What is ITOM?
ITOM or IT Operations Management is an umbrella term that covers all activities in the setup, design, configuration, deployment and maintenance of the infrastructure that supports business services in an organization. To put it more simply, ITOM is how the IT landscape is managed in your company.
From network security, configuration and monitoring to devices, applications and personnel, ITOM is what keeps your IT going. ITOM generally leverages several tools to manage these activities individually.
ITOM Best Practices
There are multiple prerequisites for effective IT operations management. Let us look at some of the best practices that will help drive ITOM success for you.
1. Getting Your Leadership on Board
ITOM success requires a major, sustained commitment of resources. Executive buy-in and support can ease the pursuit of that commitment. Executive support can also help navigate cultural changes and minimize or overcome any resistance that is encountered.
2. Take stock of existing processes
To effectively optimize and manage IT operational processes, you must know what these processes are, and their connections to your IT landscape and business goals. You need to have a solid knowledge base of IT operational processes, and robust solutions for the discovery and mapping of your IT landscape. If your business doesn’t already have any of these, your ITOM goals might help justify acquiring them.
Based on the size and complexity of your IT landscape, the scope of the incumbent processes, and the management resources available, your discovery may begin with a manual audit of your environment and processes.
3. Define and Prioritize Your Goals
For any successful IT project, having a project plan is extremely important. It helps in giving yourselves direction, and a step-by-step plan of action in order to achieve your desired goals. In the case of IT operations, these goals may range from acquiring new applications or services to saving operational costs.
4. Choose your deployment method(s)
If you are choosing multiple management methods, you may also need to consider multiple deployment paths. Alternative paths include having dedicated management staff and consultants. You will also need to closely evaluate your candidate methods. In case there is external expertise involved, you will need to pay closer attention to the relevant experience and have greater transparency regarding costs.
5. Align with business goals
Ensure that your ITOM plan is aligned with your business goals for IT and its digital transformation initiatives. Additionally, make sure that your ITOM plans reflect the inputs of all stakeholders and key influencers.
6. Run a data audit
Operational IT process decisions must be based on the best available data. Before moving too far down any particular ITOM solution path, ensure your current data across different platforms is accurate, complete, consistent, up-to-date, and is able to talk with your chosen ITOM solution.
7. Automate
Identify all the mundane and repetitive IT management tasks that can be easily automated. Then, automate those tasks by using rules based on business policies. Automation ensures that the tasks are performed consistently. It also eliminates human errors and allows skilled workers to work on more skilled and complex tasks.
8. Integrate with other IT solutions
Integrate ITOM with the other IT management functions which are mainly but not limited to ITSM and ITAM. If your business isn’t using any configuration management database (CMDB) to consolidate their IT management data, ITOM and IT management integration efforts could justify the investment.
9. Empower the team
Make sure that all of them who are directly involved in ITOM efforts at your business receive comprehensive initial and consistent follow-up training in your chosen solutions and processes. Communicate regularly with them and your key business stakeholders, to create an inclusive culture of ITOM awareness across your business.
10. Choose your partners carefully
Your ITOM commitments must be both high-level and long-term, in order to deliver sustained business solutions. Your chosen solution and service providers must be equally committed to your business’ success. You must ensure that these providers have the strength and relevant experience to deliver on the commitments they make to your business, now and in the future.
Wrapping Up
At EoraTech, we have over 20 years of experience in the technology space. This makes us well equipped to deliver quality solutions for all your IT and security needs. Get in touch with us to find out how we can automate, digitize and transform your business to stay ahead of the curve.