IT Systems Management

Good Customer Service ... 64 The Four Cardinal Sins that Undermine Good Customer Service . . 68 Summary... 70 Test Your Understanding ... 71 Suggested Further Readings ... 71 Chapter 5 Ethics, Legislation, and Outsourcing... 73 Introduction ... 73 Ethics ... 74 The RadioShack Case ...76 The Tyco Case ...76 The WorldCom Case ...77 The Enron Case ...79 Legislation... 81 Sarbanes-Oxley Act ...82 Graham-Leach-Bliley Act ...83 California Senate Bill 1386 ...84 Outsourcing ... 84 Summary... 85 Test Your Understanding ... 87 Suggested Further Readings ... 87 Chapter 6 Comparison to ITIL Processes... 89 Introduction ... 89 Developments Leading Up To ITIL... 90 IT Service Management ... 91 The Origins of ITIL... 92 Quality Approach and Standards ...97 Criteria to Differentiate Infrastructure Processes... 98 Comparison of Infrastructure Processes... 100 Ten Common Myths Concerning the Implementation of ITIL ... 102 Myth #1: You Must Implement All ITIL or No ITIL at All ...102 Myth #2: ITIL is Based on Infrastructure Management Principles ...103 Myth #3: ITIL Applies Mostly to Data Center Operations ...103 Myth #4: Everyone Needs to be Trained on ITIL Fundamentals ...104 Myth #5: Full Understanding of ITIL Requires Purchase of Library ...104 Myth #6: ITIL Processes Should be Implemented Only One at a Time ...105 Myth #7: ITIL Provides Detailed Templates for Implementation ...105 Myth #8: ITIL Framework Applies Only to Large Shops ...106 Myth #9: ITIL Recommends Tools to Use for Implementation ...106 Myth #10: There Is Little Need to Understand ITIL Origins ...106 Summary... 107 Test Your Understanding ... 108 Suggested Further Readings ... 108 Chapter 7 Availability ... 109 Introduction ... 109 Definition of Availability ... 109 Differentiating Availability from Uptime ... 110 Differentiating Slow Response from Downtime ... 112 Differentiating Availability from High Availability ... 114 Desired Traits of an Availability Process Owner ... 115 Methods for Measuring Availability ... 116 The Seven Rs of High Availability ... 120 Redundancy ...121 Reputation ...122 Reliability ...123 Repairability ...125 Recoverability ...125 Responsiveness ...126 Robustness ...126 Assessing an Infrastructure's Availability Process ... 127 Measuring and Streamlining the Availability Process ... 131 Summary... 132 Test Your Understanding ... 133 Suggested Further Readings ... 133 Chapter 8 Performance and Tuning ... 135 Introduction ... 135 Differences between the Performance and Tuning Process and Other Infrastructure Processes ... 136 Definition of Performance and Tuning ... 138 Preferred Characteristics of a Performance and Tuning Process Owner ... 139 Performance and Tuning Applied to the Five Major Resource Environments... 141 Server Environment ...141 Disk Storage Environment ...143 Database Environment ...147 Network Environment ...151 Desktop Computer Environment ...152 Assessing an Infrastructure's Performance and Tuning Process ... 155 Measuring and Streamlining the Performance and Tuning Process ... 158 Summary... 158 Test Your Understanding ... 159 Suggested Further Readings ... 159 Chapter 9 Production Acceptance... 161 Introduction ... 161 Definition of Production Acceptance ... 161 The Benefits of a Production Acceptance Process ... 162 Implementing a Production Acceptance Process ... 164 Step 1: Identify an Executive Sponsor ...164 Step 2: Select a Process Owner ...165 Step 3: Solicit Executive Support ...166 Step 4: Assemble a Production Acceptance Team ...166 Step 5: Identify and Prioritize Requirements ...167 Step 6: Develop Policy Statements ...168 Step 7: Nominate a Pilot System ...169 Step 8: Design Appropriate Forms ...169 Step 9: Document the Procedures ...170 Step 10: Execute the Pilot System ...170 Step 11: Conduct a Lessons-Learned Session ...174 Step 12: Revise Policies, Procedures, and Forms ...174 Step 13: Formulate Marketing Strategy ...174 Step 14: Follow-up for Ongoing Enforcement and Improvements ...174 Full Deployment of a New Application ... 175 Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications ... 176 Distinguishing Production Acceptance from Change Management ... 176 Case Study: Assessing the Production Acceptance Process at Seven Diverse Companies... 177 The Seven Companies Selected ...177 Selected Companies Comparison in Summary ...198 Summary... 202 Test Your Understanding ... 203 Suggested Further Readings ... 203 Chapter 10 Change Management ... 205 Introduction ... 205 Definition of Change Management ... 205 Drawbacks of Most Change Management Processes ... 207 Key Steps Required in Developing a Change Management Process ... 209 Step 1: Identify an Executive Sponsor ...209 Step 2: Assign a Process Owner ...210 Step 3: Select a Cross-Functional Process Design Team ...211 Step 4: Arrange for Meetings of the Cross-Functional Process Design Team ...211 Step 5: Establish Roles and Responsibilities for Members Supporting the Process Design Team ...211 Step 6: Identify the Benefits of a Change Management Process ...212 Step 7: If Change Metrics Exist, Collect and Analyze them; If Not, Set Up a Process to Do So ...213 Step 8: Identify and Prioritize Requirements ...213 Step 9: Develop Definitions of Key Terms ...215 Step 10: Design the Initial Change Management Process ...216 Step 11: Develop Policy Statements ...221 Step 12: Develop a Charter for a Change Advisory Board (CAB) ...222 Step 13: Use the CAB to Continually Refine and Improve the Change Management Process ...223 Emergency Changes Metric ... 223 Assessing an Infrastructure's Change Management Process ... 224 Measuring and Streamlining the Change Management Process ... 228 Summary... 228 Test Your Understanding ... 229 Suggested Further Readings ... 229 Chapter 11 Problem Management... 231 Introduction ... 231 Definition of Problem Management ... 231 Scope of Problem Management ... 232 Distinguishing Between Problem, Change, and Request Management ... 233 Distinguishing Between Problem Management and Incident Management ... 235 The Role of the Service Desk... 236 Segregating and Integrating Service Desks ... 237 Key Steps to Developing a Problem Management Process ... 239 Step 1: Select an Executive Sponsor ...239 Step 2: Assign a Process Owner ...240 Step 3: Assemble a Cross-Functional Team ...241 Step 4: Identify and Prioritize Requirements ...241 Step 5: Establish a Priority and Escalation Scheme ...243 Step 6: Identify Alternative Call-Tracking Tools ...243 Step 7: Negotiate Service Levels ...243 Step 8: Develop Service and Process Metrics ...245 Step 9: Design the Call-Handling Process ...245 Step 10: Evaluate, Select, and Implement the Call-Tracking Tool ...245 Step 11: Review Metrics to Continually Improve the Process ...246 Opening and Closing Problems ... 246 Client Issues with Problem Management ... 247 Assessing an Infrastructure's Problem Management Process ...249 Measuring and Streamlining the Problem Management Process ...252 Summary... 252 Test Your Understanding ... 254 Suggested Further Readings ... 254 Chapter 12 Storage Management ... 255 Introduction ... 255 Definition of Storage Management... 256 Desired Traits of a Storage Management Process Owner ... 256 Storage Management Capacity ... 258 Storage Management Performance ... 261 Storage Management Reliability... 263 Storage Management Recoverability ... 267 Assessing an Infrastructure's Storage Management Process ... 271 Measuring and Streamlining the Storage Management Process ... 274 Summary... 274 Test Your Understanding ... 276 Suggested Further Readings ... 276 Chapter 13 Network Management... 277 Introduction ... 277 Definition of Network Management ... 277 Key Decisions about Network Management ... 278 What Will Be Managed by This Process? ...278 Who Will Manage It? ...279 How Much Authority Will This Person Be Given? ...281 What Types of Tools and Support Will Be Provided? ...283 To What Extent Will Other Processes Be Integrated With This Process? ...284 What Levels of Service and Quality Will Be Expected? ...284 Assessing an Infrastructure's Network Management Process ... 285 Measuring and Streamlining the Network Management Process ... 288 Summary... 288 Test Your Understanding ... 289 Suggested Further Readings ... 289 Chapter 14 Configuration Management ... 291 Introduction ... 291 Definition of Configuration Management... 292 Practical Tips for Improving Configuration Management ... 293 1. Select a Qualified Process Owner ...293 2. Acquire the Assistance of a Technical Writer or a Documentation Analyst ...294 3. Match the Backgrounds of Writers to Technicians ...295 4. Evaluate the Quality and Value of Existing Configuration Documentation ...295 5. Involve Appropriate Hardware Suppliers ...296 6. Involve Appropriate Software Suppliers ...296 7. Coordinate Documentation Efforts in Advance of Major Hardware and Software Upgrades ...297 8. Involve the Asset-Management Group for Desktop Equipment Inventories ...297 Assessing an Infrastructure's Configuration Management Process ... 298 Measuring and Streamlining the Configuration Management Process ... 301 Summary... 301 Test Your Understanding ... 302 Suggested Further Readings ... 302 Chapter 15 Capacity Planning ... 303 Introduction ... 303 Definition of Capacity Planning... 303 Why Capacity Planning Is Seldom Done Well ... 304 1. Analysts Are Too Busy with Day-To-Day Activities ...305 2. Users Are Not Interested in Predicting Future Workloads ...305 3. Users Who Are Interested Cannot Forecast Accurately ...306 4. Capacity Planners May Be Reluctant to Use Effective Measuring Tools ...306 5. Corporate or IT Directions May Change From Year to Year ...306 6. Planning Is Typically Not Part of an Infrastructure Culture ...306 7. Managers Sometimes Confuse Capacity Management with Capacity Planning ...307 How to Develop an Effective Capacity Planning Process ... 307 Step 1: Select an Appropriate Capacity Planning Process Owner ...308 Step 2: Identify the Key Resources to be Measured ...309 Step 3: Measure the Utilizations or Performance of the Resources ...309 Step 4: Compare Utilizations to Maximum Capacities ...310 Step 5: Collect Workload Forecasts from Developers and Users ...310 Step 6: Transform Workload Forecasts into IT Resource Requirements ...312 Step 7: Map Requirements onto Existing Utilizations ...312 Step 8: Predict When the Shop Will Be Out of Capacity ...312 Step 9: Update Forecasts and Utilizations ...312 Additional Benefits of Capacity Planning ... 312 1. Strengthens Relationships with Developers and End-Users ...313 2. Improves Communications with Suppliers ...313 3. Encourages Collaboration with Other Infrastructure Groups ...313 4. Promotes a Culture of Strategic Planning as Opposed to Tactical Firefighting ...314 Helpful Hints for Effective Capacity Planning ... 314 1. Start Small ...314 2. Speak the Language of Your Customers ...315 3. Consider Future Platforms ...315 4. Share Plans with Suppliers ...315 5. Anticipate Nonlinear Cost Ratios ...315 6. Plan for Occasional Workload Reductions ...316 7. Prepare for the Turnover of Personnel ...316 8. Strive to Continually Improve the Process ...316 9. Evaluate the Hidden Costs of Upgrades ...316 Uncovering the Hidden Costs of Upgrades ... 316 1. Hardware Maintenance ...317 2. Technical Support ...317 3. Software Maintenance ...317 4. Memory Upgrades ...317 5. Channel Upgrades ...318 6. Cache Upgrades ...318 7. Data Backup Time ...318 8. Operations Support ...318 9. Offsite Storage ...318 10. Network Hardware ...318 11. Network Support ...319 12. Floor Space ...319 13. Power and Air Conditioning ...319 Assessing an Infrastructure's Capacity Planning Process ... 319 Measuring and Streamlining the Capacity Planning Process ... 322 Summary... 322 Test Your Understanding ... 323 Suggested Further Readings ... 323 Chapter 16 Strategic Security... 325 Introduction ... 325 Definition of Strategic Security... 326 Developing a Strategic Security Process ... 326 Step 1: Identify an Executive Sponsor ...327 Step 2: Select a Security Process Owner ...327 Step 3: Define Goals of Strategic Security ...328 Step 4: Establish Review Boards ...328 Step 5: Identify, Categorize, and Prioritize Requirements ...328 Step 6: Inventory Current State of Security ...331 Step 7: Establish Security Organization ...331 Step 8: Develop Security Policies ...331 Step 9: Assemble Planning Teams ...335 Step 10: Review and Approve Plans ...335 Step 11: Evaluate Technical Feasibility of Plans ...335 Step 12: Assign and Schedule the Implementation of Plans ...335 Assessing an Infrastructure's Strategic Security Process ... 336 Measuring and Streamlining the Security Process ... 339 Summary... 339 Test Your Understanding ... 340 Suggested Further Readings ... 340 Chapter 17 Business Continuity ... 341 Introduction ... 341 Definition of Business Continuity ... 342 Case Study: Disaster at the Movie Studio ... 342 Three Important Lessons Learned from the Case Study ...343 Steps to Developing an Effective Business Continuity Process ... 344 Step 1: Acquire Executive Support ...345 Step 2: Select a Process Owner ...346 Step 3: Assemble a Cross-Functional Team ...347 Step 4: Conduct a Business Impact Analysis ...348 Step 5: Identify and Prioritize Requirements ...348 Step 6: Assess Possible Business Continuity Recovery Strategies ...348 Step 7: Develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Outside Services ...349 Step 8: Evaluate Proposals and Select the Best Offering ...349 Step 9: Choose Participants and Clarify Their Roles on the Recovery Team ...349 Step 10: Document the Business Continuity Plan ...349 Step 11: Plan and Execute Regularly Scheduled Tests of the Plan ...350 Step 12: Conduct a Lessons-Learned Postmortem after Each Test ...350 Step 13: Continually Maintain, Update, and Improve the Plan ...350 Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans... 351 Assessing an Infrastructure's Disaster Recovery Process... 353 Measuring and Streamlining the Disaster Recovery Process... 356 Summary... 356 Test Your Understanding ... 357 Suggested Further Readings ... 357 Chapter 18 Facilities Management ... 359 Introduction ... 359 Definition of Facilities Management ... 359 Major Elements of Facilities Management... 360 The Facilities Management Process Owner ... 362 Determining the Scope of Responsibilities of a Facilities Management Process Owner ...363 Desired Traits of a Facilities Management Process Owner ...363 Evaluating the Physical Environment... 365 Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center ...366 Keeping Physical Layouts Efficient and Effective ...366 Tips to Improve the Facilities Management Process... 367 Facilities Management at Outsourcing Centers ... 369 Assessing an Infrastructure's Facilities Management Process . . 369 Measuring and Streamlining the Facilities Management Process ... 372 Summary... 372 Test Your Understanding ... 373 Suggested Further Readings ... 373 Chapter 19 Developing Robust Processes ... 375 Introduction ... 375 What Contributes to a World-Class Infrastructure... 375 1. Executive Support ...376 2. Meaningful Metrics Analyzed ...377 3. Proactive Approach ...378 4. Call Management ...379 5. Employee Empowerment ...379 6. Well-Developed Standards ...379 7. Well-Trained Employees ...380 8. Well-Equipped Employees ...380 9. Robust Processes ...380 10. Effective Use of Technology ...381 11. Integrated Systems Management Functions ...381 Characteristics of a Robust Process... 381 1. Process Objective Is Identified ...382 2. Executive Sponsor Is Identified and Involved ...382 3. Process Owner Is Identified and Given Responsibility for and Authority Over the Process ...382 4. Key Customers Are Identified and Involved ...383 5. Secondary Customers Are Identified and Consulted ...383 6. Process Suppliers Are Identified and Involved ...383 7. Process Outputs Are Identified ...383 8. Process Inputs Are Identified ...384 9. Process Is Described by a Sound Business Model ...384 10. Process Hierarchy Is Understood ...384 11. Execution Is Enforceable ...384 12. Process Is Designed to Provide Service Metrics ...384 13. Service Metrics Are Compiled and Analyzed, Not Just Collected ...385 14. Process Is Designed to Provide Process Metrics ...385 15. Process Metrics Are Compiled and Analyzed, Not Just Collected ...386 16. Documentation Is Thorough, Accurate, and Easily Understood ...386 17. Process Contains All Required Value-Added Steps ...387 18. Process Eliminates All Non-Value-Added Steps ...387 19. Process Guarantees Accountability ...388 20. Process Provides Incentives for Compliance and Penalties for Avoidance or Circumvention ...388 21. Process Is Standardized Across all Appropriate Departments and Remote Sites ...388 22. Process Is Streamlined as Much as Possible and Practical ...389 23. Process Is Automated Wherever Practical, but Only after Streamlining ...389 24. Process Integrates with all Other Appropriate Processes ...389 Understanding the Differences Between a Formal Process and an Informal Process ... 390 Helpful Ground Rules for Brainstorming ... 390 Methods for Prioritizing Requirements ... 391 Summary... 393 Test Your Understanding ... 394 Suggested Further Readings ... 394 Chapter 20 Using Technology to Automate and Evaluate Robust Processes ... 395 Introduction ... 395 Automating Robust Processes ... 395 Evaluating an Infrastructure Process ... 398 Evaluating Process Documentation ... 401 Benefits of the Methodology to Evaluate Process Documentation ... 404 Summary... 413 Test Your Understanding ... 414 Suggested Further Readings ... 414 Chapter 21 Integrating Systems Management Processes . . 415 Introduction ... 415 Distinguishing Strategic Processes from Tactical Processes ... 415 Identifying Strategic Processes ...416 Identifying Tactical Processes ...417 The Value of Distinguishing Strategic from Tactical Processes ...418 Relationships Between Strategic and Tactical Processes ... 418 Difficulties with Integrating Solely Tactical Processes ...420 Difficulties with Integrating Solely Strategic Processes ...421 Difficulties with Integrating Tactical and Strategic Processes ...421 Examining the Integrated Relationships Between Strategic and Tactical Processes ... 423 Significance of Systems Management Process Relationships... 428 Summary... 430 Test Your Understanding ... 431 Suggested Further Readings ... 431 Chapter 22 Special Considerations for Client-Server and Web-Enabled Environments... 433 Introduction ... 433 Client-Server Environment Issues... 434 Vendor Relationships ...434 Multiplatform Support ...434 Performance and Tuning Challenges ...435 Disaster-Recovery Planning ...436 Capacity Planning ...438 Web-Enabled Environment Issues... 439 Traditional Companies ...441 Moderate and Growing Companies ...442 Dotcom Companies ...443 Summary... 445 Test Your Understanding ... 446 Suggested Further Readings ... 446 Appendix A Frequently Asked Questions ... 447 Appendix B Summary of Definitions ... 459 Appendix C Assessment Worksheets Without Weighting Factors ... 461 Appendix D Assessment Worksheets With Weighting Factors ... 475 Appendix E Historical Perspective ... 489 Appendix F Evolving in the 1970s and 1980s ... 505 Appendix G Into and Beyond the New Millennium ... 521 Appendix H Answers to Selected Questions ... 537 Bibliography ... 541 Index ... 543 9780137025060, TOC, 1/11/2010