Chaos to Control
From the way-back machine. Almost two decades ago, when I did IT services for clients, I came up with this as an information sheet for clients. Basically, giving them a high-level overview of a IT Ops framework. I did this before Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) or ITIL were on my radar. Here it is below.
Our philosophy on managing systems.
"We help our clients succeed by helping them secure and manage their technology investment."
Our three-phase approach is to organize, stabilize and maintain your system. The main goal is to align your information systems with your business objectives. What we will propose is to take control of the current chaos of your systems and reign in technology to bring it back in line with your business objectives.
During the organize phase we document the current system setup and develop a baseline for the systems based on your business objectives.
During the stabilize phase, we implement the needed changes to increase the uptime, stability and reliability of the systems by implementing the established baseline, including needed controls.
Finally, we maintain the baseline and recommend adjustments as needed to meet new business needs and optimize performance. Technology today is dynamic and your system should be flexible enough to move with your business not against it.
Phase One - Organize
Documentation
Document current network settings, including servers, routers, switches and access points
Document current workstation settings
Document software and software settings
Document service settings, including internet service provider, web hosting and email hosting
Document current procedures
Document current service level agreements, support services, warranties and contact list
Recommendations
Make recommendations on changes
Compile report with baseline settings, policies and procedures
Phase Two - Stabilize
Implementation of the baseline
Remove hardware, software and services not in the baseline
Install and/or configure needed hardware (test if needed)
Install and/or configure needed applications and services (test if needed)
Document any changes
Phase 3 - Maintain
Maintenance
Perform regular maintenance based on a maintenance schedule
Verify backups
Verify baseline settings are being maintained
Optimize
Monitor performance
Recommend any needed changes