Conference Focuses on IT Service Management

It's no longer enough to manage technology. IT organizations today must manage services.

IT administrators have spent huge chunks of their budgets buying the latest and greatest technology only to find that, while it may have worked, it didn't actually improve their business.

That's where IT Service Management comes in.

As a politician might say, It's about the business, stupid.

IT Service Management is the centralized collection, documentation and maintenance of all service management best practices. All of the service delivery and support processes from the help desk through configuration management integrate to provide a seamless flow of information that helps ensure ongoing service quality.

IT Service Management using the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework is all about the efficient and effective use of the four Ps -- people, processes, products and partners. The itSMF is a global non-profit, independent and internationally recognized forum for IT Service Management Professionals. The group has been a prominent player since 1991 in the on-going development and promotion of best practice IT Service Management standards.

On Sept. 27, the itSMF USA, in partnership with Jupitermedia Corp. (the parent company of this Web site), will hold the 4th Annual itSMF USA Conference and Expo in Long Beach, Calif.

This annual conference continues to grow both in attendance and in sessions. Next week, the three full conference days include 55 sessions, five focus tracks and six industry leader keynote addresses.

The theme of this year's conference is ''ITSM: Beyond the Foundation, Building the Future''. The information provided there will be focused on the value of ITSM to the business; how to solve business problems using ITSM; achieving and sustaining organizational change; methodology and tools; building ITSM awareness and skills, and a track specific to helping government agencies achieve their e-Government initiatives and information security mandates.

Sunday, Sept. 26 is Simulation Sunday where attendants can join their peers for a day of activities that will push their process skills to the next level, while offering a unique opportunity to apply ITIL practices in everyday life situations.

There also will be post-conference training Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. This will offer attendees the opportunity to take the ITIL Foundations Course and exam, as well as a class on how to develop a Configuration Management strategy.

The conference is pulling in many industry leaders, such as Michael DeAngelo, IT service manager at the Walt Disney Internet Group; Ron Markezich, CIO of Microsoft Corp.; Alan Nance, an executive consultant with Agilita Consulting and one of the founding Brothers of ITIL; and Randy Steinberg, a senior consultant with Covestic and co-author of an ITSM methodology and operational framework formerly used by Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).

The conference is designed to be a place where IT administrators and executives can network with their peers, discuss challenges and learn new information and techniques. To this end, there will be Birds of a Feather focus groups for both large and smaller enterprises.