ITSM – A single tool is not enough - it-novum ENG... · 2020. 3. 27. · CMDB, stock availability as well as the telephone number for the supplier‘s contact person is visible

Why the key to successful IT service management is a combination of different solutions

ITSM – A single tool is not enough

Whitepaper

1. Smart IT Service Management 3

2. Requirements and processes 4

3. What you should consider when implementing tool integration 7

4. The basis for making your decision 9

5. The selection process 10

6. The advantages of combining tools in ITSM 12

Content

Professional IT service management is the result of a smart combination of various tools.

There are many solutions on the market that can be integrated with each other so that they

automatically exchange and synchronise data. And using such an approach considerably

reduces the effort involved in maintaining and monitoring IT systems.

This white paper shows how to combine different tools to create a flexible and powerful IT

service management solution.

Abstract

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it-novum Whitepaper | ITSM - A single tool is not enough

1. Smart IT Service Management Do you work in an IT department that faces constant cost pressures and simultaneous demands

for efficiency and quality improvements? Is your department that is about to become a „profit

centre“ instead of a „cost centre“? And do you also have to ensure your business objectives

are in line with your IT? Then the terms ITIL and in particular IT service management are surely

familiar to you.

In principle, the idea of being service oriented is good, but DAX-listed companies also have their

difficulties with this. They are increasingly finding that the path to achieving a service-oriented

„ITSM department“ cannot be completed as quickly as the theory might promise. Implementati-

on is a long, continuous process that needs to be well prepared, evolving and constantly impro-

ving, with even external requirements such as new laws and regulations often playing a role.

The challenge of ITSM

IT service management (ITSM) is the integration of processes (incident, problem, change and

configuration management) and technologies while taking into account customer orientation

and service quality. It forms the basis for an active and structured IT infrastructure for providing

IT services.

ITSM is based on three main pillars: method, processes and tools. The ITIL method provides

proven best practice recommendations for IT processes. In order to realise these processes, you

need tools that ideally conform to ITIL standards. However, these tools are often implemented

as stand-alone solutions that do not interact with adjacent applications.

In this white paper, we will describe why a combination of specialised and customisable ITSM

solutions is better than implementing a single all-in-one piece of software.

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2. Requirements and processesAn ITSM process model provides comprehensive, complete descriptions of the company‘s IT pro-

cesses. This means before any tools are discussed, the different services, the interdependencies

of the systems and the associated processes must be defined.

The classic hotline example

A user calls and reports that the system has become slow over the last few days (incident

management). You look into the matter and check the main memory of the servers, the disk IO,

processor load, line load, etc. and find that one disk has repeated read errors (problem manage-

ment) and so latency times are extremely high. As a consequence, the hard disk is swapped out

(change management). The process should therefore be as follows: The customer calls, the call

is recorded, the error is found, the server is shut down and the disk is replaced.

That sounds simple and plausible. But the reality is often different:

и The customer receives no or only rudimentary feedback on the processing status of his

incident

и Should the person reporting the problem fall ill, the issue ends up being processed again

from scratch due to insufficient information

и When the disk is replaced, a hardware incompatibility is detected

и Escalations are common

The reason for this is that no documentation, monitoring information or a particular process can

be accessed when processing the incident.

The aim must therefore be for the IT department to establish processes that guarantee a com-

prehensive and complete description of the issue and define areas of responsibility for the indi-

vidual service elements. There should be complete transparency for every employee at all times

as to what has to be done and in which situations.

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The ideal procedure in our hotline example would be:

и The monitoring system registers there is a read error on a hard disk and creates a correspon-

ding ticket in the helpdesk system (incident management). The ticket is read by one emplo-

yee and then reserved to his or her personal queue so that no one else can process it. Based

on the existing information, the employee determines the problem is with server X, which has

Y type hard disk. Because there is a link within the ticket to the configuration item from the

CMDB, stock availability as well as the telephone number for the supplier‘s contact person is

visible.

и The helpdesk member can also see that maintenance of the device is scheduled within the

next two days. The problem can be solved by exchanging the faulty disk. This is documented

by adding an activity (or work order) in the ticketing system (problem and change manage-

ment). Information about the planned downtime for the upcoming maintenance to be per-

formed is stored in both the CMDB and the monitoring system and can therefore be used to

resolve the ticket. The schedule for resolution is now set.

и Users are informed via the customer front end that there may be some loss of speed in sys-

tem X, but the error will be corrected in two days. During the downtime, the disk is replaced

and the information is entered into the CMDB – if it is not automatically updated via a disco-

very tool.

This process has been clearly defined in advance and therefore ensures transparent processing

of the incident:

и The customer is actively informed about problems using the ticketing system

и Supervisors can access and release blocked tickets

и The current hardware and software status is known thanks to the inventory information

recorded in the CMDB

и Escalations only take place if an evaluation clearly demonstrates that System X is of a poor

quality (monitoring in combination with number of tickets)

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Practical example: Flemming Dental

Our first example of integrated process automation comes from the production sector: Flem-

ming Dental is a company with approximately 40 production sites throughout Germany. The

IT systems at all locations are monitored from the Hamburg headquarters. The company has

completely moved its IT service management to open-source software. Initially, i-doit was intro-

duced as the IT documentation tool. After entering all relevant devices and services, the open-

source monitoring system openITCOCKPIT was then introduced. All important service processes

are interconnected and are able to automatically exchange data.

Monitoring has become the central IT access point for the company. The monitoring data from

openITCOCKPIT is displayed on a large screen. Employees can thus immediately see whether a

service is unavailable. These solutions are also used beyond the IT department. For example,

the heads of the different dental laboratories are informed about the systems they are using

and whether important updates are pending. This transparency is highly regarded at Flemming

Dental because it helps the company improve their processes.

Flemming Dental particularly appreciates the open architecture of the three ITSM solutions,

because it makes adjustments and extensions easy to achieve. Project Manager Marcus Ellefsen

explains why the company opted for open-source solutions: „We were looking for an inexpensive

system for IT service management that could be adapted in as flexible a manner as possible.

Open-source solutions are not closed options like those of the large solution manufacturers, but

rather highly adaptable systems. Plus, there are suitable service providers out there who offer

support for all three solutions, which was just as important a factor for us.“


3. What you should consider when

implementing tool integrationWhen integrating the ITSM tools, you should start by documenting your IT landscape, that is,

with the CMDB, followed by monitoring and possibly a simultaneous implementation of the

ticketing system. This is how it should be done according to ITIL. Deviations are of course possib-

le, but should be carefully considered, as additional work may be required due to subsequent

adjustments. All tools – and this is self-evident – should be interfaced with each other so that the

basic data of the CMDB is centrally available to both the monitoring and ticketing systems.

Interfaces

A software option that covers all three areas (i.e. has no interfaces) may initially appear to be

a good solution. However, this can also entail major problems that make it difficult to find the

optimum solution. A classic example is a resulting lack of flexibility and expandability when it

comes to the specifics of company processes. And these exist in every company. So let‘s look at

some individual tools with interfaces that are flexible, expandable and open source.

As far as the interfaces are concerned, it is important that the following data can be exchanged

between the systems:

и CI-specific information

и Ticket information

и Service information

и SLA information

и Monitoring-specific information

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CMDB – Monitoring

For optimal monitoring, it is necessary to use data from the CMDB so that the hosts you want to

monitor do not have to be managed twice. Filters should be used to restrict the systems to be

transmitted.

An interface should transfer data about both the services and SLAs so that the services or SLAs

contained in the reporting system can be monitored and met.

Monitoring – Ticketing system

An interface between the monitoring and ticketing systems transfers correlated messages from

the services along with enriched information (CI, errors, etc.) to the ticketing system and then

assigns them to the queue to be processed, if this is required. When a ticket is accepted, the in-

terface returns an „acknowledged“ message to the monitoring system so that it is also aware the

ticket is being processed and no further messages for the issue are generated.

Ticketing system – CMDB

Within the ticketing system you should have an overview of your tickets/CIs, so that you have an

overall idea of the total costs of your services. And a corresponding overview should also exist in

the CMDB.

Star-Schema auf Basis der verwendeten AWR2-Datenbank

8


Database Lookup

4. The basis for making your decisionIn addition to the interfaces, the following points are helpful when it comes to making decisions:

CDMB:

Have all IMPORTANT requirements been covered?

Services

SLAs

Mapping of CI, service and SLA dependencies

Emergency plans (ISO 27001)

Licence management

Maintenance contracts

Facilities

Is the solution intuitive and convenient to use?

Monitoring:

Multi-client capability

Are all IT components supported?

Are SLAs supported?

Does it have good usability?

Are the values real time values?

How easily can it be expanded?

Which platforms are supported?

Are applications, services and other products (electric strikes, air conditioners) also

monitored?

Can the values and services be correlated?

Is it web-based?

Ticketing system:

Is it easy to configure and expand?

Does it support workflows and ITSM?

Is it web-based?

Can services and SLAs be mapped?

Are all tools expandable, forward-looking and can they be integrated into your own IT

landscape?

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5. The selection processNow the selection process for choosing your tools comes into play. Tool selection is always a

double-edged sword. The system should cover as many requirements as possible (see above),

but must not exceed your budget. You should, therefore, try to approach searching for the right

tool in a factual and structured manner. Take out a sheet of paper and record your requirements,

regardless of existing installations. Consider both the medium-term and long-term goals of your

departments (including any specialist departments) and the possible risks involved in imple-

mentation.

In addition to commercial providers, there are also open-source providers who, in our experi-

ence, cover most requirements and also provide the necessary flexibility and security.

The advantages of using open-source solutions in IT service management:

и Automated processes are easy to implement

и Heightened flexibility and customisation potential through the use of open architectures

и Easy implementation and configuration

и Proven systems that have an established presence on the market

и Professional support available

и Centralised view of the status of your IT infrastructure

и Employees can quickly familiarise themselves with the system

и High IT transparency by giving access to various different user groups (IT, sites, production)

и Individually customisable to suit different user information needs

и More cost-effective structure that leaves room for customisation

и Potential for integrated service management landscape

6. Die Vorteile einer Tool-Kombination im

Stream Lookup

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Practical example: The Giessen Department

of Public WorksThe Giessen Department of Public Works uses open-source technology for all its IT service ma-

nagement needs. Their solution integrates network monitoring, IT documentation and helpdesk

activities. Their monitoring installation also covers all their SAP systems. All solutions are inte-

grated with each other and exchange and synchronise data automatically. This system conside-

rably reduces the daily workload for this energy supplier. The solution should be open source,

both for reasons of cost and flexibility.

In actual practice, the process automation for Giessen looks like this: If new IT components such

as hardware or software licences are added, they are automatically transferred to the monito-

ring system via an interface. The systems are regularly synchronised so that the systems being

monitored are the same items that are listed in the CMDB. As a result, errors such as those that

can occur when components are manually entered into Excel tables, have become much more

rare. Thomas Rössler, Head of Information Technologies for Giessen, says: „Since we integrated

these three systems, maintaining our IT services has been really easy. Items from i-doit can be

transferred to openITCOCKPIT in just two steps and then automatically created in the monito-

ring system. The only system that then needs to be maintained is the CMDB“.


The advantages of combining tools in ITSMBy combining tools for the asset management, ticketing, monitoring and configuration manage-

ment systems, the configuration management database (CMDB) can serve as a central point of

contact for all IT information. It is from here that information from other applications is then

made available to users.

The advantages of using such a combined system are:

и Higher service quality by having an aggregated view of your entire IT system Dashboards provide a deep insight into your data centre operations. You can see at a glance

which services are malfunctioning or in danger of failing.

и Reduce costs by avoiding manual work Your hosts and other IT components are stored in a CMDB and transferred to the monitoring

system using an interface.

и Minimise downtimes by quickly reacting to malfunctions As soon as one of your IT services is disrupted, a ticket is created in the ticketing system. An

upstream event correlation then prevents the explosive growth of unimportant associated

tickets.

и Quick initiation of recovery measures through central IT documentation The ITSM solution from it-novum links the tickets with the corresponding assets in the CMDB.

Contingency plans can thus be quickly understood and applied.

и Avoid disruptions by monitoring provisioning processes OTRS is also used for change management in addition to its incident and problem manage-

ment functions. Any changes to the IT infrastructure must be requested and approved in

accordance with ITIL guidelines.

и Monitoring business processes from the end user‘s perspective End-2-end tests simulate typical user situations and measure the response times for applica-

tion transactions.

и Comprehensive monitoring of business-critical applications using SAP as an example Monitoring your SAP landscape with openITCOCKPIT provides a flexible alternative to

monitoring your ABAP and Java environment through a combination of CCMS and

diagnostic agent monitoring.

Why you should talk to it-novum...it-novum is the leading IT consulting company for business open source in the German speaking market. Founded in

2001, it-novum is a subsidiary of the listed Allgeier SE.

Monitoring, IT documentation, ticket systems - when it comes down to IT service management as integrated service,

we have the right solutions at hand: with the ITSM Suite from it-novum, organizations can seamlessly integrate open

source soft ware tools like i-doit (documentation), ((OTRS)) Community Edition (ticket system), JDisc (discovery) and

our in-house development openITCOCKPIT (monitoring). This way, users across all departments can benefi t from

integrated IT services.

Outstanding support, consulting andsuccessful project implementationDon‘t worry. Our individual support models help you to solve all kinds of problems. Our team supports you

with operating your ITSM solution with guaranteed Service Level Agreements. With many years of experience in

the fi eld of ITSM, we provide you with the best consulting your project needs - from planning and conception to

implementation.

Our entire ITSM team is ITIL certifi ed!

Monitoring solution for holdings andmedium-sized businessesOur monitoring soft ware openITCOCKPIT provides

services transparency by monitoring your entire IT

landscape. openITCOCKPIT off ers features such as high

scalability, SAP monitoring, cluster capability and an

intuitive web interface with a modular structure.

it-novum About us

Christoph Weß | Senior Account Manager

� [email protected]

� +49 661 103 763

Flavio Curti | Country Manager


� +41 44 567 62 07

For Germany:

For Switzerland:

Johannes Michael Weiß | Country Manager


� +43 1 205 774 1041

For Austria:

Stephan Kraus | Director ITSM and openITCOCKPIT


� +49 661 103 990

it-novum Contact

it-novum GmbH GermanyHeadquarter Fulda: Edelzeller Straße 44 · 36043 FuldaPhone: +49 661 103 434 Branches in Dusseldorf & Dortmund

it-novum Schweiz GmbHHotelstrasse 1 · 8058 ZurichPhone: +41 44 567 62 07

it-novum branch AustriaAusstellungsstraße 50 / Access C · 1020 ViennaPhone: +43 1 205 774 1041

Documents

ITSM – A single tool is not enough - it-novum ENG... · 2020. 3. 27. · CMDB, stock availability as well as the telephone number for the supplier‘s contact person is visible