Overall Thoughts about Service Management

Throughout all the lessons this term, I must admit that its all a lot to take in. Not everything sunk into my mind and I'm still not sure how to apply it. I can only do the best I can and refer to the handouts as well as get inputs from my professors as to what to do until I actually get a handle on it. Hopefully I will master this someday.

Configuration Management

Like anything that requires to be setup, you would have to know the optimum configuration for maximize its use. A stage for a play would require specific props in certain places, the lights have to be correctly configured, etc. With IT systems, it is the same. To get the most out of your systems, the proper configuration is required. One mistake may lead to network errors or computers not being able to connect to the server and such. Basically, don't think "plug and play" when dealing with an IT system.

Release Management

Best example to describe this lesson is if we look at how programs, including operating systems, gets updated. Whenever a software is released, it would run fine until someone manages to find a bug with it. This is where release management comes into play. The developers then receive word of the bug and program fixes to remove the problem. Depending on the severity of the bug, releases can usually go from minor to major. Usually minor releases are small in file and can quickly be applied without much effort. Major releases on the other hand would usually require that the program be restarted after it has been applied and are usually a requirement to continue using the software. The PlayStation 3 has these kinds of releases for its console. Minor updates are usually optional but the major ones are required and would not allow you to go online until you have updated. Sometimes though, updates can screw up the system too. You'd end up a broken console as the worst case scenario. It would be up to the release management team to assure that they are releasing the correct file and that it fixes rather than destroys.

Change Management

Whenever something has to change within a company there are things to take note of. Change management comes into play. The steps that we have to take as we update or renew a certain process within the company that will affect how it works. In a way, I can see how this is important for a company in the sense that they can make changes and transition smoothly. I imagine what it would be like without change management. People would just assume how to things work. They would make mistakes. A lot of time will be wasted on correcting and fixing such mistakes. Scary actually.

Incident Management

Like the title says. What happens when in your company something occurs that disrupts service? How would you handle it? The topic discusses different kinds of examples of incidents that may occur in real life situations and how to handle them. The question is how to properly handle them in such a way that everyone is ok with the outcome. We got to explore different cases to see what it was like to be in a situation where incidents would happen. The solution is basically to first find the root cause of the incident then find a way to fix it. In cases that require a quick resolve, a quick fix is required. It will temporarily satisfy the customer but it will not resolve or ensure that the incident will never occur again. Once again, policies or instructions will need to be drawn up from analyzing the incident so as to avoid the incident from repeating in the future. It will save time and ensure that the customers are always satisfied with the service.

Service Management

When the term started, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this class. Service Management... so we're gonna manage service? What came to mind was managing waiters or people who service other people. The main focus for the subject is actually IT services. If we understood how to manage our services, we could actually maximize the use of the companies resources. It basically is used to ensure that all processes and activities are clearly aligned with the requirements of the business. We create an agreement and a policy that the company's IT department would follow when it it required its services. Looking at this now, what I had thought at the start was way off to what I heard in class. So much documentation! O_O