QUESTION 1

Management is involved, objectives are defined, and our systems support our core processes. We have standards for collaboration and communications with IT management. Our applications are selected by each functional department but there are several cloud services that are not controlled or coordinated.

There is little management commitment to IT capabilities and no defined vision. We do not have an integrated business system, our infrastructure is uncoordinated and there is no proactive user support. Our systems do not support our business needs.

Management commitment is visibly evident. Our IT infrastructure enables the business processes to optimize performance and are fully supported. However, some of our processes are not fully integrated and service levels inconsistent. IT enables our business to operate efficiently.

Management commitment is consistent and metrics, planning and reviews are integrated with business plans. Our IT infrastructure fully supports business processes and is optimized to be user friendly with proactive service actions and real time issue resolution. Our processes are fully integrated and IT is a key element of strategy and competitive advantages.

QUESTION 2

We have processes and tools in place to automatically monitor and reconcile licenses and entitlements, using a SKU library and contract management processes. We reconcile inventory and entitlements to validate compliance and reclaim unused licenses.

We have a controlled list of all installed hardware and software and measure usage. We use software tools to document and track licenses and usage. We consistently name and categorize software per device.

We automatically apply device use rights to minimize license consumption using a product use rights library to claim/reclaim unused licenses. We proactively consolidate vendors wherever practical to optimize costs and simulate the cost impact of changes.

We do not have a central software asset management capability. Our licenses have been purchased by various departments directly and we are not able to control the use of unlicensed software.

QUESTION 3

Elements of protection are in place including local backups, remote copying of data and server fail over mechanisms. Recovery planning consists of loosely defined guidelines. There is little documentation regarding emergency recovery procedures.

We have minimal or no backups, there is no recovery plan and we have many different hardware and software products throughout the business. There is no management support for developing a plan.

The organization has a documented plan with clear recovery procedures. The plan is aligned with business needs in terms of recovery point and recovery time objectives. However, there is no proactive process to validate updates or replacements as they occur.

The organization has a well documented plan with defined recovery procedures, proactive validation of the plan by testing local recovery procedures and performing periodic drills. The recovery process is routinely tested to ensure recovery time objectives will be met.

QUESTION 4

Security is critical to our business operations. Organizational structures, processes and enforcement monitoring have been put in place to ensure the utmost confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our critical information assets. Risks are monitored 24x7, with established service level agreements to mediate and counter all real and potential threats.

We have a defined security policy, controls and responsibilities to manage and protect against security threats. Besides intrusion prevention, we have also identified point solutions like web and email gateways to guard against persistent and vicious attacks.

We are aware of the importance of guarding against security threats and see security as important for the business. We have put in place solutions to perform essential security functions such as network firewall, content filtering, anti-virus and anti-spam protection.

Security is integral to our business and IT operations. It is constantly evaluated and updated with insights gained via security incidents and events monitoring to ensure proactive security enforcement and control. However, there are some organizational and process gaps that we have identified.

QUESTION 5

Our vendor strategy is focused on enabling collaboration and innovation. Senior level meetings are held to discuss and plan strategic and operational needs and innovation opportunities. Incentives are in place to reward innovation and to share risks. Metrics are defined to measure IT compliance with business strategy.

We do not have a defined strategy for engaging with suppliers centrally or on a departmental basis. We have an ad hoc approach to identifying and communicating with IT suppliers.

We have a clearly defined contracting strategy that includes quality provisions and documented supplier interfaces. Order management controls are in place but prioritization is at the department level. Compliance is focused on performance with no definition of service levels or quality metrics.

Our vendor engagement strategy is focused on shared objectives with incentive mechanisms. We have developed an IT roadmap and our management teams meet to target gaps vs. the plan. We have clear enterprise level priorities and long term strategic relationships with IT suppliers.

QUESTION 6

The help desk function is basically nonexistent and support is provided on an ad hoc basis. There are no documented procedures and no metrics to measure performance. In essence, the help desk operates in firefighting mode.

The help desk is operating in a mostly proactive mode with resolution management software. Processes are documented and work well. The service function is integrated within IT operations with defined performance metrics and service levels met.

The help desk operates primarily in a reactive mode with some processes documented but no performance metrics or direct accountability. We do use a basic resolution management software but there is no focus on first call resolution or consistent service levels.

The help desk function operates in a fully proactive mode, focused on root cause analysis and cause elimination. Processes are clearly documented and work well. The service levels are consistent, exceed targets and add value to the operations of the business.

QUESTION 7

We have defined collaborative roles, functional communities, and purpose built social networks. The communication and collaboration processes are decentralized, enterprise wide, using modular, standardized, techniques.

We have defined collaborative roles and responsibilities throughout the organization and have identified process hot spots. We are defining a collaborative architecture to enable participation in team workflows, messaging, and conferencing.

We have adaptive, self organizing networks enabling a fully converged workplace and processes. Our core processes can be reconfigured to match essential changes and integrate communication, collaboration, presence, status, conferencing, messaging, and workflows.

Our communications processes and capabilities are built with non integrated point products and none of our processes are synchronized. People are isolated from team workflows, documents, presence, status, and real time screen sharing. From a communications perspective our organization is a fragmented set of stove pipes.

QUESTION 8

Technology is used as a competitive advantage using BA practices to focus on business/technology innovation. User defined opportunities are converted into innovative business solutions. Cultural change management, training, and documentation are an integral part of all investments.

Business analysis is recognized as a valuable capability but actual practices are informal. There is no definition of processes or functional roles. BA performance depends on the individuals involved.

We have established a clear business analysis framework focused on projects with user involvement and metrics. Change management is an integral part of project planning and requirements analysis.

Business analysis processes are fully defined and executed including change management. Technology projects are focused at the enterprise level as a key tool to execute strategy, improve customer satisfaction, and drive enterprise performance.

QUESTION 9

Generally, IT are viewed as firefighters managing individual user problems and responding to events as they are reported. Systems and processes are not documented and there are no performance metrics for user productivity.

IT is viewed as a service provider with clearly defined responsibilities and accountability. We have defined service level agreements and clearly understand IT costs. Our processes are integrated and systems capacity is managed to meet operational requirements.

IT is viewed as an operational support function, responsible for defining and predicting problems, setting procedures, managing HW/SW configurations, and solving performance problems. There is limited involvement in optimizing processes and automation.

IT is viewed as a strategic partner and business metrics are directly linked at the leadership level. The IT relationship to business functions is collaborative and proactive. Our infrastructure performance exceeds requirements and is adapted to match competitive threats, innovation opportunities, and customer experience improvements.

QUESTION 10

Mobile has not been considered core to the business. We are reacting to mobile demand, and acknowledge the need for a clear strategy. Our applications are siloed within a few functions.

Mobile is a core customer channel and a clear strategy is being developed. Customer view points are driving mobile channel development. We are consolidating apps to make them stable and reusable across functions.

Core business capabilities are fully implemented and a comprehensive strategy is in place. Applications are continuously evaluated with mobile and cloud strategies fully aligned.

Mobile and cloud applications are fully integrated. Mobile analytics drive capabilities and enhancements. Social media, gamification, crowd sourcing, and geo location capabilities are integrated. IOT extends and informs mobile apps.

Information Technology (IT) Assessment

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