Changing mandates for IT Operations Management

1. Blog 4: OpsRamp.com Changing mandates for IT Operations Management Working in IT operations is not for the faint of heart: you are in the hot seat when something goes wrong and users can’t access applications or websites are running too slow or heaven forbid, there’s a network outage. IT operations management tools can find answers and improve workflows, but there is a lot more to this job. No matter the situation and environment, you’ve got to maintain a flexible, reliable infrastructure which can always support business needs and effortlessly host new digital initiatives. The requirements of the business should always shape IT operations management strategies– because there’s not enough time and people to solve or prevent every issue. IT operations professionals should try to wear a business analyst hat – or at least, maintain close ties with business stakeholders to have an always updated view of priorities. This train of thought has become more pronounced since the onset of Covid-19, according to Bhanu Singh, SVP of product development and operations at OpsRamp. “IT operations teams have been under stress in recent times to support business models which are evolving at high speed and the changing landscape of technology,” he said, during anOpsRamp webinar. “Then Covid came along, which forced IT to look even harder at its processes, tools, security and what is most important to the business.” Changing mandates IT organizations have two critical initiatives right now and for the foreseeable future: Support business initiatives for short-term and long-term growth which in some cases, means survival. And secondly, improve IT operations management so that IT never gets in the way of business productivity and customer relationships. That means making sure that when something does not work well or stops working or gets hacked, it doesn’t take hours and teams of people to solve the problem and restore service. Along with the dire need to improve processes for efficiency, cost optimization is another major pressure for IT organizations. Everyone these days is working harder, but with less money. IT operations teams may need to invest in:

2. Blog 4: OpsRamp.com ●Different tools. Modern tools are built to effectively monitor and manage hybrid IT environments including cloud-native infrastructure and can quickly and automatically onboard new technology resources as they become visible on the network. Intelligent automation is another must-have capability for IT operations management. Machine learning helps filter and analyze large, diverse data sets and makes evidence-based recommendations to overwhelmed administrators and help desk employees. ●Process analysis: Along with upgrading tools, IT operations teams may need to do a process overhaul. Are people able to proactively identify issues and quickly route them to the right teams? Is governance and control lacking, affecting decision-making, security and compliance? Is automation being used in the right areas – ones which save manual effort but not incur notable harm if errors occur? What processes with other teams (a.k.a. DevOps) need to be integrated and streamlined? Can “war rooms” be eliminated to save money and time? ●A more flexible infrastructure. Many large enterprises have hybrid IT environments comprising on-premise and cloud infrastructure. But there are many flavors to this concept so it’s useful to regularly assess business needs, where your workloads live, and if you need different options or to re-distribute workloads and applications for optimal performance and cost. Multi-cloud infrastructure is no longer just for digitally advanced and experimental organizations: it is a viable strategy for any midsize to large enterprise with multiple business lines, divisions and/or regions. Flexibility also speaks to agility: do you can auto-scale infrastructure when business demands change to minimize breaks and waste? ●Data orientation: With IT operations data streaming from so many different devices and places, it’s imperative to cleanse, integrate and mine that data for decision-making. It’s likely you’ll need to invest in data scientist skills – train from within or hire if you can. Proper investment and planning in this area can help IT operations excel at delivering awesome business services – not just eliminating downtime. Final takeaway: IT leaders are business leaders, and that means their KPIs are changing, according to Singh: “In the near future, IT is not going to be measured on uptime. IT will be measured on profitability.” Rethinking organizational structure, skills, workflows, tools and processes toward this business orientation will bring IT operations out of the dark and into the future of digital innovation.