case study

ITIL's new version: More business-focused

Sun, 06 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

The newest version of ITIL, a best practices framework, will be more business-focused, according to ITIL architects. ITIL 3.0 will reflect the fact that line is blurring between service management and ITIL; as a result, the new version will discuss topics like facilities management and will include a case study of how to use ITIL outside of IT. Also, ITIL will no longer stand for the IT Infrastructure Library, but will be referred to as "ITIL - IT service management practices". ITIL 3.0 will also address gaps in current ITIL certifications to make them more helpful and appropriate to individuals' career development plans, and will include help on how IT staff can make marketing statements to the CIO and CEO.

Read more about how ITIL is changing:
- read the article at ITWeek

ALSO:
- read this on why ITIL may not be ready for prime time in the midmarket
- this on the ROI of ITIL
- and this on putting business ahead of technology

Will SOA help or hinder the alignment of business and IT?

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:01:38 -0500

Theoretically, a company's business culture can benefit from absorbing the principles of SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), a conceptual approach to computing, people and processes. Whether it will succeed, however, depends in large part on corporate culture and the type of management structure already in place. For example, SOA might be particularly useful in a tightly organized and centralized corporate environment, since it can promote more unified IT methods, with high reuse and standardized ways to assemble and provide services. Decentralized organizations that value innovation also can benefit from SOA. Core services can be made available to units, or each unit can acquire and create processes geared toward their specific needs. The best way to ensure success of SOA in the enterprise is for companies to understand their own cultures.

Learn more about whether your company will succeed with SOA:
- read the article at RedmondDeveloper

Related articles on SOA:
- for the basics on SOA, read this
- for more on whether SOA will work in your environment, read this
- for the four stages of successful SOA, read this
- for a case study on SOA, read this
- for information on using SOA to boost e-commerce efforts, read this

Case Study: One path taken toward SOA

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:01:36 -0500

There's been more than one prediction about Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and why its bound to take off in the next year or so. Yet there aren't very many real-life examples to learn from and that's why the U.S. Department of Defense's SOA effort is such a valuable project to keep tabs on. The DOD's U.S. Transportation Command, which handles worldwide sea, air and land transportation for the nation's armed services, distributes goods to every corner of the defense enterprise, from fuel to food to personnel. Such a supply chain requires efficiency for every step and that's why its moving to a SOA enterprise environment. Officials say that the command's current 600 IT systems require a massive upgrade despite that hurdle, the agency is very optimistic for a successful architecture revamp.

For more on the massive SOA effort:
- read the case study at BPM Today

Web 2.0 shores up business intelligence

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 19:01:35 -0500

One of the more hyped technologies as of late is Web 2.0 and while many businesses haven't taken even the first step toward the technology, some enterprises are going whole-hog to make it a valuable business tool. One is retailer Eastern Mountain Sports, where CIO Jeffrey Neville is rolling out phase one internally to his IT team and enterprise users. The goal is to expand communication via online conversation, whether it's instant messaging, using Wikis, or Weblogs and RSS feeds. As the tech leader explains, the Web 2.0 technologies are pushing, and more importantly, influencing the company's business intelligence strategies.

For more on making Web 2.0 a reality:
- read the case study at Optimize

Case Study: Lessons on SOA deployment

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:01:35 -0500

A service oriented architecture (SOA) is one of those tech dreams that many IT leaders read about but are often a bit hesitant to move ahead on. Part of that reticence is due to all of the hype, and part of it is due to reality--an SOA isn't a quick and easy project. Yet some organizations are embracing the technology and learning that it isn't as intimidating as first thought. Find out how Fidelity Investments and State Street Corp. are doing on their individual SOA paths and pick up some lessons that the tech leaders are learning along the way.

For more on real SOA deployments:
- check out the case study at Network World

Related Article: What a SOA is really all about. Article

The long recoup from a data loss

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:01:38 -0500

For the past year the news has been filled with reports on lost laptops, stolen data banks and hacking incidents from the government to the private sector. But little is heard after the fact--particularly insight on how enterprises dealt with such scenarios. That's why a case study on how one healthcare provider recovered after the theft of data on over 300,000 patients is a valuable story to read. Providence Health & Services suffered the data loss over a year ago when data backup tapes were taken from a vehicle. Recovery has already sapped $7 million in costs and even brought on a few legal battles, as well as employee resignations. It's not a pretty story, but it can prove invaluable to helping avoid such a scenario.

For more on surviving a data loss:
- read the case study at Baseline

Related Article: Five steps to stemming data loss. Article

Case Study: Making e-healthcare a reality

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:01:37 -0500

A leader in the field of electronic healthcare, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's CIO, Dan Drawbaugh, has already launched an ambitious e-medical record system in all but one of the center's 19 hospitals. The foundation is a service oriented architecture that uses deep Web services. The ultimate goal, says Drawbaugh, is interoperability between the center's disparate IT systems. The task isn't easy though, given that those systems feature tools and applications from more than 120 vendors. Yet Drawbauch is pretty confident in his ability to build an integrated, interactive system for patient information.

For more on making e-healthcare a reality:
- read the case study at InformationWeek

Related Article: Other inroads in e-healthcare. Article

IT making new inroads in healthcare industry

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

While confidentiality regulations placed on patient data have fostered greater technology adoption within the medical field, the potential for savings has also played a role when it comes to IT innovation in life science industries. As one columnist notes, while the electronic medical record has spurred a return on investment, new advancements, such as the personal health record (PHR), will push the envelope of tech impact even further.

For more on tech in the medical field:
- read this column at InfoWorld

Case Study: How one medical company cleared tech hurdles. Article

Open source flexibility key to E-tailer's success

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:01:35 -0500

Becoming a leading E-tailer is no mean feat given the competitiveness in every industry today. But as one shoe seller's story relates, success can be achieved if you keep the technology simple and the focus on customer service. Zappos homebrewed its internal applications using open source technology for one primary reason: the capability to be flexible and change with customer needs. As the IT leader explains: going open source has been a major element in why the company is beating out both online and brick-and-mortar competitors.

For more on the flexibility of open source:
- read the case study at CIO Insight

Related Article: The four open source hot spots. Article

Banking on VoIP brings a big ROI

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Four years ago, Voice over Internet Protocol was being hyped as one of those magical technologies that would save money, boost communications integration and provide a stable network platform. Few enterprises were jumping in with two feet though, due mostly to security concerns. But those concerns didn't scare one global banking enterprise. As the company's network leader explains, the allure of savings, boosting productivity and allowing staff to stay in touch and communicate 24/7 was too alluring to pass up. Find out how Goldsmith Agio Helms evaluated potential VoIP vendors and how it will get a strong return-on-investment in just three years by migrating to an all-Nortel network.

For more on making VoIP a reality:
- check out this case study at CIO Today