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How to Build an IT Service Catalog
A well-designed IT service catalog demonstrates the value of IT, defines service levels, facilitates budgeting, and aids in the evaluation of outsourcing services. Once an organization has decided to create a service catalog, however, the project can fall short of delivering on these promised benefits. This report lays out six steps for creating a well-designed service catalog, provides examples of the elements of a catalog, and concludes with advice on how to avoid typical pitfalls. (13 pp, 4 figs) [Research Byte]
May, 2014
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The Whats and Whys of the IT Service Catalog
The IT service catalog is a foundational element of IT service management. Organizations looking to implement best practices in their delivery of IT services need to ensure that all stakeholders have a basic understanding of this important concept. This report explains the concepts of the IT service catalog and why it is an essential part of IT service management. It also provides practical recommendations for implementation of a service catalog. (13 pp., 2 fig.) [Research Byte]
April, 2014
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Enterprise Architecture Adoption and Best Practices 2014
The term “enterprise architecture” has been around since at least 1982, but the practice today is not widely adopted. Only about half of all IT organizations are developing and maintaining an enterprise architecture. Interest, however, is high and the practice is growing. In this study, we will examine how many organizations have adopted enterprise architecture, how many adopters have fully embraced the practice, and how many organizations are likely to adopt the practice in the future. We conclude with an assessment of the various approaches to enterprise architecture and recommendations on best practices. (12 pp., 4 fig.) [Research Byte]
April, 2014
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Bring-Your-Own-Device Best Practices
Like it or not, many IT organizations are having to confront the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend as an emerging practice and adopt policies and procedures to deal with the security, legal, and support issues surrounding it. To date, our research shows adoption of policies that enable employees to use their own smartphones, tablets, and even PCs is at an immature stage. In this study, we look at adoption trends for BYOD by organization size and sector. We also discuss the elements that every BYOD policy should contain and the steps IT organizations should take before enabling users to access corporate networks with their personal devices. (14 pp., 5 fig.) [Research Byte]
February, 2014
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A Practical Framework for Business Continuity Planning
Too often, disaster recovery is simply an information-technology-led exercise. There is a growing recognition, however, that contingency planning needs to go beyond recovery of IT systems to become a business-led process that prepares the organization for many forms of disruption and ensures that the business itself—not just the IT systems—will continue uninterrupted. This report provides practical guidance on best practices for business continuity planning. (11 pp., 2 fig.) [Research Byte]
January, 2014
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IT Asset Management Best Practices 2013
For IT departments, the task of keeping track of all the hardware, configurations, software licenses, user permissions, and other information regarding IT assets is exceedingly complex. IT asset management systems can make the challenge less formidable. In this study, we look at the changing nature of the asset management field, at how far along organizations are in implementing asset management systems, and at some of the tools and options for improving asset management. We also assess asset management adoption by organization size and sector. (15 pp., 5 figs.) [Research Byte]
December, 2013
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IT Management Best Practices 2013/2014
Much of the mission of the IT organization is to automate and improve business processes throughout the enterprise. But the IT organization itself also has its own need for process improvement and automation. The best-run IT organizations not only focus their process improvement efforts on those of other departments, they also seek to optimize their own IT management processes internally. In this study, we examine the growth and maturity of 24 IT management practices which we have grouped into four major categories: IT governance practices, IT financial management practices, IT operational management practices, and IT security practices. (126 pp., 111 figs.) [Full Report Description and Sample Pages]
September, 2013
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Project Management Office (PMO) Adoption Trends 2013
With the ever increasing demand for efficiency and turnaround of projects, it has become common for organizations to incorporate some degree of uniformity and common standards when it comes to project management. In this study, we examine the trend toward adoption of project management offices (PMOs), a best practice that has been growing in popularity. We present recent adoption trends for the strategy. We also examine the influence of sector on the adoption rate. (10 pp., 5 figs.) [Research Byte]
March, 2013
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Current Trends in IT Chargeback Practices
IT executives today are being challenged to become more cost transparent and show their value to the business. Adopting a robust chargeback strategy can be an important step in that direction. This study provides data on the frequency and level of IT chargeback practices among IT organizations. We look at the four-year trend in the percentage of organizations charging back IT expenses and the average percentage of IT budget being charged back. We also assess the influence of organization size and sector on chargeback practices. Our analysis includes a discussion of methods, purpose, and best practices for implementing chargeback systems. (15 pp., 7 figs.) [Research Bytes]
October, 2012
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IT Management Best Practices 2012/2013
As IT management matures as an organizational function, certain policies and disciplines show up again and again in the best-run IT organizations. In this study, we examine the maturity levels and growth rates of 15 selected IT management practices: IT steering committees; IT change control boards; disaster recovery testing; IT security policy compliance audits; IT strategic planning; user satisfaction surveys; project management office; IT spending benchmarking; IT performance metrics; project portfolio management; IT asset management systems; post-implementation audits; IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL); IT balanced scorecard; and open source contributions. (30 pp., 19 figs.) [Full Report Description and Sample Pages]
September, 2012
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Project Management Office (PMO) Adoption and Best Practices
Much of the work in IT organizations is project-based, and the project management office (PMO) has emerged as a best practice in formalizing project management disciplines. In this study, we examine the trend toward adoption of PMOs. The study examines the extent to which IT organizations have deployed PMOs and measures the level of an organization’s engagement in the practice. We also look at how adoption of this IT management best practice differs by organization size and sector. Finally, we provide recommendations for monitoring the success of the PMO. (10 pp., 5 figs.) [Research Byte]
March, 2012
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User Satisfaction Surveying Adoption and Best Practices
A primary goal of IT organizations is to satisfy the needs of its business users for information systems. How can the CIO know whether users are satisfied with IT services? This study examines the extent to which IT organizations have deployed user satisfaction surveys and measures the level of organizational engagement in the practice. We look at the percentage of organizations that are partially and fully engaged with the practice. We also look at how adoption of this IT management best practice differs by organization size. Finally, we determine which industry sectors are most likely to be engaged in this best practice. (11 pp.,5 figs.) [Research Byte]
February, 2012
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IT Management Best Practices 2011/2012
As IT management matures as an organizational function, certain policies and disciplines show up again and again in the best-run IT organizations. In this study, we examine the maturity levels and growth rates of 15 selected IT management practices: IT steering committees; IT change control boards; disaster recovery testing; IT security policy compliance audits; IT strategic planning; user satisfaction surveys; project management office; IT spending benchmarking; IT performance metrics; project portfolio management; IT asset management systems; post-implementation audits; IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL); IT balanced scorecard; and open source contributions. (29 pp., 19 figs.) [Full Description and Sample Pages]
August, 2011
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ITIL Adoption and Best Practices 2011
Providing excellent IT service management to help a business achieve its strategic targets is a much debated but seldom achieved goal. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is perhaps the most widely accepted framework to accomplish this elusive goal. This study begins with a brief explanation of ITIL's history and current framework for IT service management. We next study ITIL adoption and practice levels in North America, examining levels of adoption by organization size and sector. The study concludes with best-practice suggestions for successful ITIL implementations. (10pp., 5 figs.) [Research Byte]
August, 2011
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Legacy System Renewal Adoption, ROI, and TCO
The decision whether to renew or replace legacy applications is an economic one that many IT managers are wrestling with as organizations seek to exploit Internet-enabled business processes and mobile applications. In this study, we assess current adoption and investment rates for legacy system renewal projects based on our annual survey of 200 IT organizations. Next, to determine risks associated with renewal projects we look at the return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) experiences of organizations that have undertaken such projects. Finally, we examine trends by organization size and conclude with a summation of best practices. (12 pp., 7 figs.) [Research Byte]
May, 2011
IT Best Practices
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