Business should focus on IT service management (ITSM) to emerge unscathed from the murky waters of the recession, says Edward Carbutt, executive director of Marval SA.
He adds that during this financially strained period, cost cutting measures saw businesses reluctant to make software purchases.
However, Carbutt advises business to start focusing on service improvement programmes if they are to cut their way into profitability in 2010.
“Companies need their IT service providers to support corporate governance and compliance requirements by offering comprehensive IT service management methods. These will offer organisations a clear understanding of where they stand in as far as the performance of their business is concerned,” says Carbutt.
He adds that companies should embrace the vital components of IT governance, as there has been a significant shift in business thinking following the recent introduction of the King III report and the imminent Companies Act.
The King III report sets out a number of key governance principles which businesses should follow, together with best practice recommendations on how to carry out each principle. On the other hand, the impending Companies Act aims to provide some recourse for companies in distress, reduce the cost of doing business in the country, as well as promoting the fundamentals of corporate governance.
“ISO/IEC 20000 is the international standard of service management. It is a standard against which the set of service management best practices can be audited and, more importantly, measured, allowing organisations to actively measure continual improvement based on the standards offered,” he says.
He adds that by creating a standard and consistent approach, ITSM becomes lucrative to businesses. “IT service management and supporting frameworks are becoming increasingly adopted as more companies demonstrate solid returns on their ITSM programme investments.”
Concurring with Carbutt, Nigel Henderson, executive manager of the infrastructure division at UCS Solutions, an IT outsourcing company, says: “ISO/20000 is an audited best practice for the IT service management industry. The certification is a market differentiator and positions companies as a reputable IT service delivery concern.”
Carbutt is one of the speakers at the Service Management Conference and Exhibition Africa, to be held on 3 and 4 August. Themed 'Mapping routes to recovery', the conference will focus on what organisations can expect from the South African economy in 2010 and beyond.
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