Information Technology Standards & Frameworks

JOURNAL #SIX [SYD701]

Information Technology Standards & Frameworks

In the 1980s the UK’s Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) identified a need to apply consistent practices across the IT service lifecycle. To meet this need and the emerging decentralisation of data centres, the CCTA released the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). The ITIL framework established business standards for the selection, planning, delivery and maintenance of the IT service lifecycle. The framework intends to produce predictable outcomes and improve the efficiency of service delivery, particularly as decentralisation led to discrepancies in deployment and the architectures created suboptimal performance. The best practices set out in the guidelines help align the actions of IT departments with business needs, growth targets and changes in direction.

ITIL Process Framework

The ITIL process prepares systems administrators for the types of services they provide within the infrastructure landscape by delivering updates to documentation and certificates in an iterative manner. Organisations need only implement aspects of the ITIL that support the meeting of requirements. The framework is not static and has evolved to address the changes in the technological environment. The current ITIL v4 is designed to assist IT Administrators in navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the role IT management will play within a service economy. Newer approaches such as DevOps, automation, microservices and the cloud, are accommodated by v4.

Advantages of ITIL

ITIL does not focus solely on the skills that are important to IT management, but on how IT administrators can use their knowledge within the wider organisation. There are six key benefits of the ITIL framework:

• Improved alignment of goals between the business operation and IT administrators
• Increase customer satisfaction through improved service timelines
• Better utilisation of digital, physical and human resources to reduce increasing operational costs
• Improve the visibility over the IT assets and the associated costs
• Streamline the response to and management of service disruption events
• An ability to better adapt to change through the deployment of flexible service environments

Disadvantages of ITIL

Despite the perceived abilities of ITIL, it must provide positive foundations within organisations that have limited best practices. The drawbacks of the framework should be considered:

• Expensive and time-consuming training that requires relevant expertise
• The implementation time for ITIL can run into years
• The ITIL initiatives produce little or no short term gains
• Changes that result from ITIL can be disruptive to existing infrastructure and processes
• ITIL is a long-term implementation, which can be disrupted by short-term initiatives

ITIL Framework Implementation

ITIL is an industry standard that should be interpreted and implemented with care. The scope must be completely understood. The framework is not designed to solve compliance or personnel issues and cannot provide an increase in technological innovation. If an organisation does not have the necessary resources or certified expertise, its implementation may not be appropriate, consideration must be made to:

• The reasons and factors for adopting ITIL and the expected benefits to the business
• The relevant expertise within the organisation, preferably with ITIL certification
• Iteratively implement the practices, firstly as a proof-of-principle and then for evaluation to monitor the effect on business performance
• Understand what the aims are for ITIL implementation and measure the outcomes using objective metrics

Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) Framework

ITIL is only one framework designed to create best practices. COBIT was developed by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) to provide IT governance and management. It intends to bridge the gap that exists in organisations across industry sectors between the business goals and risks, control requirements and technical issues. Information systems are one of several business-critical tools deployed in organisations and the COBIT framework ensures control, quality and reliability.

The business orientation links business goals and objectives with the IT infrastructure. It achieves this by providing several metrics and maturity models to measure success and identify the business responsibilities that relate to the IT processes. The domains of this process-based model are as follows:

• Planning and organisation
• Delivery and support
• Acquisition and implementation
• Monitoring and evaluation

COBIT encompasses 24 processes that relate to the business responsibilities. The structure of this framework is recognised under several international standards that include, but are not limited to:

• ITIL
• ISO27000
• PRINCE2
• PMBOK

COBIT Components

Five components encompass COBIT:

Framework: COBIT provides IT professionals with supportive tools to organise IT governance objectives, and introduce best practices for IT processes and domains, ensuring that business requirements are met.

Process Descriptions: Produces a common language for every person in an organisation. The reference model can include process descriptions relating to planning, building, running and monitoring IT processes.

Control Objectives: It documents all requirements identified by management and key stakeholders and is capable of enacting business control over the IT systems.

Maturity Models: Ensures the maturity and capability of each process are accessed to address gaps

Management Guidelines: Supports the process of assigning responsibility, agreeing on common objectives, measuring performance and improving the interrelationships of processes.

COBIT is effective in organisations (government and commercial enterprises) that have identified a responsibility to relate business processes with the technology that supports them, using relevant and reliable information.

Benefits of COBIT

COBIT is a solution that provides modern organisations with the tools that raise success rates for the development, implementation, monitoring and improvement of IT governance and management, whilst simultaneously identifying challenges and concerns with complex management processes and security governance. For IT professionals, a COBIT certificate prepares them for the global challenges businesses face by delivering expertise on IT management issues that affect organisations and the principles of IT governance and how this differs from IT management.

What is COBIT?: Framework, Components, and Benefits. (2012, August 22). Simplilearn.Com. https://www.simplilearn.com/what-is-cobit-significance-and-framework-rar309-article

What is ITIL? A Guide to the IT Infrastructure Library - TechTarget.com. (n.d.). SearchDataCenter. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/ITIL