Implement Systems Management to Improve Availability and Visibility

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The IT environment has grown increasingly complex. You need to rein in complexity and handle it centrally. Admin wants reliable data in one place and a strategy for making use of that data.
You want to implement systems management but are unsure how to do so in a resource-challenged environment.
You need to determine what are the key areas to focus on, and what tools, processes, and practices make sense to create a sustainable systems management program.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

Every IT department does systems management, even if only ad hoc or informally. This blueprint will help you make more productive use of time and effort you already spend managing systems and problems.
No service or system can perform better than its weakest component. You probably don’t know what your real priorities are until you create a baseline and visualize real or estimated performance and criticality.

Impact and Result

Reduce disruptions caused by unplanned downtime by establishing systems management discipline.
Reduce time and effort to resolve issues by improving visibility into systems and coordination across teams.

Implement Systems Management to Improve Availability and Visibility Research & Tools

1. Make the case

Improve availability and visibility.

2. Analyze systems management priorities and challenges

Identify systems management priorities and build a business case, and identify opportunities and challenges.

3. Decide on systems management goals, solutions, and next steps

Ensure project alignment and execution, and focus on solutions that are best suited for your organization’s needs.

4. Implement systems management processes and tools

Maximize benefits and value of the systems management solution.

Member Testimonials

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Testimonial

Thornton Tomasetti, Inc

Guided Implementation

9/10

$6,366

The analyst was very knowledgeable about the subject matter, and helped guide me towards a clearer path for resolving my project challenges. He ult... Read More

Workshop: Implement Systems Management to Improve Availability and Visibility

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Establish systems management priorities to ground your business case

The Purpose

Prioritize services and systems to target for improvement.
Define SLAs, targets, and goals.
Identify risks and potential causes of service disruption.
Target quick wins by taking action on underperforming systems.
Make the case for investing in systems management.

Key Benefits Achieved

A measured (or estimated) performance baseline for identifying priorities and goals.
A prioritized list of services and systems to target for improvement.
Analysis of systems and components most affecting service levels.
Estimate of the value of systems management.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Determine criticality of IT services by evaluating business dependencies.

Systems Management Service Level Assessment

1.2

Quantify the value of improving systems management to build a stronger case.

1.3

Map dependencies between systems and services to evaluate the criticality of subsystems and components.

1.4

Estimate or gather current performance data to identify problematic components or subsystems.

1.5

Drill down from the service level to identify systems and components inhibiting performance.

1.6

Prioritize performance gaps to maximize value of the systems management project.

Module 2: Assess current systems management capabilities to identify opportunities and challenges

The Purpose

Focus time and energy where it will have the most impact (people, processes, or tools).
Begin developing or acquiring the necessary skills for systems management success.
Identify opportunities to improve systems management processes before investing in tools.

Key Benefits Achieved

A capability assessment that shows overall maturity and specific gaps (people, processes, or tools).
List of available and required skills.
Process diagrams.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Evaluate process capabilities to identify critical focus areas.

Systems Management Discipline Capability Assessment

2.2

Strike a balance between people, processes, and technologies for all management disciplines.

Systems Management Skills Inventory and Gap Analysis

2.3

Perform a skills inventory and identify any expertise gaps.

2.4

Map your processes to identify inefficient activities and opportunities to improve effectiveness.

2.5

Estimate measurable improvements in processes to establish targets.

2.6

Assess the effectiveness, quality, and value of systems management tools currently in use.

Module 3: Develop a systems management project plan

The Purpose

Keep the systems management project on track.
Mitigate resistance to change and centralized visibility and control.
Make a business case for investing in a systems management solution.

Key Benefits Achieved

Concrete goals and well-defined scope for keeping the systems management project on track.
Team buy-in on high-level project decisions.
A compelling business case for your systems management project.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Determine targets and scope of the implementation project to ensure you’re solving the right issues.

Systems Management Project Charter Template

3.2

Build a high-level project timeline that leads to a realistic success scenario.

3.3

Assemble your project team and arrange participation to ensure buy-in and project success.

3.4

Plan your approach for process improvement to keep the project grounded in clearly defined goals and scope.

3.5

Outline high-level technical requirements for the systems management solution.

3.6

Develop a planning-level cost-benefit business case to ensure project costs stay within the value threshold.

3.7

Document decisions using the Systems Management Project Charter Template and present to management for approval.

Module 4: Evaluate and select systems management tools

The Purpose

Focus on the solutions that are best suited for your organization’s needs.
Expedite the evaluation and selection process in order to get to pilot and deployment phases faster.
Evaluate and select a systems management solution.

Key Benefits Achieved

Defined requirements for a systems management solution.
A shortlist of systems management solutions to evaluate.
An RFP or demo script to expedite evaluation and selection.

Activities

Outputs

4.1

Establish the selection committee.

Systems Management Feature Evaluation Tool

4.2

Define requirements to guide selection.

Systems Management RFP Template

4.3

Determine which type of solution is best for your organization.

4.4

Decide which vendor solutions to evaluate.

4.5

Review and revise the business case to ensure expected costs are still within the value threshold.

4.6

Create and submit an RFP using Info-Tech’s RFP Template.

Module 5: Deploy the systems management solution

The Purpose

Consistently manage and continuously improve systems management processes.
Track benefits and value of the systems management project.
Sustain and continuously improve your systems management implementation.

Key Benefits Achieved

A visual SOP for systems management.
Project milestones and targets.
Plans for dealing with challenges and potential setbacks.

Activities

Outputs

5.1

Create a visual standard operating procedure (SOP) to consistently manage and improve processes.

Systems Management SOP Template

5.2

Schedule milestones to measure the progress and value of the systems management implementation.

Systems Management Project Scorecard

5.3

Measure the value of the systems management implementation.

5.4

Track performance of systems and components to proactively identify issues and problems.

5.5

Discuss possible implications and remedial actions for underperformance.

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Table of Contents

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 3 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Call 1: Analyze your systems management priorities and challenges

Save time by targeting areas with the most impact and business value. Assess your current and target capability levels in order to ground project execution in concrete, realistic objectives.
Call 2: Decide on systems management goals, solutions, and next steps

Make decisions on tools, processes, and people involved in systems management. Make a business case for investing in a systems management solution. Expedite the evaluation and selection process in order to get to pilot and deployment phases faster.
Call 3: Implement systems management processes and tools

Mitigate common risks and pitfalls. Sustain and continuously improve your systems management implementation. Track benefits and value of the systems management project.