IT Systems Management

RICH SCHIESSER has led IT infrastructure groups at organizations such as Hughes Aircraft, the City of Los Angeles, and Twentieth Century Fox, and for 10 years he managed the primary data center at Northrop Grumman. Rich has also taught IT classes at California State University, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Los Angeles. As a consultant, he now designs and implements infrastructures for a variety of companies including Emery Air Freight, DIRECTV, Option One Mortgage, WhatsHotNow.com, and The Weather Channel.

(NOTE: Each chapter begins with an Introduction and concludes with a Summary.)

List of Figures


List of Tables.


Acknowledgments.


Introduction.
I. BACKGROUND.

1. Historical Perspective.


Systems Management: A Proposed Definition. Timelining Early Developments of Systems Management. The Need for a General-Purpose Computer. A Brief Look at IBM.

2. Evolving in the 1970s and 1980s.


General Purpose Becomes General Expansion. Evolving S/360 into S/370. Significant IT Developments during the 1980s. Continuing Evolution of Mainframe Computers. Extended Use of Midrange Computers. Proliferation of Personal Computers. Emergence of Client-Server Systems. Impact of 1980s' IT Developments on New Systems Management Functions. Impact of 1980s' IT Developments on Existing Systems Management Functions.

3. Into and Beyond the New Millennium.


Reinventing the Mainframe. The Changing of Midrange and Client-Server Platforms. The Growing Use of PCs and Networks. The Global Growth of the Internet. Lingering Effects of the Millennium Bug. Timelining the Disciplines of Systems Management.

II. PEOPLE.

4. Acquiring Executive Support.


Why Executive Support Is Especially Critical Today. Building a Business Case for Systems Management. Educating Executives on the Value of Systems Management. Three Universal Principles Involving Executive Support. Ensuring Ongoing Executive Support.

5. Organizing for Systems Management.


Factors to Consider in Designing IT Organizations. Factors to Consider in Designing IT Infrastructures. Locating Departments in the Infrastructure. Recommended Attributes of Process Owners.

6. Staffing for Systems Management.


Determining Required Skill Sets and Skill Levels. Assessing the Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff. Alternative Sources of Staffing. Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside. Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate. Retaining Key Personnel. Using Consultants and Contractors. Benefits of Using Consultants and Contractors. Drawbacks of Using Consultants and Contractors.

7. Customer Service.


How IT Evolved into a Service Organization. The Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service. Identifying Your Key Customers. Identifying Key Services of Key Customers. Identifying Key Processes that Support Key Services. Identifying Key Suppliers that Support Key Processes. Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service. The Four Cardinal Sins that Undermine Good Customer Service.

III. PROCESSES.

8. Availability.


Definition of Availability. Differentiating Availability from Uptime. Differentiating Slow Response from Downtime. Differentiating Availability from High Availability. Desired Traits of an Availability Process Owner. Methods for Measuring Availability. The Seven Rs of High Availability. Assessing an Infrastructure's Availability Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Availability Process.

9. Performance and Tuning.


Differences between the Performance and Tuning Process and Other Infrastructure Processes. Definition of Performance and Tuning. Preferred Characteristics of a Performance and Tuning Process Owner. Performance and Tuning Applied to the Five Major Resource Environments. Server Environment. Disk Storage Environment. Database Environment. Network Environment. Desktop Computer Environment. Assessing an Infrastructure's Performance and Tuning Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Performance and Tuning Process.

10. Production Acceptance.


Definition of Production Acceptance. The Benefits of a Production Acceptance Process. Implementing a Production Acceptance Process. Full Deployment of a New Application. Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications. Distinguishing Production Acceptance from Change Management. Assessing an Infrastructure's Production Acceptance Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Production Acceptance Process.

11. Change Management.


Definition of Change Management. Drawbacks of Most Change Management Processes. Key Steps Required in Developing a Change Management Process. Emergency Changes Metric. Assessing an Infrastructure's Change Management Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Change Management Process.

12. Problem Management.


Definition of Problem Management. Scope of Problem Management. Distinguishing among Problem, Change, and Request Management. Key Steps to Developing a Problem Management Process. Opening and Closing Problems. Segregating and Integrating Help Desks. Client Issues with Problem Management. Assessing an Infrastructure's Problem Management Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Problem Management Process.

13. Storage Management.


Definition of Storage Management. Desired Traits of a Storage Management Process Owner. Storage Management Capacity. Storage Management Performance. Storage Management Reliability. Storage Management Recoverability. Assessing an Infrastructure's Storage Management Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Storage Management Process.

14. Network Management.


Definition of Network Management. Key Decisions about Network Management. Assessing an Infrastructure's Network Management Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Network Management Process.

15. Configuration Management.


Definition of Configuration Management. Practical Tips for Improving Configuration Management. Assessing an Infrastructure's Configuration Management Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Configuration Management Process.

16. Capacity Planning.


Definition of Capacity Planning. Why Capacity Planning Is Seldom Done Well. How to Develop an Effective Capacity Planning Process. Additional Benefits of Capacity Planning. Helpful Hints for Effective Capacity Planning. Uncovering the Hidden Costs of Upgrades. Assessing an Infrastructure's Capacity Planning Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Capacity Planning Process.

17. Strategic Security.


Definition of Strategic Security. Developing a Strategic Security Process. Assessing an Infrastructure's Strategic Security Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Security Process.

18. Disaster Recovery.


Definition of Disaster Recovery. Case Study: Disaster at the Movie Studio. Three Important Lessons Learned. Steps to Developing an Effective Disaster Recovery Process. Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans. Assessing an Infrastructure's Disaster Recovery Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Disaster Recovery Process.

19. Facilities Management.


Definition of Facilities Management. Major Elements of Facilities Management. The Facilities Management Process Owner. Determining the Scope of Responsibilities of a Facilities Management Process Owner. Desired Traits of a Facilities Management Process Owner. Evaluating the Physical Environment. Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center. A Word about Efficiency and Effectiveness. Tips to Improve the Facilities Management Process. Facilities Management at Outsourcing Centers. Assessing an Infrastructure's Facilities Management Process. Measuring and Streamlining the Facilities Management Process.

IV. TECHNOLOGY.

20. Developing Robust Processes.


What Contributes to a World-Class Infrastructure. Characteristics of a Robust Process. Understanding the Differences between a Formal and Informal Process. Helpful Ground Rules for Brainstorming. Methods for Prioritizing Requirements.

21. Using Technology to Automate and Evaluate Robust Processes.


Automating Robust Processes. Evaluating an Infrastructure Process. Evaluating Process Documentation. Benefits of the Methodology to Evaluate Process Documentation.

22. Integrating Systems Management Processes.


Distinguishing Strategic Processes from Tactical Processes. Identifying Strategic Processes. Identifying Tactical Processes. The Value of Distinguishing Strategic from Tactical Processes. Relationships between Strategic and Tactical Processes. Difficulties with Integrating Solely Tactical Processes. Difficulties with Integrating Solely Strategic Processes. Difficulties with Integrating Tactical and Strategic Processes. Examining the Integrated Relationships between Strategic and Tactical Processes. Significance of Systems Management Process Relationships.

23. Special Considerations for Client-Server and Web-Enabled Environments.


Client-Server Environment Issues. Vendor Relationships. Multiplatform Support. Performance Tuning Challenges. Disaster Recovery Planning. Capacity Planning. Web-Enabled Environment Issues. Traditional Companies. Moderate and Growing Companies. Dotcom Companies.

V. APPENDICES.

Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions.
Appendix B: Summary of Definitions.
Appendix C: Assessment Worksheets without Weighting Factors.
Appendix D: Assessment Worksheets with Weighting Factors.


Bibliography.

Index.