HP rolls out IT Service Management assessment program with META Group

HP today announced the launch of its Rapid Service Management Value Assessment Program jointly with industry analyst firm META Group. First available in Europe, this program will be rolled out to select HP customers worldwide in the coming year.

HP, the leading provider of service management solutions worldwide, partnered its Software and Services arms with internationally renowned consulting firm META Group to offer the assessment free of charge to large enterprises. The program provides an objective, professional and rapid analysis of how IT is serving an organisation`s overall needs and how the value of IT can be measured and improved.

By analysing the gap between the current and potential state of IT service management, the assessment team creates a solid base of information and recommendations for optimising IT service delivery, which the customer can use to adapt its IT structure more easily with greater consistency and focus depending on market demands.

"This is the most unique program for assessing the value of IT to business," said Lutz Peichert, Director Consultant of META Group. "Not only does it evaluate IT`s return on investment and potential cost savings, but it also compares results with ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) best practices and forms recommendations based on business focus areas identified at the beginning of the project. In addition, recommendations do not only focus on how to spend additional funds, but also offer advice on the best ways to utilise the technology and resources that customers already have in place."

A pilot program for the assessment in Europe has already revealed beneficial information for HP customer Avaya, a global leader in corporate networking solutions and services for businesses, government agencies and other organisations. The company started building its IT service management platform based on ITIL standards two years ago when it became an independent company. It chose the assessment to measure the progress made since and to help it determine new priorities.

"The evaluation process was extremely worthwhile and really easy to complete - with an electronic form that was simple to fill out and results that were returned to us very quickly," said Jean-Philippe Draye, system architect manager for Avaya. "It has been an excellent tool for confirming that our service management implementations up to now have been successful, while also helping us clearly define our future priorities and determine how to best allocate our resources most effectively."

The program also provides the following for customers:

* Cost-cutting recommendations for today`s challenging economy and tight IT budgets.
* Arguments for senior management to use when identifying possible new investments for business.
* A stronger position for CIOs and IT organisations who can now easily provide the value of IT to the management board with an outline of benefits and the value of IT within the organisation.

"With more than eight years of experience in service management, HP knows the challenges that customers face in proving the value of the IT department and in validating its needs," said Frank Rosenfelder, worldwide program manager, HP Software Global Business Unit. "HP`s Rapid Service Management Value Assessment Program will provide highly individualised attention and confidential results at no cost, helping enterprises to align IT services with current and future business and customer needs, improve the quality of delivered IT services and reduce long-term costs."

The Rapid Service Management Value Assessment Program is available free of charge to select enterprise customers. Customers can obtain additional information by contacting their local HP representative or by contacting the program team via e-mail at openview_ccc@hp.com