ITIL: Relevance and use of it for IT Service Delivery for All Organizations

 

Let's delve into the relevance of ITIL Foundation for organizations and explore which form of ITIL is most conducive for service and healthcare sectors.

 Why ITIL Foundation Matters for Organizations:

1.  Core Best Practices: ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) provides an integrated set of processes and best practices for delivering IT services to customers. It serves as a framework that organizations can adopt to enhance their IT service management.

2.  Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: Originally developed by the United Kingdom Government, ITIL aims to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of IT service management. By following ITIL practices, organizations can streamline processes and optimize resource utilization.

3.  Global Standard: Over the years, ITIL has become a globally recognized standard in the IT industry. Thousands of businesses and organizations have implemented ITIL, making it a valuable skill set for IT professionals.

4.  Certification: ITIL certifications cover various service lifecycle areas. IT professionals can earn certifications by taking training courses and passing exams. Having an ITIL Foundations certification is often considered a prerequisite for IT roles in many companies.

5.  Language Bridge: ITIL provides a common language for both business and IT. It ensures effective communication and alignment between different stakeholders.

 

ITIL use in various Industries: Industries such as diverse as Education, Public Sector and Healthcare and even Real Estate all benefit from ITIL practices.

 

Let's explore how ITIL practices can benefit diverse industries from Real Estate and Healthcare to Education and the Public Sector.

1.  Education Sector:

○        Efficient Service Delivery: ITIL ensures streamlined processes, leading to efficient service delivery in educational institutions. From managing student records to providing online learning platforms, ITIL helps maintain reliability and availability.

○        Cost Control: By optimizing IT processes, educational organizations can reduce costs associated with infrastructure maintenance, software licensing, and support services.

○        Risk Mitigation: ITIL's change management practices minimize disruptions during system upgrades or maintenance, ensuring uninterrupted learning experiences.

2.  Public Sector:

○        Service Quality: ITIL promotes standardized service delivery, enhancing citizen satisfaction. Whether it's issuing permits, handling tax filings, or managing public infrastructure, ITIL ensures consistent and reliable services.

○        Transparency: ITIL's defined processes improve visibility into IT operations, allowing government agencies to track performance, allocate resources effectively, and maintain transparency.

○        Compliance: ITIL aligns with ISO/IEC 20000 standards, making it easier for public sector organizations to achieve certification and demonstrate compliance.

3.  Healthcare Industry:

○        Patient Care Continuity: ITIL helps healthcare organizations manage critical systems, ensuring 24/7 availability. Reliable IT services are essential for patient care, appointment scheduling, and medical records management.

○        Cost Efficiency: By optimizing processes, healthcare institutions can reduce operational costs while maintaining service quality. ITIL's incident management and problem resolution practices contribute to cost control.

○        Security and Compliance: As described above, ITIL aligns with security standards, safeguarding patient data and ensuring compliance with regulations like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

4.  Real Estate Sector:

○        Facility Management: ITIL practices assists in managing real estate assets, from building maintenance to space allocation. It ensures efficient handling of service requests, minimizing downtime and improving tenant satisfaction.

○        Vendor Management: ITIL's supplier management practices help real estate companies collaborate effectively with contractors, vendors, and service providers. This includes IT services and solutions.

○        Change Management: Real estate projects involve frequent changes (e.g., renovations, relocations). ITIL's change management processes ensure smooth transitions without disrupting operations.

ITIL practices has been integrated with the teams I have worked on and implemented IT delivery mechanisms following ITIL practices. While we did not follow all ITIL guidelines, it was used extensively in managing and tracking tickets and ensuring the services that were provided were effectively provided. Our ticketing system had all ITSM practices integrated to ensure entering, tracking and closure of tickets effectively and ensuring proper communication was provided. Accountability of the tickets was equally important as well as considering how tickets needed to be handled for addressing any issues and were they meeting SLA delivery standards.

In summary, ITIL provides a structured approach to IT service management across diverse industries, leading to better efficiency, quality service, and organizational growth. 🌐🏢🏥🏘️

Source(s)

1.  Benefits of ITIL Foundations: Is It Worth It? - newhorizons.com

2.  What is ITIL Foundations? A Complete Guide - New Horizons

3.  Importance of ITIL Foundation Certification in 2023 - MicroTek

4.  ITIL Foundation Certification Prep | Global Knowledge

5.  3 Ways That ITIL Can Support IT Healthcare Organizations

6.  5 Reasons Why ITIL framework best aligns in Healthcare Organizations ...

7.  7 Reasons Why You Should Consider ITIL Certification - Invensis Learning

8.  ITIL in different industries - Simplilearn

9.  Top 5 Benefits of ITIL | Thought Rock

10. Benefits of Implementing ITIL in an Organization - Spiceworks

11. What Is ITIL? A Beginner’s Guide to the ITIL Process | Coursera

 

 

 

 

Six Things to Help Lead a Good Life!!

Six things that are so important for all of us to develop and in my opinion are needed for a Good Life.

1. Good Thoughts: If you work with dedication and true purpose you can achieve what you desire. Good thoughts are the beginning of everything. Consider win-win situations and hope positive things for all. Good Attitude is developed with good thoughts. Therefore, a good positive attitude is equally important for leading a remarkable life.

2. Good Actions: You need to do your 'Karma' (actions). Rest you leave the results to the All Mighty. You will get the fruits of your labor based on what is good for you! What you think is what your actions turn out to be. Make sure you volunteer and help others who are less fortunate. We are on this earth for a short period. Help others out.

3. Have a Purpose and be an Avid Learner: Humans should consider themselves fortunate to be given the option to improve themselves. We all can improve your situation if you make your mind up and consider what is your goals are in life. An empty mind is a devil's mind. Therefore, ensure that you are working on your self everyday. So learn something every day and even better share that learning.

4. Gratitude: As you go through life's journey, you realize that life is more than your work and you need to value your relationships. You need to value, your parents, wife, kids, family members, friends and your co-workers and people in general. A deep sense of gratitude is essential as nothing can be achieived without your family and friends network. I Thank each one for that reason.

5. Forgiveness: This can be a challenge and very difficult to do. However, you need to develop a means to forgive people who have wronged you. That not only closes a chapter for you it allows peace of mind to yourself. It is a challenging trait to develop but provides tremendous positive results.

6. Be Respectful. If you want respect you need to give respect. It is a two way street. Mutual respect creates a positive environment for living a positive and peaceful life.

I see all these qualities that lead to a more happier and healthier life.

Developing Social Skills as a Remote Worker: 5 Key Tips

 

As a Senior Manager in an organization that supported over 1000 plus independent contractors who did not come to the office, I have worked with numerous remote teams and individuals over the course of my career.  Based on my expertise, as well as insights from Rebecca Knight's recent HBR article "How to Improve Your Soft Skills as a Remote Worker," here are 5 key things remote workers can do to boost their social skills and productivity:

1. Conduct a soft skills self-audit. Assess your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to skills like communication, collaboration, creativity etc. Develop a plan to improve in key areas - whether it's public speaking training, art classes or improv workshops.

2. Have one-on-one conversations to establish shared values. Don't just talk business - take time to understand your colleagues' passions, preferences and circumstances to establish common ground. 

3. Make people feel seen and heard in group settings. In meetings, pay close attention and refer back to what others said to show you care. Take notes on personal details colleagues share to follow up later. 

4. Carefully observe verbal and non-verbal cues on video calls. Watch for facial expressions, vocal tones and other signals to get better at reading the virtual room. Seek context if you notice something off.

5. Proactively ask for feedback on your soft skills. Schedule check-ins with your manager or discreetly message colleagues after meetings to ask how you are coming across and what you could improve.

While working remotely makes it harder to pick up on social nuances, being intentional about continuous improvement goes a long way. With concerted effort to connect, communicate and collaborate, remote workers can become truly productive members of a cohesive team.

 

Arnaud Collery from Humanava, a Coaching, Training and Team Building Company uses the term “Compétences transversales”. ‘Competences transverales” means skills you can deploy in any kind of professional situation. According to a recent Linkedin Survey, 72% of the people value soft skills to AI skills. Therefore, it is extremely important that employees continue to build soft skills in this new digital environment.

Look forward to further engagement on this topic as companies are still trying to address the “The Great Resignation” issue with employees while also seeing significant Tech lay offs at the same time recently. There is a happy medium where businesses can be sure that they are getting engaged and productive employees  while employees feel that they are valuable team members and doing great work for the company. Look forward to getting more insights on this topic.

 

Source:

How to improve your soft skills as a remote worker , Rebecca Knight  Harvard Business Review,

What is Digital Trust ? How can businesses effectively implement it ?

As a cybersecurity expert, I would like to share my thoughts on the Digital Trust principle and how it can help businesses in 2024 and beyond.

The Digital Trust principle is a set of guidelines that businesses can follow to ensure that their digital operations are secure, reliable, and trustworthy. It is based on the idea that trust is the foundation of any successful digital business, and that businesses must take proactive steps to build and maintain that trust.

The Digital Trust principle includes several key elements, including data privacy, security, and transparency. By following these guidelines, businesses can ensure that their customers' data is protected, their systems are secure, and their operations are transparent.

In 2024 and beyond, the Digital Trust principle will become increasingly important as businesses continue to rely on digital technologies to drive growth and innovation. With the rise of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things, businesses will need to be more vigilant than ever to ensure that their digital operations are secure and trustworthy.

By following the Digital Trust principle, businesses can build trust with their customers, protect their data, and ensure that their digital operations are secure and reliable. This will be critical in the years ahead as businesses continue to navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing digital landscape.

 

Digital Trust Implementation

To implement a digital trust environment [5], businesses can follow these steps:

1.  Prioritize trust: Make digital trust a top priority for your business.

2.  Understand your constituents: Understand the expectations of your customers and stakeholders.

3.  Do more than just check the boxes: Go beyond ticking the right boxes on a checklist and assess the factors that support or detract from digital trust.

4.  Foster a culture of trust: Build a culture of trust within your organization.

5.  Invest in technology: Invest in the right technology to support digital trust.

6.  Be transparent: Be transparent about your digital business practices.

7.  Continuously improve: Continuously improve your digital trust environment.

 

 

Digital Privacy

Digital privacy is important for digital trust because it is one of the key elements of the Digital Trust principle. By protecting their customers' data privacy, businesses can build trust with their customers and ensure that their digital operations are secure and reliable. Digital privacy is also important for regulatory compliance and can help businesses avoid costly fines and legal issues.

 

Businesses can measure the effectiveness of their digital trust environment through various methods, including the following:

 

1. Quantifiable Metrics: By quantifying monetizable metrics, organizations can identify the impact of program improvements on digital trust. This can include measuring outcomes important to the business, such as customer lifetime value and direct financial impacts on the organization.[11]

 

2. Outage Reduction and Compliance: Metrics related to reducing outages, maintaining compliance, and minimizing risk can demonstrate progress towards digital trust goals. For example, tracking outages caused by unintended certificate expiration can be a visible metric that resonates with the board and underscores the importance of digital trust to business objectives.[12]

 

3. Customer Trust and Business Impact: Organizations can measure the impact of digital trust on customer trust, revenue, customer loyalty, and reputation. Low digital trust can lead to negative consequences, while high digital trust can bring benefits such as increased revenue and a positive reputation.[13]

 

4. Transparency and Integrity: Measuring the organization's transparency, reliability, and user-centricity in handling data and responding to cyber incidents can be crucial for building and maintaining digital trust. Being transparent about data practices and having reliable messaging during cyber incidents can demonstrate the organization's integrity around digital trust.[15]

 

By employing these measurement strategies, businesses can assess the effectiveness of their digital trust environment, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate the financial impact of digital trust on the organization.

 

In conclusion, the Digital Trust principle is an essential framework for businesses looking to build trust with their customers and ensure that their digital operations are secure and reliable. By following these guidelines and measuring key metrics for success, businesses can protect their data, build trust with their customers, and position themselves for success in the years ahead.

  Source(s)

1. 2024 Global Digital Trust Insights Survey | PwC

2. PwC DTI 2024

3. New Digital Trust Research Reveals Gaps, Benefits and Key ... - ISACA

4. Seven Key Steps to Build Digital Trust - ISACA

5. Understanding and Implementing Digital Trust Effectively - ISACA

6. Trust In A Digital Environment - Forbes

7. The importance of digital trust | Deloitte Insights

8. Building digital trust: Technology can lead the way - Deloitte US

9. Digital trust. Why it's important for your business

10. The Role Of Digital Privacy In Brand Trust - Forbes

11. Measuring effectiveness of digital trust | KPMG

12. Measuring Success with Digital Trust | Digicert

13. Deliver Customer value by building digital trust | InfoTech Research

14. Measure Digital trust why so different world | Linkedin Post

15. Are you ready to build your organizations digital trust | Security Intelligence Article

Why do we do Training ??

 

Most Popular Project Methodologies and when to use them ?

Project management methodologies are essential for the success of any project. Each approach has its unique characteristics, advantages, and limitations. In this blog post, we'll explore the most popular project management methodologies, analyze their pros and cons, and provide practical examples for better understanding. I will also share what software tools are beneficial to help track the specific projects.

Waterfall

Description: The Waterfall methodology follows a linear, sequential process. Each phase flows downward like a waterfall.

⦁          Pros: Predictability and structured, ideal for large projects with multiple stakeholders.

⦁          Cons: Inflexible and risk of scope creep.

Example: Building a bridge—each phase must be completed before moving to the next.

 

PRINCE2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments)

Description: PRINCE2 is a process-based methodology that emphasizes controlled project management.

⦁          Pros: Formalized approach and risk management.

⦁          Cons: Complexity and significant work on documentation.

Example: Implementing an IT system upgrade—following PRINCE2 stages.

 

Critical Path Method (CPM) and Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)

Description: CPM identifies the longest path of dependent tasks, while CCPM focuses on resource constraints and buffers.

⦁          Pros: CPM offers accurate project scheduling, and CCPM ensures efficient resource utilization.

⦁          Cons: CPM ignores resource constraints, and CCPM requires discipline to manage buffers.

Example: Constructing a high-rise building—CPM for task sequencing, CCPM for resource allocation.

 

Scrum

Description: Scrum is an Agile framework emphasizing iterative development, time-boxed sprints, and cross-functional teams.

⦁          Pros: Adaptability and collaboration.

⦁          Cons: Limited documentation and dependency on team communication.

Example: Developing a mobile app—small, incremental updates based on user feedback.

 

Extreme Programming (XP)

Description: XP focuses on software development practices like pair programming, continuous

integration, and test-driven development.

⦁          Pros: Quality assurance and customer involvement.

⦁          Cons: Resource-intensive and not ideal for large teams.

Example: Creating a web application—pair programming, automated testing, and short iterations.

 

Agile

Description: Agile principles value collaboration, adaptability, and iterative development.

⦁          Pros: Flexibility and faster delivery.

⦁          Cons: Lack of documentation and dependency on team communication.

Example: Developing a customer portal—Agile ceremonies, backlog refinement, and sprint planning.

 

Lean

Description: Lean focuses on efficiency, waste reduction, and continuous improvement.

⦁          Pros: Waste elimination and customer value.

⦁          Cons: Complex implementation and not ideal for large projects.

Example: Streamlining a supply chain—eliminating bottlenecks and reducing inventory.

 

Six Sigma

Description: Six Sigma aims for near-perfect quality by minimizing defects and variations.

⦁          Pros: Quality improvement and structured approach.

⦁          Cons: Resource-intensive and requires specialized training.

Example: Reducing defects in a manufacturing process—measuring defects, analyzing root causes, and implementing improvements.

 

Software Selection Choices:

When choosing a project management framework, it's also important to consider the software tools commonly used for each methodology. For example:

⦁          Waterfall: Microsoft Project, Primavera P6

⦁          Agile: Jira, Trello, Asana

⦁          Scrum: Jira (with Scrum boards), Trello (with custom workflows)

⦁          Lean: Value Stream Mapping (VSM) tools, such as Lucidchart or Miro

⦁          Six Sigma: Minitab, SigmaXL

 

In conclusion, choosing the right project management framework depends on your project's unique characteristics. Consider the factors mentioned and carefully evaluate your project's needs to make an informed decision. This comprehensive guide provides an overview of various project management methodologies, their strengths, weaknesses, and practical examples, empowering you to make the best choice for your team.

 

Source: 

Project Management Methodologies All PMs Should Know – Forbes Advisor

Project Management Methodologies: 12 Best Frameworks [2023] • Asana

12 Project Management Methodologies: Your Guide | Coursera

 

The State of IT in Organizations in 2024: Challenges and Opportunities

 

The year 2024 is a critical one for organizations around the world, as they face not only economic volatility, geopolitical instability, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a range of organizational shifts that have significant implications for their structures, processes, and people. These shifts include complex questions about how to organize for speed and resilience, find the right balance between in-person and remote work models, address employees’ declining mental health, and build new institutional capabilities at a time of rapid technological change, among others.

In this article, I will explore three most important shifts that organizations are grappling with, and provide some ideas and suggestions on how to approach them, based on the latest research and best practices from leading experts and practitioners.

Increasing speed, strengthening resilience

One of the key challenges that organizations face today is how to increase their speed and agility, while also strengthening their resilience and ability to cope with future shocks. According to a survey of more than 2,500 business leaders conducted by McKinsey², only half of the respondents say their organization is well prepared to anticipate and react to external shocks, and two-thirds see their organization as overly complex and inefficient.

To address this challenge, organizations need to adopt a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation, and embrace a culture of experimentation and innovation. They also need to streamline their decision-making processes, empower their frontline employees, and leverage data and analytics to inform their actions. Moreover, they need to invest in their digital capabilities, such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity, to enable faster and more secure operations. Digital Trust will be essential as cyber security threats will be increasingly more sophisticated and authenticity of users will become more crucial.

‘True hybrid’: The new balance of in-person and remote work

Another major shift that organizations are experiencing is the transition to a hybrid work model, where employees can work from off-site locations for some or much of the time. This shift was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many organizations to adopt remote work as a necessity. However, even after the pandemic subsides, many organizations are expected to continue with hybrid work as a strategic choice, as it offers benefits such as increased productivity, flexibility, and employee satisfaction.

However, hybrid work also poses some challenges, such as maintaining collaboration, communication, and culture across distributed teams, ensuring equity and inclusion for all employees, and providing adequate support and resources for remote workers. To overcome these challenges, organizations need to rethink their work policies, practices, and norms, and design a ‘true hybrid’ model that balances the needs and preferences of both in-person and remote workers. They also need to leverage digital tools and platforms, such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management software, to facilitate seamless and effective collaboration and communication. There are a plethora of tolls in this space now and IT departments will have to ensure they manage these solutions more effectively as well.

Making way for applied AI

A third significant shift that organizations are witnessing is the rise of AI as a powerful and pervasive technology that can transform various aspects of their business. AI can help organizations automate tasks, optimize processes, enhance customer experiences, generate insights, and create new value propositions. According to a study by Spiceworks³, organizations spend a median of 11.1% of their total IT budget on AI, and this figure is expected to increase in the future.

However, AI also brings some challenges, such as ensuring the quality, reliability, and ethics of AI systems, managing the impact of AI on the workforce and the society, and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration between humans and machines. To address these challenges, organizations need to adopt a holistic and human-centric approach to AI, and focus on applying AI to solve real business problems and create positive outcomes. They also need to develop the skills and capabilities of their employees, partners, and customers, to enable them to use, interact with, and benefit from AI. Many organizations are extensively using this technology for increased productivity and more personalized customer experiences.

 

Conclusion

The state of IT in organizations in 2024 is dynamic and complex, as organizations face multiple shifts and uncertainties in their environment and operations. However, these shifts also offer opportunities for organizations to innovate, differentiate, and grow, by embracing change and adopting new technologies and practices. By doing so, organizations can not only survive, but also thrive, in the new normal.

Source(s)

1. The State of Organizations in 2023 | McKinsey

2. State of IT 2024 - Research - Spiceworks

3. The State of IT Spend 2024: Key Takeaways - Spiceworks

 

Get Ahead of the Curve: Top 10 Cybersecurity Trends You Need to Know in 2024

 

Staying secure in the ever-evolving digital landscape is a never-ending battle. But fret not, fellow security warriors! By keeping our eyes on the horizon, we can anticipate emerging threats and implement proactive measures.

Here are the top 10 cybersecurity trends heating up in 2024:

1. AI & ML Take Center Stage: From threat detection to incident response, AI and machine learning are revolutionizing cybersecurity. Expect smarter systems learning from vast datasets, predicting attacks, and optimizing defenses.

2. The Rise of Zero Trust: Gone are the days of trusting everyone within the network perimeter. Zero trust verifies every user and device, granting access only based on strict authorization. No more blind faith!

3. Cloud Under Attack: As cloud adoption skyrockets, so do targeted attacks. Securing cloud infrastructure and data will be paramount for organizations of all sizes. Check out the Cloudflare attacks and Okta attacks a few months ago that occurred recently and non-state and state actors are going to increasingly threaten cloud and other infrastructure platforms.

4. Mobile, the New Frontier: Our mobile devices hold a treasure trove of sensitive data. Be prepared for sophisticated mobile malware and phishing attacks aimed at exploiting vulnerabilities. Users should ensure updates on phones and mobile devices as a minimum and be extremely careful as more sophisticated threats including more sophisticated SMSishing attacks.  

5. The IoT Explosion: With billions of connected devices, the attack surface is expanding rapidly. Securing these devices and the networks they operate on will be crucial. You can check out an average home and you have more than 10 devices that are connected including Smart TVs, Nest and other products.

6. Insider Threats on the Rise: Disgruntled employees or malicious actors pose a significant threat. Invest in robust identity and access management (IAM) and user behavior monitoring. There should be clear Separation of Duties and considering an annual checkup of Identity Management of all employees on access control as needed for the job required.

7. Phishing Gets Personal: Expect more sophisticated phishing campaigns using social engineering and AI-generated content to target individuals and exploit weaknesses. Stay vigilant! Ensure that your MX records and the DMARC entries are updated for your email domains and expect the end user to be targeted. Constant Training for employees is essential.

8. Passwordless Authentication: The era of weak passwords is coming to an end. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and passwordless solutions like biometrics or security keys are gaining traction. There are some SAAS application holders who continue to provide services that continue to not require MFA. It is essential that all SAAS providers implement MFA at a minimum.

9. ⚖️ The Regulatory Landscape: Expect stricter data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA to evolve, impacting how organizations collect, store, and secure personal data. US State laws are going to target Privacy concerns as well. Expect significant scrutiny in this space and regulations will continue to expand to protect consume privacy interests.

10. ‍ Bridging the Skills Gap: The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals is outpacing supply. Investing in training and development will be key to building a strong cybersecurity workforce.

Remember: Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. By staying informed, collaborating, and implementing proactive measures, we can build a more secure digital future for all.

**What are your biggest cybersecurity concerns for 2024? Share your thoughts in the comments below! **

#cybersecurity #infosec #securityawareness #ai #iot #cloud #privacy #phishing #mobile #skillsgap #trends

P.S. Want to dive deeper? Check out these resources for more insights:

References:

Check out the following article Most Common Cyber Security Threats In 2024 – Forbes Advisor

Check our www.knowbe4.com for a good Information Security Training platform)

 

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