vendors

Service Assurance and the pursuit of the elusive service view

skeptic — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:22:51 -0600

I learned a new (for me) buzzword recently when a journalist asked me about "Service Assurance". Sounds like a new spin on an old idea: the single view of a service. This is yet another techno-geek wet dream.

Don't do it here

skeptic — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:55:11 -0600

There used to be a post here being very rude about a UK training company, because I was annoyed by one mindless comment-spam from them (and a crappy post that the spam was pimping).

After an email from the company explaining that the person

...who submitted the comment (and the article - which was very poorly
written and irrelevant to your post), has only been with the organisation a
short time - he had been tasked with raising the profile of our new ITIL
site. He took it upon himself to submit this comment without running it by

read more

Binder-chuckers

skeptic — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:01:51 -0700

The problem with too many ITSM consultants is that they are binder-chuckers. ITSM consulting is not about inventing a process. It is about enacting cultural change.

ITIL v3 Process Maps

cmajewsk — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:01:53 -0700

Oh Great ITIL Wizard,

What do you think of these ITIL process maps. Are they worth it? It looks to me just something else to update, however, if put to actual and continual use, they could be a tremendous benefit. Especially for a company that is just starting to implement ITIL best practices...

Much appreciated,

cmajewsk

A few swallows in the Cloud are not altering the landscape

skeptic — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:24:23 -0700

I'm happy for Rodrigo Flores (who has probably given up on me at this point) that he has a few strong sales leads over Christmas. But I don't think that constitutes the future arriving "with a bang", an "altered landscape" or proof that Cloud is "happening" in any widespread transformational sense.

For all you vendors out there

skeptic — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:25:34 -0600

Here is part two of the transcript of a recent performance by the famous and fragrant folk music performer Rambling Kid Realitsm (see part one here):

...Now my next song is for all the software vendors in the audience. It's called "If All I Had Was a Hammer"

ITIL out of the box

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:48:59 -0600

Dear Skep,

A friend of mine works at an organisation that is migrating from one tier-1 ITIL tool vendor to another tier-1 ITIL tool vendor. They have been assured that they can adopt ITIL compliant processes out of the box using their toolset and are starting with Incident, Problem, Change, Service Catalogue, Request Fulfilment, Configuration and Service Level Management.

The vendor also sold a project manager and a technical guy for implementation.

It all seems too easy. What could possibly go wrong?

Thanks in advance.
Nervous

No thanks I don't want to look at your ITSM product

skeptic — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:43:22 -0700

When it comes to ITSM products (whether software or consulting or content or training) I'm reminded of the old postcard vendors of Cairo during WWII, or the "Rolex" sellers of New York, or the hash-or-houseboat sellers of Srinigar, or the tart-touts of Bangkok - they're everywhere, on every corner. As a high-profile blogger, I get this constant stream of "hey buddy/mister/falang, wanna buy an ITSM?". In the past when ITSM vendors asked I've politely looked (or found excuses) because I know how your product is like your baby: you are immensely proud and nobody dares tell you it is ugly. Actually most products are like most babies: they aren't ugly, they just look like every other one (my dad reckoned all babies look like Winston Churchill). But from now on I'm going to adopt a simpler answer: when I need something, I may look at your offering. Right now I don't, so I won't, thanks anyway.

What is the best ITIL V3 or ITSM tool?

skeptic — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:53:40 -0700

We go round this question every week on LinkedIn. My answer is getting pretty well honed.

The Exhibit Hall Optimizer

skeptic — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:22:03 -0700

It is not too late to sign up for Pink Elephant's 14th Annual ITSM Conference in Las Vegas next month. I'll see you there. If you come along, we'll be introducing an entirely new feature: an Exhibit Hall Optimizer. I have created the EHOBOK, the Exhibit Hall Optimizer Body Of Knowledge, as a tool for you to extract maximum value from the vendor exhibits, usually a dead zone for some of us at a conference. Check it out on the Conference blog and discover important principles such as