Boost service levels with knowledge-based service assurance

As a provider of information and communications technology (ICT) services for the organisation, it is necessary to ensure that services continually meet current and future business needs. Albeit a complex endeavour, it is achievable through knowledge-based service assurance, says Riaan Otto, GM of 10Net, the local distributor for systems management vendor NetIQ.

As a service provider, IT is responsible for protecting the performance and availability of its services. While doing this, it must also constantly ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the organisation`s critical data. To do so, several diverse challenges must be overcome, from effectively managing technical complexity, to overcoming continuous change, catering for regulatory compliance, appreciating budgetary constraints, addressing evolving security threats and managing the effect of employee turnover.

Regardless of the specific challenges faced, knowledge-based service assurance gives ICT service providers the power to achieve desired levels of operational integrity using tools that maintain service management, policy compliance and risk management.

Applying knowledge-based service assurance provides the means for accurately measuring and effectively managing risk; becoming and remaining compliant with corporate policies, regulations and legislation; managing operational configurations and change; and providing increased network security, availability and performance.

The methodology follows a four-tier product approach to aligning ICT security and systems management with broader business goals. Supporting products and enabling technologies empower ICT service providers to progressively adopt increasing levels of knowledge-based service assurance, thereby constantly raising the service-level bar. A building-block approach combines common infrastructure components with common reporting, analytics and dashboards. Knowledge-based service assurance provides essential elements for improved service by integrating systems and security management products; addressing the needs of the entire organisation; providing easy-to-use products in an integrated modular fashion; and embedding knowledge and best practices for better use of skilled resources and core knowledge retention.

Four pillars support the successful delivery of service assurance. These include:

* Operational integrity, involving the monitoring and protection of performance, availability and security, and routinely assessing the state of system configurations;
* Service management, wherein key performance indicators are aligned with and monitored against internal and external needs, and compliance requirements are explicitly met;
* Policy compliance, which requires the establishment of policies and service level agreements for handling service interruptions and policy exceptions; and
* Risk management, involving the measurement of risk from service interruptions and security breaches before they occur, implementing automatic protection and response procedures as a matter of course.

Knowledge-based service assurance depends on four disciplines, which are cross-functional and apply equally to distinct but interrelated service assurance processes. These disciplines are:

* Performance and availability management, ensuring the functioning and accessibility of key infrastructure, applications and business service; - Security management, ensuring the effective protection from and response to security-related threats;
* Configuration and vulnerability management measuring compliance to configuration and baselines based on corporate policies, regulations and evolving threats and vulnerabilities; and
* Operational change control, ensuring that changes to the production infrastructure are authorised, approved and audited through implementation

Providing trusted ICT services relies on continuously managing and balancing performance, security and cost. Creating effective, efficient and repeatable ICT management process is critical to achieving the proper, agreed-upon service levels. Knowledge-based service assurance empowers ICT service providers to achieve the necessary balance; maintain and improve the alignment of ICT service delivery with the needs of the business; and cost-effectively ensure the capacity and availability of ICT services.