Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Standards and Dangers

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) has been named as the new standard in the fled of Information Technology and its administration. It encourages IT associations to grow new ways and techniques that can be efficient and give incredible quality items. The on-going adaptation of ITIL structure was presented in 28th Feb 2019, ITILv42018 with an update that aides in refining the present body of the administrations while focuses learning and data isn’t changed. In this report we will attempt to comprehend the ITIL standards and will survey the dangers associated with it; we will likewise discover how the hierarchical elements influence the usage of ITIL and recognize the principle main driver and options and potential answers for the equivalent (Simplilearn, 2019).

INTRODUCTION

On the off chance that we investigate the historical backdrop of the ITIL, we can see that it has experienced numerous updates and corrections which have prompted the present variant of ITIL that we have today with best capacities and standards. ITIL v4 comprises of nine rules that spread the whole working of the association like change the board, estimations, correspondence all through the association, and so forth (Greiner, 2019),

TASK 1

The principles are

1. Focusing on the values
2. Designing plans to get better experience
3. Starting from the current situation instead of revising everything and starting from the scratch.
4. Working holistically
5. Progress in an iterative fashion
6. Direct and keen observation
7. Being transparent
8. Complete collaboration
9. Keeping things as simple as it could be

The latest version of the ITIL helps the organisation

• to integrate company culture and IT as a complete business structure
• For establishing collaboration among various departments of the organisation.
• The latest version also focuses on the customer experience and feedback
• new insights can be obtained, and future plans can be made according to it

 

BASIC TERMINOLOGY AND KEY CONCEPT

There are few terminologies that are used in ITIL and these terminologies have its own meaning and are applied to particular situations. Some of them are:

• Services, it is the term which is used whenever organisation is delivering their values and products to improve lives of the customers.

• Services management, this term is used to refer to set of rules which are specializes in handling the capability of the organisation to deliver value to customers in the form of various services.
• Services Assets, this term which is associated to the things or ‘resources’ and ‘capabilities’ of the organisation which is important to offer proper services to the customers.
• Value, the organisation must offer their services which can reflect both utility and warranty in the products and services to convey value.
• Utility refers to the ability of the organisation to provide services by removing constraints and increasing the performance for customer satisfaction.
• Warranty refers to a one type of service or product so as to operate reliably providing warranty often offered to gains trust of the customer.
• Processes, it is associated to the ordered operations as some group of sets synchronised in a structure which are mad in stepwise order for getting a particular goal. The traits of those processes are:

1. Conversion of raw inputs into processed outputs
2. Delivering results to the order placed by customers and stakeholder
3. Measurable and properly analysed
4. Processes often triggered by some external factors like new order or sudden increase in demand etc.

• Functions set of actions that are designed with an intention to achieve various tasks that are specific in nature. It is actually executed together by making a team by using specific tools
• Roles, roles are specific responsibilities and privileges given to individuals of the organisation to carry out organisation functions and operation in a proper manner. Roles can be given to an individual or a particular team.
• Resources, it is a general term used to refer those materials that make contribution regarding a niche type of service of the organisation, like financial, materials, technology, employees,
• Capabilities it is tem used to refer any special skills or abilities or capabilities of an organization which they apply to their resources in order to create value for their customer.

USES OF ITIL FRAMEWORK

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION:  ITIL is majorly focussing on the satisfaction of the customers. It is not technology focussed but is a user client experience example.  Its main objective is to provide the best organisation services and best possible services for its customers.

LEARNING HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGE: ITIL provides a unique feature of making people skilful and knowledgeable by helping them learn high level languages.

DECREASE IN RECOVERY TIME: ITIL always focuses on providing the best possible solutions with low recovery time.

FASTER SERVICE DELIVERY: It is very difficult to provide services to a large organisation and also that too in a fast mode. ITIL make sure its services are reachable to the destination at a very fast rate.

Figure 1: ITIL Framework Working

The figure mentioned above is actually about ITIL service strategy that is which is showing about different types of services and their functions. It includes service operation, service design and service transition.  The service operation includes managing different kinds of operations such as events, problem and incident. The service transition phase actually has five things. It’s all about managing the change, knowledge, release and deployment, servicing and testing the validation, configuration. Talking about the service design, it includes managing the service, levels of the services, service catalogue and availability of the services.

TASK 2

INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY’S LIFECYCLE FOR SERVICES

 ITIL concept consists something like of a skeleton of the 5 important categories, which are regularly checked and modified as per the changes in technologies (Rouse, 2018). Every book has a collection of best practices one can use for each major phase about the Information technology services managing department, the five categories are:

1. INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURELIBRARY strategies of services.
2. INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY design of services.
3. INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY transition of services
4. INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY operations of services
5. INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY improvement continuously in services.

Figure 2: Implementation Stages of Business Goals With IT

These categories are further subdivided to other categories which are described in the diagram below, each of these sub-categories or aspects of the five components of the ITIL framework can be labelled as a ‘Process’ or as a ‘Function’.

INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURELIBRARY strategies of services:

Service Strategy process which is engaged with the improvement of such administration ideas that can help in giving the best administrations to the clients. It by and large gives a portrayal of the business objectives and client necessities; and it additionally checks for the different manners by which destinations of the two elements can be served.

INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURELIBRARY strategies of services:

The plan of the administrations in the ITIL is tied in with planning the administrations that can help in supporting every one of the components of the live condition. There are ‘4 Ps of Service Design’ which speaks to those regions of the association that ought to be contemplated at whatever point an administration is structured. It by and large blueprints the practices or the exercises for the generation of IT arrangements, authoritative models, and its documentation. The 4 P’s are:

1. Processes
2. People
3. Products
4. Partners

 INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY transition of services:

The goal of this procedure is to ensure that changes to administrations and Service Management procedures are done in a legitimate and composed path by structure and sending fitting IT administrations. It additionally prompts the reports on change the executives and recommends appropriate practices to direct the overseers through the changes.

INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY operations of services:

This kind of activity gives the office of as of now running or standard base, by directing the whole tasks of the administration. This incorporates overseeing interruptions, quick rebuilding if there should arise an occurrence of any episode; deciding the underlying driver of issues and distinguishing an example in repeating issues, etc. It offers different approaches to oversee IT benefits on a day by day, month to month and yearly premise.

INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE LIBRARY improvement continuously in services:

One of the principle elements of the part is to investigate and get new thoughts from past triumphs and disappointments by utilizing strategies from quality administration. The Continual Service Improvement procedure is focussed around nonstop improvement of the IT procedures and administrations to guarantee the viability and effectiveness. Fundamentally it covers the viewpoints to present enhancements and arrangement refreshes inside the ITIL procedure structure.

TASK 3

IMPORTANT MATTER AND THEIR IN-DEPTH ANALYSATION

As per the given case study of Sage IT solution, the important matters are found after long discussion with authority and management of the organisation and are described below also a detailed analysis of the root cause is presented.

ISSUES FACED	RESOLUTIONS AND SUGGESTION TO IMPROVE
The organisation was facing problems regarding how to handle lot of consumers calls by IT department.	Company can resolve this issue by introducing a better customer relationship management process
The organisation was not able to cope up with increasing demand of the things.	It is important to synchronise the processes of production and see the processes of development
There is a crisis regarding the finances because of huge collection of government reimbursements.	The company has to manage finances more effectively such that much efficiency can be gained with less investment.
Observation of some Informational technology practices which are somehow not ethical.	This issue was caused due to non-awareness of the employees in regard of ethical policies of the organisation.
Missing synchronisation & fights among Hamilton and Auckland branches	This issue can be resolved if the organisation adopts a uniform and centralized communication process so that both the branches can have the proper update and conflicts will be reduced.
Unclear operating objectives	The major cause of this is lack of proper committee that can prioritise the task on their requirement and convey the same to the concerned department.
RIO was very low on the infrastructure of IT.	It is caused due to poor management of the company’s assets. A proper asset management can help in appropriate return as per the investment
Redundancies in business operations	If the company is using the same strategies every time then it symbolises that the company lack of strategic planning, So, a proper analysis and planning is required to avoid the redundancies in business operations.
Ineffective IT security management	Need to educate the employees and implement standard policies to ensure the effective management of the security policies.
Insufficient database	It is caused due to missing of good communication among the shareholders and the authority of the system. Proper reporting of ever day task has to be maintained to create a proper database.
Equipment’s used are technically outdated	It is caused by the shortage of technical employees who can guide IT team for the equipment up gradation. Regular checks have to be made to ensure all the equipment are working properly and are updated.

RISK ASSESSMENT

There are few risks which are arising for the Sage IT solutions, on analysing the case study I found that these risks can be minimised and removed when proper constraint are maintained, below are the mitigation plans for the Sage IT solutions to help them reduce the impact of the risks;

RISKS	MITIGATION PLAN AS PER THE RISKS
Unaddressed Customer complaints	Unaddressed complaints can make a very high impact on the organisation as customer’s feedback for a company is a deciding factor of the company’s rise and fall. So, a proper management has to be made to listen and resolve the customer’s queries so keep them satisfied
Exceeding Budget post approval	This risk of low financial capital can leave the company in mayhem, this why it is important to make proper financial plan and follow it strictly by keeping the margin of unexpected expenses.
Poor quality of end products	Proper checks and analysis have to be done to ensure that the best products are provided to the customers. Product quality is also important remain in the market.
Slow Productivity	At times implementation of standard framework takes huge amount of time for documentation and leaving less time to focus on production of the products. This issue can be resolved with proper training practised on a regular basis
No or low learning ability	If the employees are facing difficulties to adapt to ITIL, then a proper training should be arranged and regular doubt sessions,  Else company can also look for new employees to serve the purpose.
Service outages	To handle disruptions issues a different kind of management or authority will be required that can work proactively as well as reactively. Customers should be educated and informed regarding the updating processes and be informed for contacting for any kind of support in any case of emergencies.
Missed Risk elements	This risk is totally unpredictable and so is its impact. Unknown circumstances/situations can cause huge damage to the company, so it is advisable to be prepared to deal with such situations with a proper backup plan.

Various difficulties emerge when organizations are attempting to actualize ITIL. For legitimate execution of the ITIL system, the organization needs a point by point arranging and explicit preparing. Each association has an alternate work culture and it is one of a kind in its own specific manner. The abrupt presentation of robotic devices and new innovation can make a condition of frenzy for the workers, which can be handled with legitimate preparing and passing on the definite thought for refreshing the innovation (Mckinley, 2011).

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Since support of an executive is important to execute every strategy and plan for the proper function of the plan designed for implementation of ITIL principles without any restriction in the Sage It Solutions. 
• An executive committee or ISG must be created within Sage IT to design and develop strategies for resolving interdepartmental issues and risks. This committee should consist of authorised representatives from all departments of all branches to understand the issues and risk properly and to plan out the best resolution possible.
•  The executive committee must organise meetings and seminars to understand and implement the next step for IT services then develop strategy based on the on it
• Strict steps must be taken to ensure that the resources of the organisation are utilized properly in a planned manner to avoid the scarcity at the time of need. A structured strategy and plan have to be made considering the budget of the company and must be followed accordingly.
• All the employees and staff of the organisation must be educated regarding the principles, ethical and legal guidelines and security procedures; and the executive team should set up that will ensure the proper functioning of the organisation and check if it is being strictly followed in all units (Sage IT inc., 2018)
• A team from Human Resource department must be created to overlook and resolve the conflicts and doubts of the employees within the organisation
• Experienced employees and new employees must interact with each other so that different experience and wisdom can be passed on forward for the betterment of the organisation.
• Proper documentations of every day functioning must be made to have a proper database to refer in future.
• A small committee of Business managers and IT heads must be formed to check and align the proper functioning in both departments for improving the standards of SAGE Information technology. 

CONCLUSION

SAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY solution is an organisation that has beautifully organised and managed establish a monopoly in the market with their IT services, they have also set up new benchmark in terms of providing best services to the customers and maintaining quality of the products. A revolutionary ERP implementation by the company has contributed exponentially in terms of business authorities for lower or small or corporations which a medium in size (SAGE team, 2018). However, with the increase in product demand an improved management of process and service is needed which is why the company is looking towards the ITIL implementations. So that the entire functioning of the organisation can be carried out in a proper way, company has to give attention towards complaints calls this will help company to provide a better service to the customers. To maintain the market value of the company, Sage IT should use a centralized system for its business strategies and following a proper strategy which can help the organisation in managing tasks and also to establish productive work environment and provide strength to the organisation. Based on the interview, case study and presentations provided, I have summed up a report highlighting the possible risk factors and recommend solutions to them. Sage IT must incorporate the ITIL version 4 using few modifications from their side to personalise the principle according to the company’s requirement. With the use of ITIL company can resolve difficult business strategies that includes very simple IT processes list easily. Employees of the organisation must be well trained and educated about the framework and its principles for better functioning of the company (Orr, 2018).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Greiner, S. K. ( 2019, January 18). What is ITIL? Your guide to the IT Infrastructure Library. Retrieved from https://www.cio.com/article/2439501/infrastructure-it-infrastructure-library-itil-definition-and-solutions.html
• Mckinley, M. (2011, December 23). The 5 stages of ITIL service lifecycle. Retrieved from Ashford Global IT: https://www.ashfordglobalit.com/training-blog/itil-tips-and-training/the-5-stages-of-the-itil-v3-service-lifecycle.html
• Orr, A. (2018). The essential guide to ITIL Change Management. Retrieved from Cherwell: https://www.cherwell.com/library/essential-guides/essential-guide-to-itil-change-management/
• Rouse, M. (2018, December). ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library). Retrieved from https://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/ITIL
• Sage IT inc. (2018). Project Staffing. Retrieved from Sage IT: http://sageitinc.com/project-staffing/
• SAGE team. (2018). ERP software and solutions. Retrieved from Sage: https://www.sage.com/en-us/erp/
• Simplilearn. (2019, Mar 11). ITIL: Key Concepts and Summary. Retrieved from https://www.simplilearn.com/itil-key-concepts-and-summary-article