2003年CIO面临诸多挑战 IT 治理成为必选

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http://www.zdnet.com.cn/news/fin ... 767,39106204,00.htm

2003年CIO面临诸多挑战 IT 治理成为必选

作者： ZDNet China/news.com
Friday, February 7 2003 3:40 PM 首席信息执行官（CIO）们在2003年将面临诸多挑战。   

CIO们的当务之急包括增加投资回报、提高服务水平以及增强安全性--所有此类都需要保持预算平稳并有所回报。他们将如何在财政重重约束之下达到这些预期目标呢？

我认为CIO们需要根本性地改变其信息部门的运作模式，采用一种称作“IT治理”（IT governance）的新方法，在今后一年内这一名词将会频繁出现，因为各企业都努力在保持预算的同时改善其作业流程。我相信IT治理的重要性必将可与任何信息基础建设或企业应用相提并论--在当前形势下甚至占据上风，因为CIO们必须做到低投入高产出。

由于企业应用软件、电子商务及千年虫的困扰，在1995年到2000年间，IT部门常充当救火队角色，重点放在了实施速度上--甚至不惜走捷径或在质量上大打折扣，这将导致诸如延误项目工期、成本超出、不可预料的停工及安全等问题。

IT治理旨在解决并纠正这些弊端。它基于高质量、合理定义并可重复的过程。细而言之，IT治理将规划方针、精简流程、需要详尽的文档并确立可以持续改进的计划。

目前已有许多很好的IT治理模式，最为流行的是IT基础架构库(ITIL), 这是由英国政府的中央计算机和通讯机构(CCTA)提出、目前由英国商务局（OGC）负责。ITIL在欧洲非常盛行，在北美也日益普及，它以24条原则确立了一整套最佳实践方法。

另一成型的IT治理构架是信息和相关技术控制目标(COBIT)，COBIT是安全与信息技术管理和控管的标准，旨在将IT资源和处理流程与企业目标、质量标准、现金流控制及安全需求有机整合。

许多单位购买了ITIL及COBIT系统并已初具成效。宝洁公司(Procter & Gamble)于1997年采用了ITIL模式，据称4年内共为该公司节约了多达5亿美元。对于宝洁内部财务及IT帐目的分析显示，运营成本削减6%到8%，技术人员则减少15%到20%。

安大略市也拥有ITIL系统，该市需要改进对遍及1000个地区2.5万用户的服务，该市通过采用ITIL创建了一套虚拟服务台，以此不仅缩短了响应时间、减少了错误几率，而且还降低了40%的支持成本。

COBIT同样屡立奇功，堪萨斯州将COBIT标准纳入其虚拟政府策略的一部分，以此降低成本并向其客户和选民提供一致的服务。戴尔计算机公司将COBIT作为其内部控制自我评估(CSA)企业政策的一部分，CSA是一整套审核及平衡系统，以此维持该公司的高质量。

建立IT治理制度 知名机构IT治理成绩斐然足以证明投资IT治理是明智之举，但万事开头难，起初往往举步为艰。

全面实施ITIL或COBIT模式对于任何IT厂商都至关重要，而且要以最痛处入手。比方如果你所在IT部门对于支持一个庞大的分布机构应接不暇，不妨效法安大略实行ITIL服务热线。完成了一个区域的培训、组织机构的变化将作为先知经验将会应用到其它有问题的地区。确记在着手IT治理之前先记录下现有环境，以便随着时间的流逝来衡量成效。

IT治理旨在提高效率及企业响应。它确实涉及一些常规流程并可能给机构中带来新的规则及摩擦，高层官员必须领导企业进行转变，并灌输短期变化对于整个企业而言是一种投资这一理念。CIO们必须紧随其后，IT业绩应以整体进步及预算缩减为标准。专家认为一旦建立了IT治理框架后，6个月内就可以收到好的成效。

ITIL最优方法耗资仅为每单位90到150美元，而且这一投资是物超所值。惠普公司实施ITIL历史已久，IBM全球服务部也建立了IT治理架构，加拿大的Pink Elephant及新英格兰的Treadstone71也堪称IT治理楷模。

CIO们在缩减人员和开支时不能维持现状，如ITIL和COBIIT的治理标准就有助于在改善服务的同时降成本。宝洁公司、堪萨斯州、戴尔及其它单位都通过建立IT治理制度而取得可观成效。(贾俊峰 译)

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http://news.com.com/2010-1071-983356.html?tag=fd_nc_1

Why CIOs must adopt IT governance
February 5, 2003, 4:00 AM PT
By Jon Oltsik

         


Chief information officers will face many challenges in 2003.
Among other things, they will need to improve returns on investment, increase service levels, and enhance security--all while maintaining flat budgets and head count. But just how are they supposed to meet these objectives while still living within imposed fiscal restrictions?

I submit that CIOs will need to fundamentally change how they run their information technology departments by adhering to a new approach summed up by the umbrella term "IT governance." You'll hear a lot about this over the next year, as companies look to improve their processes without the benefit of bigger budgets. Indeed, I believe IT governance is destined to become as important as any piece of infrastructure or any application--perhaps more so in the current environment, where CIOs must do more with less.

Thanks to enterprise applications, e-business and the buildup to the Year 2000 bug, IT organizations were in constant fire-fighting mode from 1995 through 2000. The emphasis was on speed of implementation--even when that meant cutting corners or compromising on quality. This resulted in problems such as missed project deadlines, cost overruns, unanticipated downtime and security lapses.

IT governance is meant to address and correct these bad habits. It's based on high-quality, well-defined and repeatable processes. At a more detailed level, governance outlines policies, highlights procedures, requires meticulous documentation, and establishes a plan for constant improvement.

There are several well-established IT governance models. The most popular is the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), which was formulated by the U.K. government's Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) and is now overseen by its Office of Government Commerce (OGC). ITIL has widespread support in Europe but is also gaining popularity in North America. It defines a set of best practices in 24 disciplines.

Another established IT governance framework is the Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT). I submit that CIOs will need to fundamentally change how they run their information technology departments by adhering to a new approach summed up by the umbrella term "IT governance."  
COBIT was created to align IT resources and processes with business objectives, quality standards, monetary controls, and security needs.

Many organizations have embraced ITIL and COBIT and have achieved measurable success. Procter & Gamble adopted the ITIL model in 1997, which it claims has helped the company save more than $500 million over four years. A study of the savings within Procter & Gamble's finance and accounting IT departments showed a 6 percent to 8 percent cut in operating costs and a reduction in technology staff of between 15 percent and 20 percent.

The government of Ontario also embraced ITIL. Ontario needed to improve service to its 25,000 users at 1,000 locations. By adopting ITIL, the government created a virtual service desk that not only improved response time and reduced trouble tickets but also decreased support costs by 40 percent.

COBIT has its share of success stories as well. The state of Kansas uses COBIT standards as part of its virtual government strategy, to keep costs low and to deliver consistent service to its customers and constituents. Dell Computer includes COBIT best practices as part of its Control Self Assessment (CSA) corporate policy, a set of auditing checks and balances that helps the company maintain its high quality.

Establishing IT governance
These impressive results from well-respected organizations are clear indicators that IT governance can pay off. But sometimes starting can be the toughest step to take.

Implementing the entire ITIL or COBIT model would be overwhelming for any IT shop. Instead, start with the biggest pain point. For example, if your IT organization is having trouble supporting a large distributed organization, do what Ontario did and execute the ITIL help desk processes. Work through the training, organizational changes and implementation challenges in one area as a learning experience, then move on to other problem areas. Remember to benchmark the current environment before you begin the IT governance effort, so you can measure progress over time.

IT governance is designed to improve efficiency and business responsiveness. It does involve some formal process changes that may introduce formality and friction into the organization. Senior executives must lead the transition by rallying the company and communicating that any short-term changes are an investment for long-term benefits for the entire organization. The CIO must get the troops behind the effort through compensation changes, in which IT bonuses would be based on overall metric improvements and budget reductions. Once IT governance standards are in place, experts say you can expect to see positive results in six months.

Once IT governance standards are in place, experts say you can expect to see positive results in six months.  
ITIL best practice volumes cost only $90 to $150 each, and they're worthwhile for seeking out help with baselining, training and process creation. Hewlett-Packard has a long history of ITIL excellence, while IBM Global Services has also established an IT governance practice. Local specialists such as Pink Elephant in Canada and Treadstone71 in New England are also IT governance experts.

CIOs can't continue to try to maintain the status quo when they are on the hook to improve results while cutting staff and overall spending. IT governance standards such as ITIL and COBIT can help lower costs while improving service. Procter & Gamble, the State of Kansas, Dell and others have seen measurable improvements by establishing IT governance. That's why CIOs should start small and grow, get corporate and IT buy-in, and find service partners to start the governance process.




biography
Jon Oltsik is a founder and principal at Hype-Free Consulting, a research and consulting firm.

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