Windows 7

There don’t seem to be too many tears for Vista.

Encouraged by the fact that there are genuine competitors around in a number of its business areas Microsoft seems to have listened to its customers for once.  Everyone who we’ve spoken to seems to believe that Windows 7 offers a better user experience than the Vista operating system.

Find out more from these sites:
>> Microsoft Windows7 Official Site
>> 18 Cool Things that Windows7 Does

There’s a book for every skill level at the Focus on Books site to help you get the most out of Windows 7.  Also look out for official Microsoft Windows 7 online learning courses releasing later this month! There’s up to 45% off RRP on selected Microsoft Press titles until the end of December 2009.

Featured Titles:
>> Windows 7 Inside Out - Book/CD Package
>> Windows Plain and Simple - Visual Reference Guide
>> Windows 7 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant - Answers for Support & Admin
>> The Rough Guide to Windows 7

You can find Microsoft technical classroom training on the Focus training site
>> Microsoft Technical Courses

Blogalot - November 2009

Green IT

Green Computing seems to be the new “Must Have”.  There’s a Green IT Expo at the Barbican in London next week and if you believe the hype it’s a “blossoming imperative”.

• Reduce your IT Budget
• Increase Profitability
• Stay Legal
• Help with Corporate Social Responsibility
• Save the Planet

Green IT has grown so quick as a topic that definitions, requirements, priorities and strategies are still evolving fast.  The holy grail for many organisations is a Green IT Strategy - and an Action Plan.  To do that the first step is to assess your current carbon footprint - does the energy priority lie with laptops or data centres? Is it power supplies or displays?

And the topic soon snowballs to include consideration of Green Design, Green Disposal, and broader questions such as the use of IT to reduce environmental impact through teleworking.

The BCS has introduced the first accredited training and certification for Green IT.  The ISEB Foundation Certificate provides an overview of the best practice principles of Green Computing.  It’s a three day course which concludes with a short exam.

>> Find Green IT Courses on the Focus on Training website 
>> Green IT Expo 10-11 November 2009

Blogalot - November 2009

BCS Re-Launch Increases Profile of ISEB Qualifications

You may have noticed that the British Computer Society has re-launched itself as “BCS - The Chartered Institiute for IT”. 

Nice words.  There’s a lot of talk about “Enabling the Information Society”. There’s a push to give greater recognition to the high level Chartered IT Professional qualification. There are 2 branded taxis which you might notice in London!  And there’s a much improved website. 

For IT Professionals one of the key ways in which BCS makes a difference is their ISEB collection of vendor neutral IT training and certification. This includes exams and qualifications in areas such as Business Analysis, Systems Development, Software Testing and IT Service Management.

BCS has partnered with Focus to make it easier to find and buy convenient courses which lead towards ISEB qualifications.

>> See Video About ISEB
>> ISEB and Focus
>> ISEB qualifications - on the BCS website
>> ISEB certification tracks - on the Focus website

Blogalot - October 2009

Six Sigma, ITIL and PRINCE2

The OGC which produces best practice guidelines such as PRINCE2 and ITIL has been sponsoring articles which demonstrate linkage between leading management methodologies.  Two recent publications focus on Six Sigma.

They are thought provoking but there is a danger that too much time is spent trying to reconcile management processes, terminology and training which do not need to be reconciled.

Six Sigma’s strength as a quality management approach is the emphasis on process users, and the application of rigorous statistical methods to drive out waste and improve performance.

The DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyse, Design, Verify) Six Sigma cycles can be applied very appropriately to many IT Service Management activities. Indeed they offer the opportunity for significant rigour at the ITIL Design and the Continual Process Improvement stages. Six Sigma is at its most valuable when applied to high volume repetitive processes.

The fit between Six Sigma and PRINCE2 is a bit more tenuous. Six Sigma is about the efficiency of ongoing processes; PRINCE2 is about discrete management activities with a start, middle and end.  However, many organisations will find PRINCE2 provides a rigorous framework for project implementation, and Six Sigma delivers measurable benefit from improving ongoing processes - so both are highly desirable. Moreover PRINCE2 would be no bad way to run a Six Sigma implementation, which can be complex and involve staff from many strands of a business.

You can find the OGC articles on the Best Management Practice website:
>> Integrating Six Sigma and PRINCE2 - Mike Ward
>> Integrating Six Sigma and ITIL - Jack Probst & Gary Case

What do you think? Is integration necessary or realistic?

>> PRINCE2 Training
>> ITIL Training
>> Six Sigma Training

Blogalot September 2009

Funding for IT and Project Management Training

More Training Courses Funded by Grants and Loans

As the recession bites, Focus has seen a significant increase in the number of training courses for project management and IT professionals supported by a variety of government initiatives.

We’ve added several pages to our website to help explain what help is (or is not) available.
>> Funding for Individuals
>> Funding for Businesses
>> ELCAS Enhanced Learning Credits for the armed forces

We find a lot of inconsistency across the country and we’re sure that many people are not aware of the possibilities. Let us know if you come across other funding sources which we have not mentioned.

Blogalot July 2009

ITIL in a Recession

This is the title of a recent paper by Shirley Lacey.

Perhaps not surprisingly her answer is YES for the following reasons….
1. ITIL helps you reshape and resize your IT services to meet changing business needs
2. It can help you make informed cost-benefit evaluation of IT services
3. Service Strategy & Service Design publications will help guide your approach to outsourcing and offshoring
4. Move into growth segments by changing and developing your services
5. Some organisations which have achieved ISO/IEC 20000 have reduced cycle time for change by 50%
6. Structured service management reduces risk as you move to new technologies such as cloud computing
7. When organisations merge or form alliances, ITIL provides common language and approaches  

What do you think?

>> Download the article
>> Find information about ITIL training

Blogalot July 2008

Effective Information Security Management (ISM)

Applying ITIL, ISO/IEC20000 and ISO/IEC27000

A new paper by Jim Clinch provides a useful overview of the best practices and standards relevant to those looking to improve standards of information security in their organisations.

It’s good on explaining where information security fits within ITIL and it explains what’s in the pipeline as regards the ISO/IEC 27000 family.

Jim argues for a business-based approach, and provides a checklist of 9 steps:

1. Produce, maintain, distribute and enforce an Information Security Policy
2. Understand the current business security policy and plans
3. Understand and agree current and future business security requirements
4. Implement security controls that support the Information Security Policy
5. Document all security controls and their operation, maintenance and associated risks
6. Manage suppliers and contracts in respect of access to systems and services
7. Manage all security breaches and incidents
8. Proactively improve security controls and security risk management
9. Ensure security aspects are integrated into all other ITSM processes

>> ITIL Training Courses
>> Information Security Training
>> Download Jim’s Paper - ITIL v3 and Information Security (PDF - 1.89Mb)

Blogalot June 2009

E-Learning: Love it or Loathe it

Focus has just relaunched its Distance Learning and E-Learning website covering certification courses for PRINCE2, ITIL, MSP and APM.
>> Find Project Management & IT E-Learning

We’ve been intrigued by the strength of feeling being expressed by protagonists for and against distance learning. Our take is that there is both good and bad quality training whether you are looking at E-learning or instructor led training.  So work out what suits your situation then make sure the quality is right.

Interestingly, saving money is by no means the only motivator for those choosing E-learning over classroom courses. It’s often more driven by the need for flexibility in hours spend studying, and the wish to feel fully prepared before taking the exam. Those taking this route are often highly motivated and pass rates can be higher than for the equivalent classroom course.

Terminology
There’s not much consistency and at Focus we tend to use Distance Learning and E-Learning somewhat interchangeably. In fact there are a lot of other related terms in use.

Distance Learning:  the most generic term which probably goes back to Pitman in the 19th Century
E-Learning:  any training where delivery is mainly by electronic media. Often implies delivery via web�
CBT:  computer based training. Often used when the material is loaded via CD
Synchronous Learning:  E-Learning with a live (but remote) trainer
Blended Learning:  a combination of distance learning and classroom elements
M-Learning:  distance learning via mobile devices
V-Learning:  learning inside a virtual world (such as second life)
G-Learning: learning via computer games

The Case against E-Learning
With due deference to Rob Chapman
http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=194343

E-Learning is a classic example of the readiness with which people are ready to disregard received wisdom.  We know that the more contact we have with our teachers the better we learn.

Are you really going to retain facts crammed in between a half-eaten sandwich and a quick flick through a tabloid?

There’s no real incentive to complete E-learning courses quickly.

E-learning can limit the learning experience to reading, typing and clicking.

It’s a low cost way for senior managers to claim they have met their training obligations.

The Defence
With due deference to Donald Clark
http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com

Employees prefer short bites of learning, just when they need them.

The new generation of e-learning tools are capable of providing a highly individual development experience.

E-learning is cheaper, faster and more environmentally friendly.

E-learning is not a standalone solution but should form part of the overall learning strategy.

Tied to the triple tyranny of a specific place at a specific time with specific trainers, the “course” is seriously outdated.

Courses are at odds with the psychology of learning.

More people learn from books than any other medium.

Blogalot - April 2009

ITIL Implementation – Top Tips

In just 20 years ITIL has come to guide the IT service management practices which underpin the performance of successful organisations worldwide.  Not surprisingly those organisations which have not adopted ITIL are looking to do so – and those that have are looking to extend or enhance their ITIL processes. This article looks at what determines whether an ITIL project succeeds or fails.

The experiences of more than 10 organisations were presented at the 2008 itSMF Conference in Birmingham.  The projects ranged from application of specific ITIL tools such as Service Catalogue through to trans European ITIL adoption by a major financial institution with the goal of achieving ISO/IEC 20000.

1.   Start Right

First and foremost understand where you are now and develop a vision of where you want to be.  Use customer surveys and ITIL maturity assessments to objectively define gaps. Develop a vision  which is meaningful for your organisation and which can be clearly articulated and communicated. Refer to the “Continual Service Improvement” element of ITIL; this is precisely where the alignment of IT Services and Business Needs should take place.

2.   Organisational Change

Recognise that adopting ITIL is as much about organisational change as it is about processes and technology.  This is not surprising; IT services are increasingly at the heart of how organisations deliver to their external customers – and are also central to how organisations themselves operate.  ITIL projects which are simply based on mechanistic adoption of new processes or software systems will have limited impact.  Real success comes when ITIL touches hearts and minds – both within and beyond the IT community.

3.  Engagement

Organisational change demands engagement.  You have to look beyond the ITIL core reference manuals for creative ways to win support and commitment.  Effective communication is essential. Engagement also applies to external providers.  When analysing, communicating and driving change make sure that third party providers and advisors are also involved.

4.   Share

A theme of successful ITIL adoption is an increased willingness to share.  A structured approach to IT services means less duplication of services and roles.  It means use of a common language.  It means working to meet wider organisational goals.

5.   Right People

Your project will fail if you do not have the right skills and right experience in the right place. All of the projects reviewed involved redeployment and training of those involved.  One pushed IT personnel out amongst the operational teams to break down barriers and improve response. Most involved the appointment of owners for all key ITIL processes affected.  All used ITIL training to ensure a common language and understanding of best practice.

6.   Momentum

There is a natural cycle to most initiatives where early enthusiasm fades once the easier wins have been banked, more intractable tasks loom, and other competing projects appear.  There is no easy answer.  Do publicise successes unashamedly.  Do ensure there is a senior management champion who can maintain project profile.  Try to avoid breaks in the implementation programme.

7.   Project Management

Project Management goes hand in hand with most of the rest of these tips and failure to take a structured approach to ITIL implementation is inexcusable.

The approach you adopt may be PRINCE2 or your own equivalent.  The key point is that there is a clear definition of business case, responsibilities, resourcing, work plans, stage reviews, risk, and escalation procedures.

8.   Business Relevant Results

Some of the projects examined put a strong reliance on ITIL maturity assessments.  These can undoubtedly be helpful but only in conjunction with before and after measurement of criteria which have real impact on the business.  These will include activity specific measures such as Service Desk rate of first time fix, and customer rating of satisfaction with IT.

9.   Best is the Enemy of Better

For those new to ITIL there is a temptation to want to adopt every process in the book.  In the real world, resources are limited and there will be a better return in some areas than in others.  Those nearer the start of an ITIL journey are typically starting with Service Desk and processes such as Incident, Problem and Change Management.  Also increasing in popularity is creation of a Service Catalogue as part of the task of “understanding what we’ve got”.

10.  Business As Usual

Look beyond the project.  In several of the case studies below care was given early in the project as to how improved service provision would be carried forward into BAU.  This is an unglamorous part of the work and one which is often ignored.  Improved service levels and efficiencies start to decay once the energy associated with the project is withdrawn.

Note
Additional information on what causes ITIL projects to succeed or fail can be found at:
http://www.focus-on-training.co.uk/wp_itil_implementation/

Blogalot - 19th January 2009

10 roles you need for ITIL configuration management

If you’re serious about building an effective configuration management service, you’ll need to consider who will accomplish 10 key functions. Here’s a brief rundown of the essential roles that should be covered.

Many IT departments try to implement ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) configuration management without giving much thought to the staffing of the configuration management service.

Like any IT task, configuration management requires skilled people with standardized processes, but this aspect is often overlooked in the rush to find the perfect CMDB (Configuration Management Database) tool.

What makes for the most effective configuration management team? The answer will depend somewhat on the size of the IT environment. The essential roles, however, are the same whether one expert plays three or four roles or volume dictates that one role requires two or three people.

There are lots of creative ways to deploy these roles across an organization, but here are the essential roles you should consider when embarking on a configuration management service.

#1: Configuration management architect
You need one strong technical leader who can be counted on as the expert in configuration management.

#2: Requirements analyst
You do have configuration management requirements, don’t you? This person will help you determine all the requirements needed to configure the environment.

#3: Process engineer
This may be more important at the onset, but Version 3 of ITIL calls for continuous process improvement.

#4: Logical DBA
Configuration management is all about gathering, controlling, and accessing information; of course you need a DBA.

#5: Trainer
Someone will need to create training materials and instruct all of your IT staff in how to access and support configuration management.

#6: CM integrator
Every CMDB is built from data stored across many sources. The integrator role supervises the reconciliation rules that bring those sources together.

#7: Tools support
Eventually, your entire IT staff will depend on information in the CMDB, and thus on the availability of the tools.

#8: Impact manager
This role specifically focuses on helping make configuration data intelligible to the rest of the IT organization. The key task here is to make sure relationships between configuration items are well defined, helpful, and accurate.

#9: Reporting support
Because the CMDB is a database, many users will want to create custom queries and specialized reports. Someone who understands the data deeply will help make this possible.

#10: Data quality analyst
ITIL rightly points out that the best practice in configuration management is to constantly verify data and audit the database.

Covering the bases
Not many organizations are large enough to have a dedicated 10-member team for configuration management, but anyone serious about building an effective configuration management service should consider who will accomplish these 10 key functions.