The internal IT organization that cannot meet the information demands of the business runs the risk of becoming marginalized and losing its right to exist. What can the CIO or IT manager possibly do to win back the confidence of the business and to (re)position his organization as a preferred partner for innovation? Over the past few years, many IT organizations have rationalized their operations, especially with the aim to save on costs in times of economic decline. A side effect of this rationalization is that it becomes increasingly difficult these days to meet the new demands that the business makes on the IT organization with regard to innovation of products and services. Recently, Giarte observed with regard to this that innovation in practice often gets stuck in replacement of written off infrastructure through the adoption of proven technology. And especially now the business views the support of innovation at the business side by capitalizing on new technologies and introduction of new service concepts as one of the main objectives of the IT organization. A workstation migration from Windows XP to the Vista platform is apparently of a different order than exploring and successfully implementing a new distribution channel for online financial services based on Web 2.0 technology. Not just the focus but also the success of innovation projects leaves a lot to be desired: IDC research provides average success rates of only 50%.

Can the newly released Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 processes, well implemented and managed, significantly improve the probability of achieving success in an Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) effort? To address the above question or hypothesis a brief review/level set of the evolution of IT processes, specifically ITIL, is presented along with a comparable review of ITO processes. In the white paper ITIL v2 and Quint’s IPW are discussed as precursors to ITIL® v3. The new v3 focus on sourcing is highlighted and related to ITO best practices from the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals and Carnegie Mellon’s eSourcing Capability Models (eSCM). Quint’s Sourcing Governance Framework with its Demand Supply Organization is included in the examination of ITO. Following these overviews the ITIL v3 to ITO relationship is examined. The objective of this paper is to analyze ITIL v3 and outsourcing best practices and answer the question/prove the hypothesis that the newly released Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 processes, well implemented and managed, can significantly improve the probability of achieving success in an Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) effort.

In May 2007 the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) released the new version of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®). At the same time the APMG Group took over custodianship (certifying professionals and accrediting training organizations) from the Exam Institute (APMG) and the Information Systems Examinations Board (ISEB) and the certification scheme changed completely. Now, in January 2008, after delivering the first ITIL v3 Foundation trainings and after studying the materials, it is time to make up the balance. After 6 months we are beginning to get a better idea of this new version. Although the material probably constitutes a revolution in thinking, the question is whether it will revolutionize the market. In this white paper we will take a look at what is new, what is exiting, what is disappointing and how we can use this new version to our advantage? By Georges Kemmerling,Senior Consultant

A persistent mistake regarding outsourcing is that it transfers the responsibility for “providing the business with the IT services it needs against best prices and conditions” to an external supplier. True, the CIO no longer manages IT people and IT processes. That does not mean that the CIO responsibility in terms of budgets, outcomes and risk management is reduced or becomes any simpler. On the contrary, we might say the desired IT outcome and cost levels have to be achieved within the context of a commercial relationship and the contracts defining it, instead of exerting direct control on IT operations. This changed management context provides the CIO with real opportunities for performance improvement and cost reduction, but also poses serious risks and requires a different management capability. Thus, outsourcing certainly does not reduce the CIO role but fundamentally changes it. This white paper shows why and how the CIO role changes, presents a proven best practice based organizational solution for effectively managing outsourcing - the Sourcing Governance Framework and provides guidance on building your own Sourcing Governance Function (SGF).

Implementing standards delivering business value Legislative compliance and the continuous rat race for higher quality and lower cost are some of the topics that keep the average IT manager from having a nine-to-five working day. And this despite the availability of a multitude of models, approaches and best practices claiming to be the golden egg your IT organization has been looking for all this time. And now there is the well-known ISO-goose claiming they have laid another egg: ISO/IEC20000. Many people fear this to be another bureaucratic nightmare that will deliver no value. And of course, just like with ISO9000, there is a risk that not the concept of driving for quality is embraced but just a paper reflection of it, leading to an organization that thinks only about ISO when its time for the next audit. But when applied properly it can indeed add substantial value for businesses, especially in information intensive industries. This white paper describes not only how to implement ISO/IEC20000 in your organization in a way that it actually adds measurable financial value, but more over what it is about and how it relates to some of those other popular models floating around in the market space.