'Business is IT' and 'IT is Business'.
 
In recent years, it has become increasingly known that information is the most important strategic resource that any organization has to manage. Information Technology is a critical enabler and key differentiator for a business' success. CEO's, CIO's, CTO's, and senior management are concerned about optimizing their IT investments and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of IT resources to support business requirements. IT investments are key for businesses to successfully deliver products and services. Equally critical is an effective management of IT services within an organization to maximize the return on IT investments.

Key to collection, analysis, production, and distribution of information within an organization, is the quality of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems and IT services provided to the business. It is essential that we recognize that ICT systems are crucial and strategic organizational assets; therefore, organizations must invest appropriate levels of resources into the support, delivery and management of these critical IT services and the ICT systems that underpin them. However, these aspects of IT are often overlooked, or only superficially addressed within many organizations.

IT management is all about the efficient and effective use of the 4 P's: People, Processes, Products (tools and technology), and Partners (suppliers, vendors and outsourcing organisations).



Management, therefore, needs to develop joint strategies and plans for all four areas. Many organizations, until today, recognize the four P's, but do not use them to their maximum advantage. Very often, products are bought to manage areas of technology, and then the processes, partners, and people's roles are engineered to fit the technology and its limitations.

In the current organization paradigm, beyond the need to manage IT technology, is the need to establish and employ best practices processes to optimize IT services. This is the focus of IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) and IT Service Management (ITSM).

Key Challenges

The challenge for IT managers is to coordinate and work with all the core business functions to deliver high quality IT services. This has to be achieved while reducing the overall TCO, and often increasing the frequency, complexity, and the volume of change.

The key issues facing many of today's senior business managers and IT managers are:

	IT and business strategic planning
	Integrating and aligning IT and business goals
	Acquiring and retaining the right resources and skill sets
	Implementing continuous improvement
	Measuring IT organizations' effectiveness and efficiency
	Reducing costs and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
	Achieving and demonstrating Value for Money (VFM)
	Increasing return on IT investments
	Demonstrating the business value of IT
	Developing business and IT partnerships and relationships
	Improving project delivery success
	Outsourcing, in–sourcing, and smart sourcing
	Using IT to gain competitive advantage
	Delivering the required, business–justified IT services. In other words, delivering what is required when required, and at an agreed cost
	Managing constant business and IT change
	Following the sun and off–shore operations
	Demonstrating appropriate IT governance

How can the QAI Global Institute help?

The main objective of the ITSM initiative is to assist IT service organizations to improve their efficiency and effectiveness to be better prepared for new challenges arising due to the globalization of the service industry.

QAI's ITSM practice facilitates organizations towards making significant improvements in the way they manage their services, relationships, processes, people, and technology required to deliver and support IT services and products according to world class standards.