The ITIL Framework...

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library). Does this framework star still need an introduction? A study published in April by Dimension Data from 370 information systems directors throughout the world reveals that two-thirds of organizations have adopted ITIL methodology. That's why we're not going to launch this article with a detailed description of this framework, but rather share with you some diverse and varied considerations.

The ITIL framework has several characteristics of its own:

First, it is flexible. There are no strict rules. It is a compendium of best practices. It is up to you to learn the tips that will be most useful to you. The very first step in your approach to ITIL has been, or will be, to assess the weaknesses of your organization and to apply ITIL methods there. This is the best way to see rapid progress in adopting the approach.

Being a series of tips and not rules, it is not a certification. For ITIL, you can certify your staff, with several levels of skills, but you cannot certify your organization. This point can be seen as a negative because you do not have a standard scale that allows you to measure yourself. If you want to go that far, you will then migrate toward the ISO standard. ITIL is an excellent springboard to reach this standard easily.

ITIL is also general. Unlike CMM, which is very development oriented, and COBIT, which is directed toward security, ITIL can cover all departments of your organization without exception. This approach is interesting because it can create greater overall movement of your service around this approach.

The most positive point in the eyes of ARCAD in implementing ITIL is the cultural change that accompanies it. The key word is "Service." If this concept is internalized by your staff, it can radically change the face of your IT department by giving your employees a real customer orientation that will contribute significantly to the quality of service image that you are looking for.

The second most positive point in regard to ITIL is that it allows movement towards a clear, systematic, and auditable organization. Thanks to various indicators put in place, you can really guide your information system and measure factors relevant to progress.

In the ITIL framework, configuration management is a process beacon. This is an area where existing organizations are more empirical. It is therefore in this area that the factors of progress are more spectacular. ARCAD-Skipper, backed by its ARCAD-Open Repository framework, covers this area. The data in the repository can absolutely be integrated into a CMDB (Configuration Management Data Base), as recommended in ITIL. ARCAD-Skipper covers configuration, change management, and release management.

Incident management and problem management, two other fundamental ITIL services, are covered by ARCAD-Customer – "customer" like a “client” because, according to ITIL, a user is an IT customer. This suite is well suited to establishing a SPOC (Single Point of Contact) as advocated by ITIL to formalize requests for physical requests or software. It allows establishment and monitoring of your SLA (Service Level Agreements) and provides indicators on the quality of service.

Do you know COBIT?

The CobiT framework (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology) is particularly interesting to know because it is the reference for managing the organization and guiding information technology departments (IT Governance).

It is also the reference document on auditing information systems; if you must face auditors, without doubt you find there the subjects on which they will judge your information system and your organization.

CobiT is published by ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association), which is an international association whose aim is to improve the processes and methodology of IT audits. FAFIA (French Association of Audit and Consulting Informatique) disseminates a French language version of CobiT.

CobiT is a process-oriented approach: it proposes to approach any information system in 34 processes grouped into 4 areas (Planning and Organization, Acquisition and Implementation, Delivery and Support, Monitoring).

What is interesting is that it also provides performance indicators that will tell where one is compared to best practices (by level of maturity).

What is the relationship with the ARCAD Software offering?
We have plunged into this voluminous document of nearly 200 pages while evaluating the role of ARCAD Software tools relative to all the analyzed points of control.

The conclusion is interesting, for there is no doubt of our contribution to the quality of IT processes:
• in more than half of the cases, our solutions make it possible to obtain a better level of controls maturity, and
• for nearly one out of three, our tools are indispensible.

CMMi...

SEI (the Software Engineering Institute) launched CMM in early 1990s at the same time Philippe Magne created ARCAD Software. Identification of best practices for software engineering has gone through several variations, and a consolidated version known as CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) was born in 2001.

Even if it is often the service providers who communicate on their obtaining a CMMI certification, we should not see this quality approach as a marketing argument: the CCMI approach aims to bring the company to a level of maturity that will allow it to achieve its projects (software quality, keep costs and delays at bay).

CMMI is not a method of conducting projects, but helps to qualify project management in one entity. In contrast to ITIL certifications which apply only to individuals, CMMI applies only to organizations. CMMI identifies 25 process areas in a project. In the most widely used presentation of stages, the company is evaluated according to 5 levels. Each level, except the first (Level 1: Initial), corresponds to controlling certain areas.

ARCAD Software’s solutions manage several of these areas on different levels:
-- Level 2 (Managed):
o Management of configuration (Configuration Management)
-- Level 3 (Defined)
o Integration of product (Product Integration)
o Technical receipt (Verification)
o Management of the organization of processes (Organizational Process Focus)
o Organization of the integration (Organizational Environment for Integration)
-- Level 4 (Quantitatively Managed):
o Quantitative management (Quantitative Project Management)
-- Level 5 (Optimized):
o Analysis of causes and solutions (Causal Analysis and Resolution)

Levels 2 and 3 are most prevalent among certified companies, and ARCAD Software is proud to have contributed to the success of these customers.

Source : http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/