IT Organization: Building a Worldclass Infrastructure

IT Organization: Building a Worldclass Infrastructure

by Harris Kern, Stuart Galup, Guy Nemiro
Released February 2000
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780130222985

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Book description


2229H-4

Organizing IT for excellence in 21st century distributed environments

Few organizations are achieving their goals for reliability, availability, and serviceability in distributed environments—and the obstacles aren't technical, they're organizational. How does one structure an IT organization to succeed with today's tools and architectures? IT Organization: Building a World-Class Infrastructure delivers realistic, specific answers that draw upon the experiences of more than 40 leading companies. You'll discover how to:

  • Design your organization to deliver "any data, anywhere, anytime"

  • Combine mainframe-class discipline with 21st century flexibility

  • Treat your network like you treat your data center

  • Organize around business-critical support functions instead of trendy technologies

  • Establish standards without imposing rigidity -- and achieve discipline without bureaucracy

  • Overcome the myths that prevent IT organizations from succeeding

    • Harris Kern and his colleagues have built a worldwide reputation for evaluating IT organizations and identifying solutions -- fast. This concise, to-the-point book will help you do the same. Here are the right questions to ask, specific "people and process" techniques that work, sample SLAs and internal support agreements -- everything you need to make change happen, now!

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. Preface
    3. Introduction
      1. IT Infrastructure Assessment
      2. What Is the Infrastructure?
    4. What We Found in Our Travels
      1. What's Wrong with Client/Server?
      2. The Problems
      3. The Excuses
      4. Applications Development Is Not an Issue
      5. The Impact
      6. Processes Are Not First
    5. The CIO's Role
      1. Executives Out of Touch with Their Infrastructure
      2. How Can the Infrastructure Catch Up Quickly?
      3. Lack of Time and Resource
      4. Assure That Your IT Budget Provides for RAS
      5. Marketing and Selling IT Services
      6. Duplication of Efforts
    6. Case Studies
      1. The Problems Short-Listed
      2. Current Organizational Structures
    7. The Problems Short-Listed
      1. The Top Three Missing or Broken Processes
      2. The Other Issues
      3. Internal Support Agreement
    8. Learn from the Past to Build the Future
      1. The Organization
      2. Processes
    9. Building a Worldclass Infrastructure
      1. Start Simple
      2. Designing and Adhering to Your Key Methodologies
      3. Know That Success Equals the Change You Manage
    10. The New Order
      1. Splitting the Technologies
      2. Who's in Charge?
    11. The Organization for the Twenty-First Century
      1. Enterprise Services
      2. Mission-Critical vs. Non-Mission-Critical
      3. Structuring Technical Staff
      4. Functional Responsibilities
    12. The "Worldclass" Infrastructure
    13. Frequently-Asked Questions
      1. General
      2. People
      3. Process
      4. Technology
    14. Infrastructure Assessment Program
      1. The Industry Problem
      2. People Issues
      3. Process Issues
      4. Technology Issues
      5. The Program
      6. Customer Requirements
      7. The Deliverable
      8. The Cost
    15. Service Level Agreements
      1. Information Systems Services Cost Options Definitions
    16. Internal Support Agreement
      1. Root Authority
      2. Server Availability Hours
      3. Backups
      4. Support Responsibility
    17. Marketing Materials for an Internal Audience
      1. Enterprise Center
      2. Systems Management
      3. Quality Assurance
      4. Customized reports
      5. Data storage
      6. Mission
      7. Enterprise Center Tours
      8. High-Tech Equipment
      9. Information Technology Survey
      10. Consulting Services
      11. The IT Survey Brochure
    18. Bibliography
    19. Index

    Product information

    • Title: IT Organization: Building a Worldclass Infrastructure
    • Author(s): Harris Kern, Stuart Galup, Guy Nemiro
    • Release date: February 2000
    • Publisher(s): Pearson
    • ISBN: 9780130222985