An IT Race to the Checkered Flag
We recently hosted a pretty cool high performance IT simulation event with HP and some influential journalists like Robert Mullins (IDG News Service), Christopher Lawton (The Wall Street Journal), and Nicole Wong (San Jose Mercury News). Participants broke into groups and worked as a team to simulate how IT processes can be more efficiently managed to deliver better ROI in a mock racing event.
I know, you’re probably asking, “What does car racing and IT have in common?” Well, as it turns out, a decent amount…
In a racing car, various performance indicators (e.g., tire wear, air drag, fuel level, throttle response and G-forces exerted on a driver) are monitored in real time with computer hardware and software solutions. Similarly, services like ITSM (IT Service Management) monitor and integrate people, processes, and technology in real time to solve business problems and save money.
A poorly designed IT operations system can slam the brakes on business operations and hide significant cost-saving opportunities. And it’s estimated that 80 percent of downtime results from people and process issues, not technology.
It’s akin to narrative filmmaking: a story’s meaning is ultimately driven more by creative choices, not by technology. For instance, there’s really no perfect, technical way to light a scene – it depends on what your scene is trying to convey. A scene designed to be scary might be lit in a high-contrast fashion to accentuate the dark and light areas of the actors and/or their environment. People making decisions in context, not technology in a vacuum…
ITSM isn’t done in a vacuum either – it takes into account who needs what and when. It frees up time for people to be creative and do their jobs more efficiently. Business and IT professionals must be able to effectively communicate even though they often speak different languages. ITSM is the conduit for bridging that divide; for making sure IT and business operations are in synch.
And it doesn’t require that business pros become experts in server hardware and software management, or that IT pros become experts in marketing. It’s about having a well-designed system that integrates people, processes and technology – one that can propel teams to winning the checkered flag!!