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Risk
analysis is inextricably linked with
disaster recovery. assessment of the
risks which may lead to disaster is
essential in the determination of
what controls are appropriate to the
situation. Again, however, risk
analysis is often made more
difficult than necessary.
The
Threat & Vulnerability Assessment
Tool Kit
and tool was designed to simplify
matters, and to make risk analysis
more widely accessible through
automation. It is now probably the
most widely used product and method
in the world
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06/30/2009 Managing Productivity and Costs in a Turbulent Economy -
There have been unprecedented events in
the global markets that will have a profound impact on enterprises of all types.
Enterprises need to take proactive measures to mitigate the risk of coming under
severe financial pressure themselves.
Is traditional "cost
cutting"really the answer? Cost reduction is a promising solution to sustain
profitability for nearly all organizations. However, the key to success is
finding creative ways to prevent costs.
Metrics are the way we see
it. Metrics based solutions allow enterprises to improve their
understanding of the key drivers of profitability and enable them to develop a
cost redistribution program that will ensure long-term financial viability. It
is critical to identify the areas where cost can be eliminated or reduced
and to create and implement a formal cost review process.
Enterprises of all types are feeling the pressure
as customers' disposable income decreases while trying to keep up with higher
costs of living. Over the last several years, cost management strategies have
become the focus of executive management due to global economic challenges.
These external drivers of cost management include:
- Marketplace Competition -
competitors providing similar products at lower prices
- Recession Fears - less
cash flow in the marketplace
- Rising Production Costs -
increasing cost of energy and material
- Inflation - declining value of
currency and/or rising prices of goods and services
Increased
- Investors and Boards of Directors
Pressures - missed revenue targets, mergers and
acquisitions
more info
06/20/2009 ITSM Metrics -
IT Service Management Metrics are defined in the ITSM Template.
IT Service Management is possible only with client
and IT agreement that service is being delivered. The ITSM SOA
Template is the perfect
solution.
more info
06/16/2009 Setting Priorities With Tight Budgets -
Meet with each user groups executives and ask them
if they could get only one project done, what it would be. The rule for the
discussion: They describe their projects in terms of business change, not in
terms of software requirements ("We need to improve productivity in the
warehouse by picking items more efficiently," not "We need an inventory picking
system enhancement.")
 Next,
call a meeting with your business analysts. Walk them through the full list,
then parcel out the requests based on each analyst's expertise and ability to
get along with the various execs. In this discussion, let them know you're
looking for quick solutions that are good enough, not elegant solutions that
will withstand the test of time. Their job is to figure out how to get each exec
most of the improvement they're looking for and quickly, not all of the
improvements they'd like done the "right way."
This means that if a twice-a-day batch extract
into Excel file works, there is no need to create a real-time
SOA-driven interface. It means that a once-a-night dump-and-load into Excel
might be a better answer than enhancing the data warehouse and its business
intelligence interface.
It might mean nothing more than teaching their
staff how to assign tasks to each other using plain-vanilla existing software,
instead of deploying a full-blown, enterprise-scale integrated project
management solution.
more info
06/10/2009 CIO Need to Hire and Develop IT Staff -
 Successful CIOs are utilizing
sophisticated, aggressive hiring
tactics to acquire the most desirable personnel wherever they may be, while
at the same time putting extensive emphasis on retaining and developing internal
talent.
This
is not easy given the current economic situation. Developing an adequate in-house talent
pool demands more than a simple training program for employees' development.
Establishing a strong, predictable internal talent pipeline requires:
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Clarity of role and expected performance
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Management of employees at every level
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Guided training, education, and career planning
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Assignment of eligible staff to the most exciting projects to
motivate them and ensure a satisfying work
experience
more info
06/04/2009 IT Metrics Key to Success in Troubled Times -
You cannot
manage what you do not measure. In addition, once
you measure you modify behavior. Yet many organizations do a very poor job (or
no job at all) of measuring the business value of their IT investments; but
maximizing the business value of IT investments is the primary objective of good
IT governance. A number of formal measurement methodologies exist for measuring
the business value of IT. Simple ROI or other financial metrics are not good
enough. By employing a consistent, repeatable, credible methodology, that both
the business users and IT are held accountable for and that measures projected
business value as well as the actual value delivered, organizations can
significantly improve their IT investment returns.
Many IT
organizations are under increasing pressure from the board of directors,
executive management, and business unit managers to demonstrate and improve the business value
of their IT investments. However, IT organizations still struggle to measure
business value. Many of the attempts to do so have been focused on ROI measures
at the front end as part of developing a business case for the IT portfolioÂ’s
proposed investments - but these are only estimates of expected business value.
Actual delivered business value can only be measured by taking a life-cycle
approach, working with the business to measure actual benefits after the project
is complete.
Firms that
strive for best practice in IT portfolio management need to apply a credible
standard methodology across the enterprise to measure the business value of
investments, both when proposed and when delivered. The good news is that a
number of IT value methodologies have emerged that can be employed in the
portfolio management process. The key is to adopt one and begin using
it.
more info
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