The Executive’s Guide to Information Technology, Second Edition

Chapter 8. IT Operations and Infrastructure

	It ain’t bragging if you can do it.
	--Dizzy Dean[1]

	You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.
	--Henry Ford[2]

IT operations refers to the utility services provided by the IT department and is used synonymously with the term IT infrastructure. IT operations cover management of hardware, network, enterprise security, communications, user administration, and e-mail systems.

This chapter outlines practices for effectively managing the IT operations department, along with key processes and responsibilities of the department. It details the measures of success and concentrates on the areas that drive user satisfaction and minimize business risk.

Approaches for effectively managing the operations area by implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the most common, repetitive tasks are provided. This chapter also covers techniques for improving quality through process improvement and root cause analysis for diagnosing system problems. Additionally, it covers methods for calculating appropriate staffing levels for the operations areas.

Finally, this chapter outlines ways to raise the IT operations profile and call organizational attention to its successes. As a utility provider, the operations unit most often receives only negative attention when service outages occur, and rarely receives positive recognition. The techniques discussed in this chapter can help raise the visibility, service level, and positive feedback in ...