The Role of the Information Technology Manager

Critical Issues in Managing IT in Organizations

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Learning Outcomes
Explain how IT relates to the rest of the organisation Describe the main role of IT management Identify the main Critical Issues facing IT Managers in Organisations

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Key Words
IT Strategy Business Strategy Outsourcing Service Support Change Management Service Delivery Incident Management Service Level Agreement

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Source: Staffordshire University

Information Technology in Organisations

Has changed drastically in the past 30 years Early years the big job was to manage technology Later was to manage the information resources. Support management decisions

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Today
Becoming a mandatory link between organisations. Must understand the goals of the enterprise Work in partnership with business unit peers.

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Key IT Management Objectives Align IT services with the business needs current & future Improve the quality of IT services delivered Reduce the long term full cost of service provision

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Most businesses now depend on ICT - absolutely

IT has become an essential piece of business strategy. Not keeping up with IT may mean going out of business. For many businesses IT is the Business And The Business is IT
CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization Role of IT Manager

Traditional Functions Are Being Eroded

Tends moving performance out of the IS department: 1. Distributed systems 2. Ever more knowledgeable users 3. Better application packages

4. Outsourcing

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

New Roles are Emerging

Information Systems (IS) not a single monolithic organization, but rather a cluster of several processes. These can be divided into:

1. Service Support
2. Service Delivery

3. Service Desk
4. Security Management
CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization Role of IT Manager

Service Support
Service Support generally concentrates on day-to-day operation and support of IT Services
Incident Management Problem Management Configuration Management Change Management Release Management

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Service Delivery
Service Delivery looks at the long term planning and improvement of IT service provision
Service Level Management Financial Management for IT Services Capacity Management IT Service Continuity Management Availability Management

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Service Desk
the User / IT interface providing a single point of contact for users Deliver high quality support critical for the business Help identify and lower the cost of ownership Support changes across the business/technology boundaries Aid user retention and satisfaction Assist in identification of business opportunities

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Security Management
Across all these functions lies Security Management

The value of Information to an Organisation is based on 3 basic concepts

Confidentiality protecting information from unauthorised disclosure or interception Integrity safeguarding the accuracy and completeness of information and software

Availability Ensuring that vital services are available when required

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization Role of IT Manager

Service Support Interfaces and Deliverables

The processes that concentrate on the day-to-day operation and user support together with the Service Desk
Service Desk Incident management Problem Management Change Management Release Management Configuration Management

Incidents

Management Tools Service Reports Problem Stats, Trends, Reports Reviews Diagnostics Change Schedule Release Schedule, Reviews, Testing standards, Audit Reports, Stats

Incident Stats
Audit Reports

Change Stats, Reviews, Audit Reports

Policy Standards
Audit

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Source: Staffordshire University

Incident Management
Any event, not part of standard operation, that causes an interruption or reduction in service quality Why Incident Management?
Reduce impact of incidents with timely resolution Ensure best use of resources to support the business Develop and maintain meaningful records relating to Incidents Devise and apply a consistent approach to reported Incidents
CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization Role of IT Manager

Problem Management
Problem is the unknown cause of one or

more incidents. It is a known error when the cause is known and a temporary or permanent solution has been found. Why problem management?
To resolve problems quickly and effectively To ensure resources are prioritised to resolve Problems in the order based on business need To proactively identify and resolve Problems and Known Errors to minimise incidents To improve productivity of support staff To provide relevant management information
CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization Role of IT Manager

Configuration Management
Identification, labelling and recording of all IT Configuration Items (CIs) including ownership, lifecycle incidents, value, relationships, usage. Why Configuration Management
To account for all IT assets To provide accurate information to support other IT management processes To provide a sound basis for Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management To verify audit records and correct exceptions

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Change Management
Why change management?
Ensure standardised methods, processes and procedures for changes Facilitate efficient and prompt handling of changes Maintain balance between need for change and detrimental impact or disruption of change

Change arises
reactively in response to problems from external impositions e.g. legislation, business initiatives, seeking improved efficiency or service improvement
CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization Role of IT Manager

Release Management
Release: a collection of authorised changes to an IT service Should be used for
Large or critical hardware rollouts Major software rollouts Bundling or batching related sets of changes

Release Policy
Should be used to clarify the roles and responsibilities of Release Management Roll-out: deliver, install and commission an integrated set of new or changed services across logical or physical parts of an organisation

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Service Support Interfaces and Deliverables

The processes that concentrate on the day-to-day operation and user support together with the Service Desk
Service Desk Incident management Problem Management Change Management Release Management Configuration Management

Incidents

Management Tools Service Reports Problem Stats, Trends, Reports Reviews Diagnostics Change Schedule Release Schedule, Reviews, Testing standards, Audit Reports, Stats

Incident Stats
Audit Reports

Change Stats, Reviews, Audit Reports

Policy Standards
Audit

CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization

Role of IT Manager

Source: Staffordshire University

Q&A
CE00303-3 Critical issues in Managing MIS in Organization Role of IT Manager