
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Tips for Implementing ITIL

ITIL is a widely accepted approach to IT service management and provides a set of best practices drawn from the public and private sectors internationally. Here’s how to make it work for you.

Short for IT Infrastructure Library, ITIL is an infrastructure library, initially developed in the U.K. ITIL is a widely accepted approach to IT service management and provides a cohesive set of best practices drawn from the public and private sectors internationally. It’s supported by a comprehensive qualifications scheme, accredited training organizations, and implementation and assessment tools.

The management and control of the IT infrastructure is a critical function and improved service delivery and service support processes will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of operational delivery.  The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a widely accepted industry framework that adopts a process driven approach to developing operationally excellent IT service support and service delivery processes. The benefits of implementing globally consistent, ITIL-based processes include:

  • Improved availability, reliability and security of IT services.
  • Increased IT project delivery efficiency.
  • Reduced TCO of IT infrastructure assets and IT applications.
  • Improved resource utilization including decreased levels of rework and elimination of redundant activities.
  • Provisioning of services that meet business, customer and user demands, with justifiable costs of service quality.
  • More effective and better third-party relationships and contracts

While ITIL process improvement and standardization promises to greatly upgrade service and yield cost savings, success is not guaranteed. There are, in fact, some common misconceptions or myths that could lead an organization astray.

Since the ITIL framework provides only the necessary guidance on process structure, many CIOs are not seeing the improvements they expected — despite heavy investment in ITIL. ITIL deployment should be set within the context of a business or IT change program and as such, is more than a simple set of processes that can be rolled out and uncompromisingly followed. Any IT change program will encompass organizational, process and technology elements.

Here are ten tips CIOs and program directors can use to approach effective ITIL implementation with confidence:

Organization

1.  Approach ITIL implementation as part of the IT-wide strategy, and use it to guide all other strategic initiatives.
ITIL process implementation has significant IT-wide impacts; it is not an isolated initiative. To avoid both resource and programming constraints, implementation must be aligned with other global and regional programs, IT initiatives and sourcing or supplier initiatives.  A portfolio management approach should be taken to understand the alignment and priorities of all initiatives in addition to the overall benefits to the organization.

2.  Consider the post-ITIL organization before completing the process design.
Introducing ITIL-based processes generates requirements for new functions and roles, which could impact the current service management structure. Prior to completing process design, understand the roles and functions required to support the processes; giving specific consideration to the supplier/internal resource split.  Consideration must also be given to the governance structure needed to guide and support the new IT organization. Establishing a transformation program ensures that the structure from which to hang ITIL is secured and operational prior to process implementation.

3.  Engage, engage, engage. Continuous communication is required at all levels of the organization.
Implementing ITIL impacts the full spectrum of the organization’s employees. Because of this, it is critical to understand the impact at each level within the organization and the value each brings to the program. Subsequently, engagement, communications and training are absolutely key to success; from the initial engagement of senior stakeholders to the manager-level ITIL training of new global process owners.

4.  Set realistic expectations about benefits realization and establish a baseline from which to monitor improvements.
Change within any organization takes time to be accepted and implementing ITIL is no different. Implementation of ITIL focuses on improving customer service and as the processes mature the subsequent ROI will be recognized.

To determine the end result, focus the strategy and focus communications on improving service quality and establishing an early baseline of key performance indicators (KPIs) from which to monitor improvements. The chosen KPIs and their associated benefits should be business-focused and clearly understood so that effort is not wasted on measuring and interpreting superfluous data.

5.  Engage existing suppliers early.
Existing suppliers and any subsequent SLAs will be affected by the implementation of ITIL. The strategy for handling third-party engagement and establishing a robust communications plan must be clearly defined, with priorities focused on the desired supplier landscape.

Early engagement with procurement and legal departments will help to support and address the ripple effect that occurs right through to existing contracts and SLAs upon implementing the new processes. An end-to-end SLA will also be ultimately required to support the operation of the new processes.

Process

6.  Identify and deliver the quick wins.
It’s “old” advice, but it remains fundamentally important to ensure that the organization achieves, communicates (and celebrates) early successes. Such an approach buys time for the process implementation and will help to gain the much-needed stakeholder engagement across the organization. Experience suggests that failure to achieve these successes will typically double the resistance to the change and halve the support within six months.

7.  Maximum benefit can be only achieved if the impact each process has on another is understood.
The ITIL framework is comprised of ten service management processes and one service management function. Every ITIL process supports, interfaces and integrates with at least one other process.

For effective development and deployment the relationship, impact and interdependencies across the ITIL framework must be clearly defined and understood. The close integration and understanding of the processes allows for the continual flow of up-to-date, critical and accurate information that in turn enables management to drill down and identify target areas for service improvement.

8. Prioritize process selection based on current maturity; don’t bite off more than you can chew.
It’s important to take a holistic view to ITIL implementation, however. It’s not imperative to implement all processes concurrently in order to realize operational improvements and a significant ROI.  Implementation of individual processes or the prescribed combination of processes can deliver the desired operational improvements. Processes should be selected based on the benefits sought by the organization and the ones that drive the most business value.

9.  Use success as a springboard for further improvement.
Implementing ITIL is a strategic commitment and will take many months to fully implement. During this time many different parts of the IT organization will be required to change.

In this sort of environment, it’s important to also implement a program of continuous improvement (e.g. a “plan, do, check, react” cycle). First this will ensure that improvement is actually delivered as expected and, second, it will help to build further improvement rather than assuming the job is done and risk slipping back in to old behaviors.

Technology

10. Combine process and tool activities from day one as part of a single solution approach.
Implementing a service management tool will support the streamlined processes, automate tasks and manage and distribute information. Knowledge management (e.g., the re-use and integration of information) is a critical component of the service management tool. Integrating data control processes with the tool will ensure that information is current and continues to add value to the service management processes.

Implementing ITIL is not just about evaluating and revising processes, it’s about change: changing the way people work and are rewarded; changing technology platforms; and changing behaviors across an entire organization.

 

Ref: www.webopedia.com