Often times when things aren’t going quite right in IT, people are quick to blame technology rather than the people or the existing process. In my experience, most mid to top tier ITSM tools can be modified to meet business requirements, rather than investing in new technology.This brings me back to the original question which comes first, the tool or process? In order for an ITSM tool to function effectively, it must enable a robust process. ITIL, Cobit, Six Sigma…..it doesn’t matter, it just needs to follow a best practice framework that is applicable to the organization.

Once the process is defined, then start planning the tool implementation or upgrade (rip and replace isn’t always the answer). Remember to start with reporting requirements first. Often times, if the data isn’t going to be diplayed in a management report, it doesn’t need to be captured in the tool.

Last but not least, in the spirit of continual service improvement, process always needs to be reexamined for improvements. When process is updated, don’t forget the tool!

We are in for an interesting ride in 2009 that’s for sure. The economic slowdown, while not unprecedented, certainly has some unique attributes. The confluence of the financial sector breakdown, aging North American population and wildly fluctuating oil prices makes instability a certainty. So what do we do?

The world continues to turn; the sun comes up each morning.

We need to make the best of the situation. Look for the silver lining and the opportunities. Sure, there will be some dramatic changes for some of us. Many North Americans have been living a life style which needs to change. Clearly we can’t go on consuming the world’s resources at will, expecting others to do the heavy lifting. It’s time to go back to work and be responsible global citizens.

At B Wyze and MindMuze we’re excited by this challenge. We head into 2009 eager to launch new, cost effective and environmentally friendly solutions to our clients around the world.

The technology exists now for us to effectively delivery ITIL Assessments and consulting to our clients around the globe without the need for extensive travel. These services combined with our blended learning ITIL Foundation and ITIL Service Operations certifications can help companies continue down the path of IT process improvement in cost effective and environmentally efficient ways.

Our MindMuze products and services leverage the world of online delivery in ways never before possible. The future holds some truly exciting prospects for Web 2.0 learning communities and Web 3.0 immersive training in virtual worlds such as Second Life. MindMuze will be a leader in bringing these solutions to our clients.

There is no doubt that 2009 will be a challenge for all of us. We look forward to tackling the challenge head on!

What gets measured gets done is a phrase I learned in my Service Marketing fourth year university course. This phrase can be applied to improve processes in the IT industry. If a process does not get measured, it cannot be managed. If the process cannot be managed than nothing can be done to improve the process.

Once a process has matured, it is fairly easy to just leave it as is.

Instead, IT services should always be looking at making continual service improvements to their processes which will better align IT with the goals of the business. ITIL Best Practices suggests using the continuous Deming Cycle process to improve processes. This Deming Cycle consists of - Planning (Planning for improvement initiatives), Doing (Implementation of the improvement initiative), Checking (monitor, measure, review services and processes), and Acting (continual service and service management improvement).

Some of our clients have recently implemented a change management team and they follow the deming cycle process weekly. The change management team is responsible for meeting bi-weekly to measure their success rate from the past weeks change. By measuring improvements the team can plan ahead and make new changes to make the process even better.

IDC reports growth trend of 4% annually for outsourcing over the next several years in Canada. This trend is fueled by the troublesome global economy and the need for IT organizations to further reduce costs. Organizations though should be viewing outsourcing as a strategic model of support, versus simply a cost reduction exercise.

Effective ways to strategically align outsourcing are VIRTUAL Support Center Models whereby the resources supporting customers are doing so remotely. This provides organizations with the ability to partner with outsourcers who can provide a range of talent, at a competitive rate. Additionally, the IDC reports that turnover has historically been a killer in the war on talent. The VIRTUAL Support Center can reduce churn in an otherwise high turnover business.

Outsourcers such as VIRTUAL Support Options can provide a balanced and strategically sourced model for companies looking to reduce costs, but maintain and increase service levels. And because traditional “brick and mortar” outsourcers are limited in their technology options and fixed costs, their ability to remain flexible and adapt to changing technologies for support is limited. As the proliferation of mobile computing continues the requirements for remote support and comparable models of support interaction will increase. VIRTUAL Support Centers can provide organizations with a range of flexibility in service delivery models that may not have today.

B Wyze Holdings Inc. was selected as a Regional Finalist in Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies program for 2008.