Effectively preparing for mobile implementation

Enterprises no doubt understand the immense value of mobile devices, especially when it comes to areas such as staff communication and collaboration.

New tablets and smartphones released over recent years have changed how modern enterprises operate, often increasing the outreach of businesses.

A new study from ABI Research has outlined further changes are on the way, in part due to the robust growth of the mobile internet market. Mobile internet is essentially the enabler behind mobile device growth, as it makes it possible to stay connected  with a company regardless of physical location.

Enhanced network capacity

Mobile data subscriptions, as well as significantly enhanced network capacity, will be primary drivers of global mobile internet service revenue over the next few years. The ABI study found revenue is likely to reach US$456.7 billion by 2019.

Stronger mobile data capabilities can enhance connectivity for enterprise mobile users, for example increasing the number of services that can be accessed remotely. Anything from email access to full cloud file storage can be utilised through capable mobile connections.

What's more, services could in fact become cheaper in the near future, if current trends continue. In Western Europe, ABI says declining profits will have an effect.

"Facing continued price pressure driven by the competitive mobile market, mobile carriers have had to take on higher subscriber retention and acquisition costs to support their market positions," explained Marina Lu, a research analyst at ABI Research.

Implementing mobile devices

Enterprises need to integrate mobile devices into operations, but efforts can be hampered by failure to do so correctly. Project management training and certifications, like PRINCE2, are a necessity for the IT professionals in charge of deployments. Equipped with the right training, they're able to more effectively handle the entire process.

Using PRINCE2 is one of the best options, and can be utilised not just in mobile deployments, but also other projects within the enterprise.

Software-defined networking market expected to reach new heights

Enterprises are placing an increased focus on IT networks, especially given the growth of cloud computing and Big Data over recent years. As such, software-defined networking (SDN) is on the rise within organisations, and is expected to see significant growth.

SDN is a model that focuses on automated provisioning, improved programmability and increased virtualisation in data centres and across enterprise networks. The International Data Corporation have stated that it's currently a driver for network innovation.

With an increased focus on networks, it's going to be necessary to have IT staff undertake project management training. This can ensure any network changes are implemented correctly from the outset.

Growth of SDN

In a new report, the IDC has forecast the market for SDN market enterprise and cloud service providers to grow from US$960 million this year to over $8 billion by 2018. This represents a massive combined annual growth rate of 89.4 per cent.

Growth in this sector is predicted to centre on physical network infrastructure, network-virtualisation software and SDN network and security services.

"SDN is taking centre stage among innovative approaches to some of the networking challenges brought about by the rise of the third platform, particularly virtualisation and cloud computing," said Rohit Mehra, a vice president at the IDC.

Usefulness of SDN

Use cases for SDN extend across a number of areas, which are certainly likely to have an impact on organisations. Web scaling for hosting was predicted as a primary area of use, along with private and hybrid cloud deployments.

The other cases centred on network programmability and customisation, as well as the array of security applications.

It's important for organisations to consider the other benefits of adoption, and how best to handle an implementation. In nearly every case, project management training can be especially useful.

Gartner: Agile development needed for mobile apps

Enterprises often depend on a suite of applications tailored to the functions of the organisation. These applications have traditionally been confined to desktops, but now mobile requires attention.

According to research organisation Gartner, this isn't likely to be a simple undertaking without the correct processes. Companies needing to transition to mobile application development will have to consider that traditional development practices may not work for mobile.

"Enterprise application development teams use traditional practices to define and develop desktop applications; however, most don't work with mobile app development," explained research VP at Gartner Van Baker.

He went on to outline how the large range of devices, network connectivity differences and additional mobile considerations could cause issues. While a change in development practice could be difficult, failure to do so could result in set backs in mobile application deployment.

"Application development managers should use functional, performance, load and user experience testing, as well as agile development practices."

Development issues are likely to arise due to a number of reasons, but a large factor could be the difference in screen size of mobile devices. Unlike spacious desktop screens, enterprises will have to ensure a strong user experience in far smaller spaces – likely an issue for many.

Issues with the development process itself could be another factor for companies, but it's one that should be easier to mitigate with the correct practices.

When enterprises begin mobile application development, it's important projects are managed correctly from the outset. Often, this can mean utilising a capable framework such as COBIT 5.

This framework, when implemented correctly via COBIT 5 training courses, ensures control requirements for the project are met, technical issues are avoided and business risks are mitigated. The value of such frameworks also extends beyond individual projects, and can be applied to a number of efforts within an organisation.

Speaking to ALC Training is the best course of action to ensure IT projects are implemented correctly.

IDC: Global IT market showing positive 2014 outlook

The global IT market is showing signs of improvement, with recent volatility slowly giving way to a more positive outlook. This is according to a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), which found mature economics to now be heading in the right direction.

Factors such as a commercial PC refresh and a moderate infrastructure upgrade cycle will lead to improvements in business confidence over the next 12-18 months. What's more, investments in both software and services are also predicted to begin accelerating.

Markets such as the United States are estimated to be at the centre of the spending resurgence, with both services and hardware contributing to market improvement.

"[…] The U.S. economic outlook has already brightened and this will drive a period of moderate but long-awaited investment in mission-critical infrastructure over the next year," said Stephen Minton, a vice president at the IDC.

Spending is predicted to increase by 4.5 per cent over the remainder of this year, consistently being driven by smartphone growth. Data analytics, management, and collaborative application software will also be a strong contributor to continued spending and growth.

"Total worldwide IT spending will reach almost $2.1 trillion in 2014. Including telecommunications services, the worldwide ICT market will increase by 4 per cent to $3.7 trillion," the IDC report stated.

A key focus of IT spending should be on effective project management, with courses such as PRINCE2 offering the best methodologies. PRINCE2 covers high level management, control and project organisation – key for a modern business.

By investing in the necessary frameworks and methodologies now, businesses will be able to effectively prepare for IT infrastructure changes over the next few years.

Failure to understand how these new frameworks can benefit your organisation could be a mistake, leading to slow uptake of new IT technologies and services.

Is TOGAF a necessary certification?

Managing enterprise information architecture is often one of the more difficult tasks IT professionals will face, especially as networks become increasingly complex. A number of frameworks are available, however, which can assist with planning, implementation and governance.

By understanding these frameworks, enterprise information architecture becomes less difficult to deal with. The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is one of these frameworks and can be highly valuable for organisations.

What is TOGAF?

TOGAF is an enterprise architecture methodology and framework, designed to improve business efficiency by giving software architects and IT professionals a structured approach for organising and governing enterprise information architecture.

It can deliver benefits at all levels, including the important design phase and during ongoing development maintenance. It can be used by any organisation professional desiring an effective enterprise architecture.

TOGAF can be especially useful when comprehensive IT integration is required. For example, two companies may merge, and bring two different sets of billing software and accounting systems. When these need to be merged, difficulties can arise.

With a framework like TOGAF​, it's relatively simple to undertake large-scale system integrations.

Is it necessary?

For IT professionals or organisations requiring a comprehensive framework, TOGAF is a highly capable option. The high level approach given to design across business, application data and technology is extremely useful, and can be utilised on a regular basis.

If system integrations are ever required, there's often little to no issue, as TOGAF can be implemented.

Gaining the certification

Before TOGAF can be successfully implemented, it's necessary to gain an appropriate certification. Becoming certified in TOGAF 9 is one of the best approaches, and focuses on the practical application of the methodology. With the course from ALC, a large focus is applied to realistic enterprise architecture scenarios.

TOGAF, like other methodology and framework certifications such as ITIl, can be extremely useful for businesses.

5 benefits of in-house IT training courses

If your business is looking to improve the IT skills of workers across the organisation, then training courses are a popular choice.

Whether it's extensive COBIT 5 training or brushing up on PRINCE2 project management methodology, there are many options available for organisations hoping to boost employees' knowledge.

A common way to complete courses is through in-house training, allowing you to select a site of your choosing where practitioners will come to you. But what are the advantages of opting for this method?

1. Customised training

One key benefit of in-house training is that the course can be tailored to your specific company needs.

Participants can even highlight real-life examples and case studies that can be discussed in depth, ensuring the focus is always on relevant industry-specific situations.

2.  Convenience

It is not always possible to have multiple members of staff away from the office for training, making in-house courses much more convenient.

Select a location and time that is suitable for all employees and you can typically benefit from minimal travel and a reduced impact on productivity.

3. Discuss sensitive issues

Attendees are free to talk about information that might otherwise be considered confidential or damaging if discussed with strangers.

In-house training provides a collaborative environment where these sensitive topics can be considered among employees from within a single organisation.

4. Cost-effective

The typical cost per attendee for on-site training can be considerably lower, particularly for larger groups.

Sending employees on external courses often means putting aside travel and food expenses or even accommodation if the training spans over several days.

5. Teambuilding

An in-house training session is a great opportunity to bring personnel from all corners of the business together in one room.

This gives employees a better understanding of the processes, challenges and projects occurring outside of their department.

The necessity of effective IT governance

Organisations can often run into trouble when it comes to effective IT management, especially when IT needs to be used for reaching business goals.

IT governance, a smaller subset of corporate governance, is focused on information technology and the underlying performance and risk management of IT. With strong IT governance measures in place, a business is able to use IT to achieve key goals effectively.

This article will explore the necessity of IT governance, how it can be used in a business environment and several of the steps necessary to put stronger practices in place.

It should certainly become a focus for businesses in the near future, given the growing role of IT systems and processes among organisations.

An understanding of IT governance

Businesses, both small and large, are becoming increasingly dependant on IT for nearly every area of operations. Whether for enhancing communication among workers, increasing collaboration or reducing costs across the board, IT is now key to the long-term plans of many companies.

IT has quickly moved from a secondary consideration to one that's firmly at the forefront of many decisions, and as such governance of IT is now part of broader corporate governance.

As governance essentially revolves around who makes decisions within the corporate structure, and as such who is responsible, it's important that IT be clearly understood. IT needs to be transparent for those within the company, with policies that are understood and easy to access.

With clear and effective governance over time, businesses are able to build an IT focus that supports wider company goals, and is able to adapt to any necessary changes.

In addition to this, IT will be able to stick to a defined budget structure and establish the best IT practices for those within the company across the board.

As IT is now a leading consideration for businesses, it's essential that management practices are clearly defined and implemented throughout the structure. Because IT can be a difficult area for businesses to understand, the policies need to be clear and transparent.

Steps to ensure effective governance

Once the importance of effective IT governance is understood, it's time to turn to the best practices for actually implementing governance strategies.

There are several key areas that need to be focused on, outlined below.

1. Responsibility – It's vital that the governance structure within the organisation focus on IT project results, as opposed to implementation and project management endeavours.

2. Transparency – Because IT can be a foreign area for many within the company, transparency of structure and process is essential. It's important to place a focus on who has decision making rights, and communicate this to those within the wider company.

3. Accountability – Building off the above two points, accountability involves ensuring that any committees or leaders assigned to IT governance are accountable for any objectives they've been assigned. In the case of any issues as a result of mismanagement or failure to perform, there needs to be clear escalation methods in place.

Training

It's important to never underestimate the value of IT governance training, as it's able to effectively communicate and teach many of the practices outline above. If an understanding of governance is stressed through effective training, it's likely that IT will become a far easier endeavour for companies.

Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) is framework that's able to effectively teach an understanding for IT governance, as well as information technology management.

By undertaking COBIT 5 training courses from a leading provider such as ALC Training, businesses can build an end-to-end view of IT governance, one that's able to reflect the central role technology plays within the business.

Cloud spending push highlights need for new technology considerations

Cloud spending has recently broken the US$4 billion mark in the EMEA, according to a new study from the International Data Corporation (IDC) released on July 17.

The report found that cloud is a major disruption factor within the EMEA market, and is having similar effects to those seen in other countries around the world. New cloud technologies are accounting for a growing portion of hardware spending and influencing vendor strategies.

It's highly important that businesses understand the value of the cloud, especially given the benefits to operations.

Following adoption of a cloud document storage system, for example, data is kept safely offsite, and can be accessed from a variety of devices where and when required. Other systems include cloud-based video calling and collaborative document editing.

The IDC report explored exactly how the cloud is changing businesses, and what implementation can offer. The radical departure from previous systems certainly can be difficult to understand, but adequate training is a useful solution.

"Along with Big Data, social, and mobility, cloud represents one of the four pillars of IDC's 3rd Platform vision – the new paradigm of IT usage that is revolutionising the way technology is adopted in commercial and consumer environments," said Giorgio Nebuloni, a research manager at the IDC.

He went on to explain that hybrid cloud will likely become the system of choice for businesses, given the flexibility this solutions offers over a fully public or private approach.

"Hybrid cloud allows customers to retain sensitive data behind a corporate firewall while still taking advantage of cloud-related lower costs," he said.

IT project management training is highly useful when it comes to education about the benefits of the cloud, as all required levels of the organisation can gain an appreciation for what the technologies offer.

As cloud hardware and software continue to be a disrupting force, it's essential to understand the importance of education.

Building a future-proof IT strategy

IT has moved to become a top business priority for most organisations over recent years, affecting areas such as productivity, collaboration and overall business operations. It's now essential that considerations are given to future-proofing the IT strategy of a company, and ensuring every facet is fully explored and understood.

An outline of the current state of IT, what needs to be accomplished over the next few years and the key areas of focus will be detailed below. A comprehensive IT strategy should become the next major priority for organisations.

The current state of IT

IT future-proofing can often appear difficult for businesses, especially given the constantly changing nature of the underlying technologies. As such, it's often not hard for a culture of indifference to bred within organisations, and IT subsequently pushed to the background of developments.

It's going to be important to create forward-thinking strategies as IT becomes increasingly important for productivity, collaboration and cutting down expenditure.

Businesses should assess the strategies of government agencies, such as the NSW State Records Initiative. This department is future-proofing IT by creating digital record keeping systems and promoting the digitisation of state records. 

An outline of what needs to be done

Strategies can seem difficult to put in place, but by breaking down the key areas of focus businesses can ensure every area has been taken into account. Attention needs to be placed on information, security and mobile technologies. Of course, companies may need to adapt as new technologies or trends begin to have an impact on organisations.

Here are three key areas of IT that businesses need to pay attention to in the near future.

An information approach

Moving to a new information management system can often be one of the more extensive changes a business makes to operations, but it's a vital part of ensuring security and efficiency over the long-term. An information approach entails managing discrete pieces of content rather than documents themselves.

This approach is especially useful for cutting back on printing and unnecessary data duplication. Basically, data is created in one location, and subsequently used wherever needed. Instead of being required to print documents multiple times, a digital alternative is accessible from computer systems throughout the organisation.

Focusing on security

Perhaps one of the most overlooked areas of an IT strategy, security needs to become a primary area of focus, especially due to the ever-expanding number of threats.

Outside attackers are only becoming more proficient at breaching secure business networks, and inaction on the part of the company can result in costly data breaches. These can often lead to financial damage and a stained reputation among customers.

IT security training is the best option here, as it ensures staff at all levels of the organisation understand the necessity of security.

Understanding mobile

Mobile devices represent perhaps the biggest technological leap forward for businesses, given the accessibility for both SMEs and large enterprises.

Defining the role of mobile is key, as a clear goal is able to ensure the organisation understands why the devices are used, and what benefits they offer.

The Cisco Visual Networking Index, released earlier this year, found global mobile data traffic to have grown 81 per cent in 2013, with the number of connections continuing to grow throughout the year. As such, it's crucial that appropriate considerations are given to mobile devices, and their roles within the business.

Conclusion

Training is one of the best ways for organisations to prepare for change, and should be at the forefront of business planning. With a focus on training in areas such as IT project management and IT security, staff can understand why certain technologies are useful for the enterprise, and the best methods of implementation.

As training can be utilised at all levels of the organisation, even business executives can be taught the necessity of various technologies, and the value of a future-proof IT strategy.

3 ways to effectively educate employees

Education is an essential facet of modern business operations, especially when staff need to take on new skills. The issue that's often faced is educating effectively, and ensuring that staff have taken on the necessary skills.

Commonly, changing circumstances such as evolving cyber risks can require further staff education. By undertaking information security training courses, for example, staff are aware of the practices required to prevent security threats.

Here are three tips to ensure effective staff education.

Optimise employee strengths

There's no denying that staff will have different skills within the organisational structure, and it's important to ensure these skills are fully utilised. Building on these skills can help to establish a workplace where staff are able to adopt different roles, or fill in as required.

This type of training can be useful in constantly changing business environments, as the workforce will be more adaptable.

Set goals

When large training programs are undertaken, or specific courses are put in place to teach particular skills, it can be easy to lose sight of exactly what needs to be accomplished. For example, an IT security training course may be led astray, incorporating unnecessary elements that only serve to waste time.

A set of clear goals is able to keep the education process aligned while it's undertaken, ensuring staff can learn effectively.

Ensure constant training

While one-off training courses are sometimes required for learning new tools or applications, the value in ongoing training in detailed subjects cannot be overstated. For a topic such as IT security, for example, frequent refresher courses can ensure staff are kept aware of the latest threats, and the required prevention measures.

Refresher courses are also extremely useful to keep staff engaged in particular topics, as the frequent education is able to build interest.

By understanding how to effectively educate staff, businesses are in the best position moving forward. Many may want to consider the value of a comprehensive training course.

Building an effective IT strategy

The role of IT has grown over the past few decades to become a substantial part of business operations for most companies. Now, a substantial amount of technologies and processes are used throughout the vast majority of organisations.

To ensure comprehensive management of IT, an effective strategy needs to be implemented across all levels of staff. The question is, how should this process be undertaken?

Defining the strategy

An IT strategy can be most clearly defined as a process employed by businesses to ensure success through IT implementation. Due to the benefits that new technologies offer organisations, coordinating efforts into an effective strategy offers the best chance of success.

"Although some or all tasks involved in creating the IT strategy may be separate, […] IT strategy it is an integral part of the business strategy," explains research organisation Gartner in its online IT glossary.

Clarify and communicate

Once the goals of the strategy have been defined, it's necessary to clarify and communicate to staff. While this may seem difficult, it's actually a relatively simply process.

Clarification is important, and needs to focus on broad understanding across all levels. It's all too common for strategies to be expressed as executive level statements that most staff cannot understand, making them inaccessible. An IT strategy should have clearly defined objectives and provide clear direction.

Following clarification, communication needs to become the next step. Organisations can often struggled to communicate effectively, and are usually disjointed across all departments. It's important that discussions occur at each level of the company, effectively communicating the IT strategy to different departments and staff.

As such, the strategy is clearly understood by every member of the organisation.

Taking advantage of a workshop

A workshop from ALC could be the best method of IT strategy implementation, as it's able to outline and explain the tools businesses require to formalise and deliver a strategy.

In an environment of different stakeholder needs, a workshop is almost certainly the best option for businesses.

A breakdown of COBIT 5 courses

IT is rapidly changing businesses around the world, enabling greater marketplace flexibility, agility and performance. In addition, it's also helping to drive operational costs down. Of course, with the push for IT comes risk, and the need for training.

IT governance is defined as a set of processes that enable a business to reach goals through effective and efficient use of IT. As a subset of corporate governance, it also deals with performance and risk management. Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) is a framework that can ensure staff are given the best possible information when looking to achieve IT governance.

It's now essential that businesses and IT professional invest in proper training in frameworks such as COBIT. Here are several COBIT 5 courses which ALC Training offers, that you should consider undertaking to place yourself and your organisation in the best position.

Foundation courses

The first option is a three day course that's essential for staff new to COBIT 5 and IT governance in general, as it provides an overview of the framework and the components. For staff who are already familiar with the principles and frameworks, a two day course is available that spends less time on case studies and examples.

These initial courses serve as the jumping off point for training, before staff head onto more complex initiatives.

Implementation

Following the initial foundation course, it's time to move onto an implementation program. By undertaking the next stage, staff are able to gain a practical appreciation of COBIT 5, and how it can be applied to various trigger events, risk scenarios and problems within a business.

The key focus of implementation training is on how to apply COBIT 5 to an enterprise in different implementation scenarios. As businesses are constantly changing, having the adaptable framework on hand is essential.

Risk management

IT risk can occasionally be mislabeled as purely an information security concern, when it fact it actually impacts the entire organisation across all activities. It's easy to see why, as IT risk is essentially just any risk related to information technology, which is often in use throughout the business.

By understanding IT risk, and being able to manage the issue better, businesses are able to see improved performance. The COBIT 5 for Risk program is designed for risk professionals, as well as other interested parties within the enterprise.

Assurance

This course is designed for a more broad business audience, encompassing assurance professionals at both management and governance layers. Boards and audit committees are also included here, along with business and IT management stakeholders.

Further practical guidance is also provided here on planning, executing and following up on assurance reviews, through use of a road map. This map is designed based on accepted assurance approaches.

Strategic Overview

This final program is designed for a more senior audience, beyond the programs listed above. Commonly, board level, C-suite and other IT and non-IT staff are included here. This program is designed to provide a more broad strategic understanding as to how COBIT 5 covers businesses, and can enable effective management and government of enterprise IT.

Due to the scheduling requirements of higher levels of staff, the presentation time is customisable to suit.

Contact ALC Training today if you'd like more information COBIT 5 training, to put your staff in the best position moving forward over the next few years. The advantages of this training mean IT departments are more capable and ready to adapt to change.