- Management Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Management
- Establishing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Aligning IT Goals with Corporate Business Goals
- Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques
- Developing Worthwhile Mission Statements
- Developing Worthwhile Vision Statements
- Instituting Practical Corporate Values
- Budgeting Considerations in an IT Environment
- Introduction to Conducting an Effective SWOT Analysis
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part One
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part Two
- Customer Management
- Identifying Key External Customers
- Identifying Key Internal Customers
- Negotiating with Customers and Suppliers—Part 1: An Introduction
- Negotiating With Customers and Suppliers—Part 2: Reaching Agreement
- Negotiating and Managing Realistic Customer Expectations
- Service Management
- Identifying Key Services for Business Users
- Service-Level Agreements That Really Work
- How IT Evolved into a Service Organization
- FAQs About Systems Management (SM)
- FAQs About Availability (AV)
- FAQs About Performance and Tuning (PT)
- FAQs About Service Desk (SD)
- FAQs About Change Management (CM)
- FAQs About Configuration Management (CF)
- FAQs About Capacity Planning (CP)
- FAQs About Network Management
- FAQs About Storage Management (SM)
- FAQs About Production Acceptance (PA)
- FAQs About Release Management (RM)
- FAQs About Disaster Recovery (DR)
- FAQs About Business Continuity (BC)
- FAQs About Security (SE)
- FAQs About Service Level Management (SL)
- FAQs About Financial Management (FN)
- FAQs About Problem Management (PM)
- FAQs About Facilities Management (FM)
- Process Management
- Developing Robust Processes
- Establishing Mutually Beneficial Process Metrics
- Change Management—Part 1
- Change Management—Part 2
- Change Management—Part 3
- Audit Reconnaissance: Releasing Resources Through the IT Audit
- Problem Management
- Problem Management–Part 2: Process Design
- Problem Management–Part 3: Process Implementation
- Business Continuity Emergency Communications Plan
- Capacity Planning – Part One: Why It is Seldom Done Well
- Capacity Planning – Part Two: Developing a Capacity Planning Process
- Capacity Planning — Part Three: Benefits and Helpful Tips
- Capacity Planning – Part Four: Hidden Upgrade Costs and
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 1
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 2
- 20 Major Elements of Facilities Management
- Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center
- Evaluating the Physical Environment
- Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process – Part Two
- Automating a Robust Infrastructure Process
- Improving High Availability — Part One: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Two: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Three: The Seven R's of High Availability
- Improving High Availability — Part Four: Assessing an Availability Process
- Methods for Brainstorming and Prioritizing Requirements
- Introduction to Disk Storage Management — Part One
- Storage Management—Part Two: Performance
- Storage Management—Part Three: Reliability
- Storage Management—Part Four: Recoverability
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part One
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part Two
- Meeting Today's Cooling Challenges of Data Centers
- Strategic Security, Part One: Assessment
- Strategic Security, Part Two: Development
- Strategic Security, Part Three: Implementation
- Strategic Security, Part Four: ITIL Implications
- Production Acceptance Part One – Definition and Benefits
- Production Acceptance Part Two – Initial Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Three – Middle Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Four – Ongoing Steps
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part One – Objectives
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part Two – SWOT
- Case Study: Implementing an ITIL Service Desk – Part One
- Case Study: Implementing a Service Desk Part Two – Tool Selection
- Ethics, Scandals and Legislation
- Outsourcing in Response to Legislation
- Supplier Management
- Identifying Key External Suppliers
- Identifying Key Internal Suppliers
- Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service
- Enhancing the Customer/Supplier Matrix
- Voice Over IP, Part One — What VoIP Is, and Is Not
- Voice Over IP, Part Two — Benefits, Cost Savings and Features of VoIP
- Application Management
- Production Acceptance
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Assessing a Production Acceptance Process
- Effective Use of a Software Development Life Cycle
- The Role of Project Management in SDLC— Part 2
- Communication in Project Management – Part One: Barriers to Effective Communication
- Communication in Project Management – Part Two: Examples of Effective Communication
- Safeguarding Personal Information in the Workplace: A Case Study
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 1: Building a Manageable Schedule
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 2: Tracking and Reporting Availability
- References
- Developing an ITIL Feasibility Analysis
- Organization and Personnel Management
- Optimizing IT Organizational Structures
- Factors That Influence Restructuring Decisions
- Alternative Locations for the Help Desk
- Alternative Locations for Database Administration
- Alternative Locations for Network Operations
- Alternative Locations for Web Design
- Alternative Locations for Risk Management
- Alternative Locations for Systems Management
- Practical Tips To Retaining Key Personnel
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Using IT Consultants and Contractors
- Deciding Between the Use of Contractors versus Consultants
- Managing Employee Skill Sets and Skill Levels
- Assessing Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff
- Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside
- Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate
- 7 Tips for Managing the Use of Mobile Devices
- Useful Websites for IT Managers
- References
- Automating Robust Processes
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part One: Quality and Value
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part Two: Benefits and Use of a Quality-Value Matrix
- When Should You Integrate or Segregate Service Desks?
- Five Instructive Ideas for Interviewing
- Eight Surefire Tips to Use When Being Interviewed
- 12 Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive
- Eight Uncommon Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Ten Helpful Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Sorting Out Today’s Various Training Options
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 1
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 2
- 12 Tips for More Effective Emails
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part One
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Two
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Three
- Asset Management
- Managing Hardware Inventories
- Introduction to Hardware Inventories
- Processes To Manage Hardware Inventories
- Use of a Hardware Inventory Database
- References
- Managing Software Inventories
- Business Continuity Management
- Ten Lessons Learned from Real-Life Disasters
- Ten Lessons Learned From Real-Life Disasters, Part 2
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 1
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 2
- 15 Common Terms and Definitions of Business Continuity
- The Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Recovery
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 1
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 2
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 3
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 4
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 1
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 2
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 3
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 4
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part One
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Two
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Three
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Four
- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- The Origins of ITIL
- The Foundation of ITIL: Service Management
- Five Reasons for Revising ITIL
- The Relationship of Service Delivery and Service Support to All of ITIL
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part One
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part Two
- Characteristics of ITIL Version 3
- Ten Benefits of itSMF and its IIL Pocket Guide
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Delivery Processes
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Support Processes
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part One: Service Delivery Processes
- Case Study: Recovery Reactions to a Renegade Rodent
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part Two: Service Support
- Case Studies
- Case Study — Preparing for Hurricane Charley
- Case Study — The Linux Decision
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at an Aerospace Firm
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at a Defense Contractor
- Case Study — Evaluating Mainframe Processes
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part One: Quantitative Comparisons/Natural Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Two: Quantitative Comparisons/Man-made Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Three: Qualitative Comparisons
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Four: Take-Aways
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part One: Planning
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Two: Planning and Walk-Through
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Three: Execution
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Four: Follow-Up
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part One: Qualitative Measures
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part Two: Quantitative Measures
- Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part One: What Did the Team Do Well
- (d) Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part Two
During most of 2004 I worked as a business continuity consultant for a major financial services company headquartered in southern California with regional centers nation-wide. I was a member of a small team functioning as the company's business continuity department. One of our first recommendations was to solicit bids for a disaster recovery services contract. Our business justification clearly showed the need for a remote recovery site for both technical and business restorations in the event of a disaster. Executives promptly authorized us to proceed with the process.
We compiled a list of prioritized requirements and incorporated them into a comprehensive and formal request for proposal (RFP). Other necessary departments such as legal and purchasing helped to finalize the document and in early April the company's purchasing agent sent the RFP out to three prospective bidders: IBM, HP and Sungard. The prospective bidders had three weeks to send back their proposals, and with days to spare all three submitted competitive responses. We evaluated the proposals thoroughly, visited their recovery sites and talked with several of their customers. For a variety of reasons including cost, support, references, and capability of facilities, we awarded the contract to Sungard on June 1st.
Our team was eager to test and demonstrate Sungard's capabilities. During July and early August of that year I participated on a cross-functional team planning a simulated disaster recovery exercise. Our plan involved two aspects. One was to restore critical business functions at Sungard's business recovery center in Cypress, California which was some 30 miles from the company's headquarters. The other was to recover technical operations at Sungard's technical recovery center in Scottsdale, Arizona. All planning was proceeding smoothly. On August 12th, with just a week to go before the exercise, our planning efforts took a radical change.
Switching from Simulated Disaster to a Real Disaster
Tropical storm Charley in the Atlantic Ocean had grown into a full blown category 2 hurricane, and it was headed directly for Tampa, FL. My client has a large regional center in Tampa close to the gulf. On Thursday afternoon, August 12th, residents of the entire Tampa region were ordered to evacuate. For the next 72 hours our team suspended all planning for the simulated exercise, and went into full emergency mode to cope with a real-life disaster. We pulled together all necessary personnel, took preventative actions in Tampa to facilitate a recovery, and evaluated our options of re-locating the Tampa office functions to either New York or Chicago.
Even though New York was planning for the Republican convention, and hotel rooms and security were possible concerns, we quickly determined that New York would be the better of the two choices to facilitate a quick and successful recovery. IT, Facilities, Telecom, Administration, Security, Business Continuity and the Business Units all participated, locally and remotely, in the planning and decision-making process.
On Friday morning we met again to report status on various recovery plans that by now involved teams of personnel in southern California, in Tampa, and in New York. Managers also authorized flying in special support personnel to Orlando because they considered Tampa too dangerous a place to land at that time. After all of the technical teams gave their updates, the recovery team leader inquired if there were any other concerns to discuss. The business unit representative raised her hand and quietly asked what soon became a bombshell of a question, "What about the loan documents?"
All 13 of us in the meeting turned to her as the meeting leader responded, "What do you mean, the loan documents?" The business unit rep went on to explain how there were tens of thousands of loan documents in cardboard boxes on the first floor of the building. These documents were of loans that were in process, and by policy would be scanned in as electronic documents only after the loans had fully funded. Because the building was within a quarter mile of the gulf coast and forecasters predicted ten foot storm surges, the team's emphasis quickly switched from the recovery of very high tech systems to the safeguarding of very low tech, but critical, hardcopy records. For the next three hours staffers moved hundreds of cardboard boxes to higher levels and safer locations.
Mother Nature Takes a Turn for the Better
By Friday afternoon we had all of our plans in place and were about to activate them. Over 2 million people had evacuated the Tampa area and the hurricane had grown to a category 4 with winds up to 145 mph. Then, rather suddenly, hurricane Charley turned sharply to the right and made landfall just north of Fort Myers, about 100 miles south of Tampa. Within hours we were able to confirm that my client's Tampa office was relatively unaffected. All of this occurred on Friday the 13th.
We still had follow-up work to do the next day. Teams went in to assess the facility, restore power, and make other arrangements to ensure full operation by Monday morning. Aside from a few minor local phone company problems, there were no significant issues to report. The entire facility was back to full operation by Sunday morning. As we resumed our planning for the simulation exercise that would occur this week, it was hard to ignore the irony of what we had just experienced. We had talked about making our simulation as realistic as possible to be able to assess our emergency preparedness. Formulating contingency plans for a real-life category 4 hurricane directly in your path is about as realistic as one can get. Much was learned from the experience. And fortunately for all involved, the quick and thorough contingency plans never had to be activated.
Lessons Learned
The recovery team learned several important lessons from this preparation. One was the importance of having emergency supplies on hand such as flashlights, batteries and water. The second was the need to have petty cash available. Lengthy, widespread power outages knocked ATMs out of service for up to ten hours in some areas. Most persons relied solely on ATMs or credit cards for purchases and during power outages cash was the only way to buy needed items.
The most important lesson was not to overlook the importance of critical documents. After days of planning, evaluating and addressing every possible technical contingency, the recovery learned that vital hardcopy records turned out to be one of the most crucial of elements. For all of our emphasis on advanced technology, there is still a large portion of corporations that rely on non-technical hardcopy materials and these need to be included in any recovery plan. This was the most significant lesson of all.