Our Solutions
Total Cost of Ownership
The management of the Total Cost of Ownership of the common IT infrastructure, is a significant component of IT Service Management. Effective TCO Management will aid in the cost effective delivery of services to the business. The ownership and success of this process lies with both ITSS and the client.
In order to achieve a managed and stable TCO for the IT Infrastructure, the following elements of TCO management will be utilized and explored:
TCO Measurement and Benchmarking
A very important component of TCO Management is the implementation of a process to accommodate the measurement and bench marking of the organizational TCO. Without this process, effective TCO management is futile, as it is used to address areas of concern and highlight improvements which may result in future cost savings.
ITSS will facilitate this process of measurement and bench marking studies, thus ensuring an objective and independent analysis of the TCO.
Best Practices
A strong element of TCO management is the measurement, implementation and management of globally accepted best practice. These best practices are sets of tasks which optimize the effectiveness or efficiency of a business process or discipline to which they contribute.
These best practices typically impact on the areas of:
- Change Management
- Operational Management
- Asset Administration
- Customer Service (incorporating the Service Desk Process)
- Training (for the IT dept. as well as the end user)
- Technology Planning and Process Management
Complexity
The complexity of the IT infrastructure as well as the end user organisation, have a significant impact on the TCO of an organisation.
Certain technologies are able to assist in the reduction of TCO, either by reducing the complexity of the environment or by supporting a best practice.
The hardware and software used for Remote Management, Virus Prevention and Detection, Environmental Monitoring, Data backup and restoration, Software Distribution and Security will part of the technology solution that will be implemented and utilized by Ikwezi to support the TCO Management Process.
Reporting
Customer Awareness initiatives will be introduced to highlight the areas of customer responsibility in the TCO Management process. Typical issues such as End User Training, Financial Management, Standards, Best Practice and Purchasing Trends will be addressed.
These initiatives will be developed to address these issues at the various levels of the business, including End Users, Business Managers, IT Managers and Senior Management.
It is important to note that customer awareness and involvement in the management of TCO is vital. Without this interaction, the process will most likely be unsuccessful.
Continuous Management
TCO management is a continuous process of strategise, evaluate, execute and manage. It is important that TCO Management becomes a part of the organizational IT management practice.
Measurements should be carried out at least once a year to ensure effective trend management and internal benchmarking.
External benchmark initiatives should be carried out on an ad-hoc basis, aiming to achieve a specific purpose or goal. The industry or organisation selected for the benchmark, should be chosen with the goal and purpose of the study in mind.
Hardware and Software
ITSS is able to assist with the selection and implementation of various hardware and software solutions required by our clients. Some of these are covered in the sections that follow.
Platform Standardisation
Standardisation is one best practice that is implemented correctly can have a massive impact upon the return on investment of IT and the subsequent management of Total Cost of Ownership.
Application Development
ITSS are able to assist clients with the development and deployment of custom written applications using any one of the generally accepted program platforms. Further more we are able to develop solutions in many of the other application areas such as ERP, financials, workflow, document management and CRM but to name a few.
Application Maintenance
As with application development, ITSS is able to provide the required expertise to assist our clients in the ongoing maintenance of their applications.
Web Development
ITSS has an extensive breadth of experience in web solution development. We are able to cater for requirements ranging from the basic web-site development service to the complex development of web portals and complex graphic interfaces.
Microsoft Engineering
ITSS has access to a large base of Microsoft expertise. Ranging from MCSE support technicians to Active Directory and Microsoft Architecture expertise.
Staffing
ITSS has access both directly and indirectly through our partners to over 300 technical IT staff. We provide these staff in any number of ways to our clients depending on their specific requirements which may be:
- Time and material
- Fixed Contract period
- Flexible Contract period
- Fixed Project period
- Consultancy Based
Hosting
ITSS is able to offer clients access to some of the most advanced and secure data centers in South Africa.
Server Based Computing
ITSS has deployed Server Based computing solutions based upon both the Microsoft and the Citrix product platforms to a number of clients in SA. The experience that has been gained in these deployments has been used to develop unique Server Based Computing methodologies that are available to our clients.
Architecture Solutions
Including most Hardware and Software standards and platforms, ITSS has a number of Architecture Practitioners that are available to design solutions for our clients.
Security and Anti-Virus
ITSS has had extensive experience in utilising the most of the market leading suites of anti-virus products.
Alternatively, ITSS could provide a more extensive service utilising a managed anti-virus solution. In a networked environment, using a client/server architecture, one or more centralized servers keep track of information about machines in your anti-virus network, and can act as distribution points for configuration and signature updates. A local machine can run scans, or an authorized administrator can manage machines remotely.
The security of Information is a key management concern in the modern, electronic business world. In order for companies to maintain their competitive edge, business decisions must be based on accurate, complete and accessible information.
According to ISO 17799, Security of information refers to the preservation of:
- Confidentiality - Ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access.
- Integrity - Safeguarding the accuracy and completeness of information and processing methods.
- Availability – Ensuring that authorized users have access to information and associated assets when required.
The degree to which these aspects are preserved must be based on the business requirements for security. This can be properly understood through accurate risk and impact analysis.
ITSS offers are broad range of security services that make use of our own staff and products as well as those from some of the leading IT security service providers in South Africa.
Systems Management
ITSS is able to offer clients a locally developed solution in the Systems Management arena that provides all of the classic systems management practices at a fraction of the cost of the competitive product suites.
Solutions such as Monitoring (Network, Application, Infrastructure and Data Base) and Management, Analysis, Trending, Remote Control and Asset Management but to name a few are all solutions that have been locally developed and can be deployed at a fraction of the usual cost.
Policy Based Computing
As the deployment of a well structured systems management solution is key to the reduction and management of TCO, the implementation of a sound Policy Based Computing strategy is key to the overall success thereof.
In line with our Systems Management Solutions, ITSS through its extensive experience in deploying complex systems management solutions such as CA Unicentre has developed a Policy Based Computing Solution for the deployment of such products. The key focus area is centered on the definition of policy and the assignment of responsibility therefore.
Storage Solutions
ITSS is able to offer a product agnostic approach to storage solutions where the types of solutions being offered are:
- Managed Storage
- Consolidation
- Sustainable Architectures
- Business Recovery
- Disaster Management
And the types of services available are:
- Professional & Financial Services
- Storage Technology Assessments
- Continuous Data Access
- Business Continuity and Recovery
- Storage Management
Printing Solutions
Through our continued interaction with clients looking for new ways in which to optimise IT and save costs, ITSS has established partnerships with organisation that can address printing solutions from two separate aspects.
The first of these is the deployment of products that reduce paper and printing by converting data into electronic formats that are more amenable to the organisation. The second is a process of output optimization where in depth studies are undertaken and savings are produced through device optimisation and reduction, workflow planning and financial optimisation.