ITSM Newsletter Volume 2 - February, 2003

Preface
Last month we discussed in detail several important areas of IT Service Management that included an ITSM service provisioning model, multiple entry points into the model, and various critical areas such as Change, Configuration, and Service Level Management. We also looked at the important role of the ITSM Manager. Specifically, we looked at the Activities and Roles, Responsibilities, and Activities for this role.

We closed out last year with some reflections and a presentation of a new ITSM solution methodology called Enterprise Infrastructure Architecture.

This month I would like to present a concept called ITSM Managed Services. In essence, this is a solution offering that is part in-sourcing and part out-sourcing that if done in the correct proportions and fashion can be a "win-win" for both the ITSM Managed Services Provider and the customer.

Introduction
This newsletter proposes a methodology for qualifying and delivering IT Service Management Managed Services. The methodology was developed from experiences of assessment, planning, architect and designing, implementation, and support of varied and various ITSM solution services delivered to a number ITSM customers worldwide, and it's applicability to a majority of other enterprise wide IT service management requirements and opportunities.

What is a Managed Service?
Most IT Service Management consulting firms that provide ITSM solution services are by nature either IT, Business, or hardware and/or software vendor consulting organizations. RL Information Consulting LLC is an example.

These organizations have built an enviable reputation over a number of years that is unique in the market place, based upon the supply of quality IT products and solution services.

Oftentimes these organizations are known for their business, organization, strategic, as well as technical expertise and responsiveness in supporting their customers and solving business and IT related problems. Further, in support of this, many organizations have a global IT support infrastructure with access to hundreds of IT specialists, worldwide.

Conversely, each of the customers has a distinct business to run, be it Health, Government, Retail, Finance, Transport, etc. The critical factor here is that these customers are not IT companies, they do however use IT to automate and augment their business processes.

The proposition is therefore to let IT Service Management consulting firms that provide ITSM solution services manage the IT infrastructure and service management functions, and enable the customer to free up their staff for more valuable business related work. Additional customer benefits accrue in the form of predictable costs, the potential for service improvements, guaranteed service levels, and minimum management effort.

In summary then, a Managed Service is:
   • A component (or components) of the customer IT service.
   • Managed by an IT service management provider on behalf of the customer.
   • Delivered on the customer premises.
   • Supported by a traditional combination in-sourced customer and out-sourced consulting vendor support.

The Scope of an ITSM Managed Service
A typical ITSM Managed Service could embrace those elements of the IT infrastructure that are non-business related, and do not require knowledge of the business which the IT service is supporting. The current focus includes all areas that generally are ITSM implementation tasks and/or come under the heading of "technical support", such as change management, incident management, software installation, customization, maintenance, distribution, support, and problem determination, and associated tasks such as capacity planning, performance management, disk space management, and hardware installation planning.

Within the past several years an ever-increasing amount of ITSM opportunities within the United States, North America, and across the world have shown that there is a viable market for such a service to customers, and one that many customers who know and value ITSM subject matter expertise consulting firms, have expressed interest in.

The benefits to the customer are that they can focus on their primary business and not the business of managing IT and the associated costs and the benefits to the ITSM consulting firm include providing the highest quality solutions and the most effective costs to its customers thereby meeting their requirements.

An ITSM Managed Service is not a "product" - it is uniquely customized solution set of services for every customer. ITSM consulting firms will always be flexible enough to meet and exceed unique customer needs and requirements and to react to requirements as they change.

A critical key to success of ITSM Managed Services is to build upon the subject matter expertise successes of solution services that address in some greater or lesser varying degree ITSM customer requirements. In addition there is a need to leverage subject matter expertise resources and skills to meet the customer's requirements, based upon a common methodology for qualifying and delivering Managed Services that maximizes the use of the customer's personnel and the ITSM consulting firm's knowledge base.

RL Consulting Announces New ITSM Tools and Workshops

Utilizing SolutionMethod™ proprietary questions and evaluation processes, RL Consulting employs 3 automated tools; ITSM Assessment Worksheet, ITSM ROI Worksheet, and ITSM Implementation Readiness Worksheet.

1, 2, and 3 Day ITSM Workshops that offer a broad range of training beginning with Management level, through Strategy and Planning, to Implementation.

To Learn More About These Tools and Workshops and How They Can Help You - Click Here -

The ITSM Managed Service Methodology
The following is a partial list of critical success factors for an ITSM Managed Service:
   • The ITSM Managed Services provider has prime responsibility for the development best practice processes
   • The ITSM Managed Services provider has prime responsibility for the project management
   • The ITSM Managed Services provider has prime responsibility for knowledge management of the best practice processes
   • The ITSM Managed Services provider has prime responsibility for the analysis and planning aspects of ITSM
   • The customer has prime responsibility for the implementation and support aspects of ITSM
   • The ITSM Managed Services provider project manager and the customer project manager work closely in the joint assessment, architecture, design, planning, implementation, and support of the ITSM effort
   • The ITSM effort is driven by unique customer requirements and needs

Summary
In summary, there is a significant need for ITSM Managed Services. In particular, managing the ITSM service delivery and support function and technical support operation for customers allows such business to focus their skills on their own core competencies.

IT Service Management consulting firms, such as RL Information Consulting LLC, as specialists ITIL/ITSM and infrastructure projects can, and do, offer such a solution set services based upon their own traditional skills. Recent studies and reports have highlighted the growth in various forms of outsourcing, although many customers will be just as keen to avoid full outsourcing and could possibly envision a in-house ITSM Managed Service for selected work areas as a preferable alternative. The ITSM Managed Service offering presented here is differentiated on this basis - a blend of in-sourcing and out-sourcing that maximizes the expertise of both the ITSM consulting subject matter expertise and the customer on-staff workforce.

Is Your Company Triple "A" Rated?
   • Aware - Of internal and external factors that could impact your business
   • Adaptable - To change the focus of your company's resources and expertise depending on changes in internal and external factors
   • Agile - To focus your company's resources and expertise effectively and efficiently in the quickest manner possible

What if you could do this proactively?

RL Consulting Introduces:
The Proactive Business Model, Realization of Benefits,
SAGA Business Strategy, and Enterprise Infrastructure Architecture

Leveraging Knowledge Management to Optimize Decision Support Systems Proactively
One step beyond IT Service Management,
One Generation beyond Information Systems
Downloads
White Papers:
   » SLA Description and Templates
   » Consolidation Questionnaires
   » Service Continuity Methods
   » Project Management Practices
   » Developing a Communication Plan
   » Data Management Process
   » Proactive Business Model
   » Realization of Benefits
   » SAGA Business Strategy
   » Enterprise Infrastructure Architecture

Service Briefs:
   » ITSM Maturity Assessment
   » Incident and Problem Management
   » Service Continuity
   » Configuration and Change Management
   » Service Level Management
   » Capacity Management
   » Availability Management
   » Release Management

- Click Here -

Additional Information
Visit www.itsm.info to learn about ITSM, IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), and SolutionMethod™ (a Policy Based ITSM Approach). In addition, you can download free and informative white papers, questionnaires, and service briefs. This includes more in-depth information on the topics presented in this newsletter.

To learn how RL Consulting can assist in achieving IT Service Management goals and our full range of solutions:
Contact us at RL_Consulting@ITSM.info or phone us at 602-996-6830

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Volume 2 - February, 2003
This newsletter and the information contained herein is maintained by Rick Leopoldi and property of RL Information Consulting LLC.