TMCnet News
Logicalis US to CIOs: Digital Transformation and IoT Success Require a Strong ITSM FoundationNEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- If there's one takeaway from the recent holiday season, it's that there has been an explosion in the popularity and adoption of Internet-connected devices among American consumers. Interestingly, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is similarly on the rise in industrial applications. In fact, research and advisory firm Gartner1 predicts there will be nearly 21 billion connected "things" in use worldwide by 2020, and that 7.6 billion of those will be a combination of cross-industry and vertical market units – impressive numbers that should catch the attention of every CIO. From weight scales and robotics in manufacturing plants to smart security, smart buildings and smart transportation initiatives, IT leaders in nearly every vertical market will soon be inundated with the management of both the data from these devices as well as the management of the devices themselves, each of which require the same lifecycle management as any other IT equipment. According to Logicalis US, an international IT solutions and managed services provider (www.us.logicalis.com), this can be an overwhelming realization for CIOs who don't have an adequate configuration management strategy for their current IT environments, the foundation upon which all future digital strategies – Internet-connected or otherwise – will be built. "If you have the right framework in place, your organization can evolve as its digital transformation takes shape," says Mike Alley, Service Management Principal, Logicalis US. "But you can't take full advantage of the Internet of Things – or the developing digital age – without a strong overall service management strategy which includes configuration management as a key component. Configuration management is one of the top ITIL processes, and while people talk a lot about it, it is the least implemented, yet perhaps the most foundational. If you don't get configuration management right, you can't build what you need to create a true digital strategy on top of it." Configuration management is the process by which IT tracks and manages each configuration item (CI) within that organization – from individual pieces of the IT infrastructure such as servers or network routers to IT services or policies – throughout that CI's lifecycle, acquisition to disposal. In the operational phase, this includes designing and implementing processes for continuously gathering data and updating the configuration management database (CMDB) with each CI's current status – both in-house and cloud-based – as well as the relationships it has with other CIs and the impact each device has on key business processes. To build a solid foundation and ensure IT is being aligned with the business' needs, CIOs also need a strong configuration management governance model. The right model will have a defined framework and set of implementation and operational policies that includes roles and responsibilities, guiding pinciples, defined controls and key performance indicators, and it will have the support and endorsement of upper management. Three Telltale Questions
Want to Learn More?
1Press Release: "Gartner Says 8.4 Billion Connected 'Things' Will Be in Use in 2017, Up 31 Percent from 2016" About Logicalis Our customers span industries and geographical regions; our focus is to engage in the dynamics of our customers' vertical markets including financial services, TMT (telecommunications, media and technology), education, healthcare, retail, government, manufacturing and professional services, and to apply the skills of our 4,500 employees in modernizing key digital pillars, data center and cloud services, security and network infrastructure, workspace communications and collaboration, data and information strategies, and IT operation modernization. We are the advocates for our customers for some of the world's leading technology companies including Cisco, HPE, IBM, NetApp, Microsoft, VMware and ServiceNow. The Logicalis Group has annualized revenues of over $1.5 billion from operations in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa. It is a division of Datatec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenues of over $4 billion. For more information, visit www.us.logicalis.com. Business and technology working as one Media Contacts: Arthur Germain, Communication Strategy Group for Logicalis US
View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/logicalis-us-to-cios-digital-transformation-and-iot-success-require-a-strong-itsm-foundation-300575095.html SOURCE Logicalis US |