Local IT governance experts have developed the first CobiT 4.0 implementation toolkit. Peter Hill, managing director of Info Sec Africa, says they were motivated to develop a CobiT Implementation Tool to bring down the cost and reduce the inefficiencies that often go with IT governance implementations based on CobiT, ITIL and similar frameworks.
Info Sec Africa is the leading provider of IT governance and CobiT services in South Africa and has gathered a wide range of experience from both small and large implementations in the local and international markets.
Hill says they enjoy the challenge of scaling IT governance implementations to the size of the enterprise. No two organisations are the same and therefore the IT capability necessary to achieve business goals will vary between organisations. The tool is process based on and closely follows the CobiT 4.0 framework. It works equally well with other process models like ITIL and is designed to manage the roll-out of capability improvement in IT.
IT governance tools are expected to excel in three areas: provide direction, guide the improvement of IT processes and controls, and drive performance in line with business expectations. Currently there are very few vendors of IT governance implementation solutions although there are a variety of solutions aimed at improving the performance of specific IT processes particularly service support. These tools are often marketed as IT governance solutions but are predominantly focused on operational management activities.
Central to the CobiT 4.0 framework is process, process ownership and understanding that people build capability. Hill says there is a tendency to over define process and rely excessively on so-called "best practice" models and blueprints. The key to successful implementation of IT governance is empowering staff to build the capability needed in line with business requirements. A common mistake is to perform a gap analysis between the IT function`s processes and a source of "best practice" like CobiT or ITIL. What is actually needed is a gap analysis between the IT function`s services and the business` expectations.
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