By The Open Group
The Open Group IT4IT™ Reference Architecture, a standard of The Open Group, uses a value chain framework that applies this concept to IT by defining an integrated IT management framework focusing on the lifecycle of services. This allows IT to achieve the same level of business predictability and efficiency that supply chain management has allowed for the business.
It embraces and complements existing process frameworks and methodologies – such as the TOGAF® Standard, ITIL®, VeriSM™, CoBIT®, and SAFe® – by taking a data-focused implementation model perspective, essentially specifying an information model across the entire value chain.
In part one of this blog series, we explored how the banking and insurance sector, have been using the IT4IT Reference Architecture to transform how they deliver their IT services to better improve their businesses and customer experiences.
In the second part, we take a broader look at how organizations from the Oil & Gas and IT Sectors are using the IT4IT standard to deliver Digital Transformation, automation, and modernization to increase their businesses efficiency, as well as a brief glimpse into how companies from the Retail, Logistics, and Engineering sectors are benefiting from the IT4IT Reference Architecture.
Simplifying a Sprawling Software Portfolio to Enable Service Outsourcing
Because of the lack of applicable standards in the market, Shell has for the last decade developed its own IT management architecture and blueprint to improve and standardize the IT function. However, the implementation of the tools needed to support this IT operating model required significant customization and maintenance effort. During a large outsourcing initiative, the majority of the IT infrastructure was outsourced to three global external service providers. Shell had to develop its own interfaces to collaborate and integrate with these providers in order to exchange incidents, changes, consumption, and IT costs – all due to the lack of open and standard integrations to collaborate with external service providers.
“Like many other companies, Shell faces challenges around matching IT capabilities to core business needs, and reducing IT spend while delivering IT solutions faster. Rapid technological developments like Cloud Computing, IT consumerization, and big data add further complexity, and we find ourselves in a position where we are increasingly stretched to respond to rising demand and a need for greater agility.”
Mary Jarrett, Royal Dutch Shell
This is why The Open Group IT4IT Reference Architecture is becoming essential to large organizations such as Shell.
Find out how Shell used and contributed to the IT4IT standard to Manage the Business of IT here: www.opengroup.org/library/y160
Also, please watch Mary Jarrett, IT4IT Manager at Shell, outlining why they adopted the IT4IT standard here: https://youtu.be/EdNZ2BZ3XpA.
Transformation to the Digital Enterprise
As a supplier of IT solutions, Oracle is often at the leading edge of new technologies. Moving their organization to exploit the potential of Digital, so to capitalize on the opportunity offered by methodologies such as Agile and DevOps is no exception. However, moving a company as large as Oracle, while maintaining competitive advantage, is no mean feat and not without its own challenges.
Oracle’s Global IT organization used the IT4IT Reference Architecture for the foundation of their Digital Transformation efforts, mapping all critical processes to the Value Streams within IT4IT. By using the Reference Architecture, they were able to modernize their processes and operating practices, resulting in quicker delivery speeds, fewer defects, and refocus the IT organization on value delivery versus operational upkeep.
Watch Chris Jennewine, Senior Director, Service Availability Management at Oracle discuss their approach here: https://youtu.be/7LDiHpzmQsY.
Modernizing, Orchestrating, and Automating a Fragmented Service Catalog
Digitalization is driving the proliferation of Cloud and Mobility and is causing IT organizations to rethink their IT Operating Model to support both the digital workforce and new service delivery models. To exploit the rapid pace of disruptive IT innovation, HCL Technologies chose to adopt The Open Group IT4IT Reference Architecture to design and develop its XaaS-based (Everything as a Service) product and service offering.
This meant that HCL Global IT needed to better understand the business requirements of IT to allow it to achieve the agility and velocity the business and end users required of its services.
To achieve this, HCL Global IT required a unified and sophisticated IT Operating Model to support the business in their Digital Transformation journey. Therefore, HCL aligned its product and services to the IT4IT Value Stream-based IT Reference Architecture and developed a product and platform named XaaS Service Management (XSM), which has the ability and capability to address the customer-specific issues and challenges.
Find out more about HCL’s transformation here: www.opengroup.org/library/y192
Mapping an Entire Software and Services Portfolio into the IT4IT Reference Architecture
Mark Bodman, Senior Product Manager at ServiceNow, explores four IT4IT case studies here.
As well as HPE’s experiences, you can also see how:
- A leading retail organization re-invented its entire IT operating model
- A global logistics company improved efficiencies and customer experience by using IT4IT to deliver automation
- A large engineering company uses the IT4IT standard to better integrate their services
As can be seen, applying the unique IT4IT approach has a number of distinct advantages and a diverse array of applications. These including complete Digital Transformations, Automation projects and transitioning to an Agile Dev Ops environment.
To find out how the IT4IT Reference Architecture could be key to transforming your organization, please visit https://www.opengroup.org/it4it
Or, to find out how to obtain IT4IT certification, please visit: https://www.opengroup.org/certifications/it4it
@theopengroup #IT4IT