Depending on who you talk to, cloud computing and ITIL are either perfect bedfellows or the odd couple.  Most of the alleged disparity between these two disciplines / technologies comes from the fact that they are stemming from entirely different areas of computing / networking.  For example, ITIL is generally applied to grid computing models, and cloud computing is (obviously) an entirely new way of approaching computing and networking altogether.

But when you look beyond the dissimilarities between the grid and cloud you will discover that cloud computing is in many ways a reorganization of certain pre-existing elements / technologies from previous networking/computing models.  Sure, cloud computing is an entirely new concept and definitely utilizes hardware, software and infrastructure that grid computing does not, but we must keep in mind that cloud computing could not exist if it were not for grid-based computing / networking.

In fact, cloud computing is really a reorganization of assets.  For instance, in grid computing, every individual node or user machine has its own separate storage, hardware, software, and peculiarities; in a cloud model the same still rings true, but all these components are centralized.  This means is that cloud computing is basically providing individual nodes / users with all their assets from one centralized location.  Aside from the management benefits associated with centralization of IT / computing assets, the individual user is also more mobile, flexible and doesn’t need to worry about hardware failure / data loss (as cloud computing is well known for providing better protection against these issues).

Alright, but what does this have to do with ITIL, you might be wondering?  Well, there are essentially two ways that ITIL can reinforce cloud computing as a whole:

One, by establishing a rock-solid ITIL program (as part of one’s pre-cloud environment) you can rest assured that there will be fewer problems when it comes time to transition to a cloud computing model.  This is because ITIL offers much greater clarity, organization and transparency to IT operations and allows for much greater management of personnel and assets in general.  ITIL can help to “untangle” a complex IT infrastructure so that everyone understands it and are able to maintain and upgrade more easily as well.  When an entire organization begins implementing cloud services and infrastructures a well-implemented ITIL program will reduce or eliminate down time as well (which is considered to be vitally important for most industries).

Two, ITIL concepts can be applied to certain user-defined / managed parameters for certain cloud computing models.  What this means is those institutions that purchase services from cloud vendors can utilize ITIL to manage, upgrade, maintain, and perform risk assessment for those service components that the user is responsible for.  So for example, let’s say that you have signed up for an IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) cloud computing model, you would have control over your applications, data, runtime, middleware, and perhaps OS (IaaS is considered to be the cloud service model offering users the greatest level of control).  By utilizing ITIL methodologies to micro-manage elements of these components you can rest assured that your team and assets are being utilized in a manner that is befitting cloud logistics, as well as the desires of business-oriented leaders.

So, what are the first steps that an individual or organization should take toward improvement, expansion, preparation and evolution?  The answer to this question can be summed up in the following sentence; ITIL and cloud computing certification.  If you are an IT manager you should know that having a team working under you that is well-versed in ITIL is not only a good idea, but it is a protection against all manner of future mishap(s).

ITIL is akin to a sacred text for IT professionals as it contains years of research, trial and error successes, and the meticulous methodologies of legendary experts from across the globe.  ITIL is a culmination of years of diligent study and trailblazing in the field of IT infrastructure and problem solving, and there’s really nothing to compare it to that is capable of providing the same insights.  Becoming certified in ITIL is not only a great career move for individuals, but it is also a way for businesses to ensure that their IT employees are “on the same page”.

Likewise, cloud computing certification and training is extremely important due to the fact that the entire computing industry, as well as the face of global technology, is moving toward large-scale adoption (of cloud computing technology).  This is largely because cloud computing offers greater flexibility and possibility while at the same time allowing for a winning cost-to-profit ratio.  Essentially, cloud computing can do more while costing less, and everyone wants to get in on the action because of this very reason.  So, what’s the bottom line?  If you want to remain competitive (from an internal and/or external perspective, adopting cloud computing technology is the way to go; and if you are serious about running an intelligent and efficient IT department capable of facing current and future challenges, ITIL certification is an excellent start.

The power of online advertising is now being recognized by many companies.  Today, more and more companies are taking advantage of the internet to market their products and services.  Probably the most used online service nowadays is the search engine. Three powerful search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN are constantly being accessed by millions of people who want to research, buy, sell or just browse.  Keyword management is the key to increasing the chances of companies landing on the top ten list of search engines.  Keyword management trainings are now being offered online so that search engine optimizations are maximized.

The term keyword management simply means maximizing internet advertising results and making it more accurate to specific searches. Getting training in keyword management will ensure companies that their personnel are qualified in the marketing of their produces and services.  While there are online keyword management companies that offer their services for a fee, getting an in-house keyword manager will be a better choice for companies that want a cost-effective online marketing campaign.

Keyword management training is important for marketing managers who want to specialize in online marketing.  Getting this type of training will guarantee that managers and executives are able to acquire the required skills and knowledge of proper online marketing.  The skills required for online marketing will be acquired and learned so that companies are spared from utilizing time consuming, complex programs that will only complicate the process of keyword management.  Keyword management training will enable marketing managers to focus only on the important keywords for the successful marketing of their products
 

When you strip away all the intricacies and esoteric information, ITIL is essentially a compendium of service lifecycle-bound solutions and recommendations.  While ITIL lacks a definitive guide which is capable of providing a standardized framework for establishing individual cloud computing infrastructures, it can still be utilized in other important ways.

In the IT/ITIL lifecycle, crisis management (in some cases also referred to as incident management) falls under the heading of service operation.  Though cloud computing is often touted as a less convoluted form of IT infrastructure to establish (and perhaps maintain), it is still lacking in many areas, crisis management being one of these areas.  In a traditional grid computing / networking model virtually everything is built from the ground up utilizing a combination of off-the-shelf hardware / software and the conventional knowledge / experience of the person(s) involved.  As to be expected, problems will undoubtedly arise in many different forms, this is of course why methodology lexicons like ITIL exist in the first place.

However, things are slightly different where cloud computing is concerned.  A majority of the individual components (or services) that comprise any cloud model are generally covered by the cloud service vendor and aren’t to be managed directly by clients.  The highest level of control that a cloud client has is in an IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) model, and the lowest, SaaS (Software as a Service).  So, in effect, if a cloud client wants to implement any ITIL crisis management procedures they must fall under one or more of the headings: applications, data, runtime or middleware.   This creates a very interesting situation whereby certain ITIL methodologies can be adapted by cloud clients in order to cover their specific areas of management; especially if those areas have been adapted from grid-based systems / technology.  However, just because ITIL is generally applied to a pre-cloud framework doesn’t mean that it cannot be applied directly to cloud computing in nearly the same exact fashion.  The simple fact of the matter is that individual use of ITIL-infused methods are currently being applied to cloud computing, but until the findings / discoveries of these intrepid IT professionals are tabulated in the next edition of ITIL, you probably won’t be aware of it.

This brings us to our next point or concern, how will ITIL adapt to include or cover cloud computing?  Both ITILV3  and ITIL 2011 include some information concerning cloud computing but it is not comprehensive (in the same manner as what is covered concerning grid-based models).  Luckily, these concerns have already been voiced and steps to establish a cloud-centric ITIL knowledge base have already been underway for quite some time now.

But enough about the future, what about the present, right?
Currently, many businesses are migrating to cloud models, or at the very least experimenting with individual service offerings.  This is largely due to the cost-to-profit benefits that cloud computing can offer users as well as the abilities of these service offerings themselves.  It should be noted however that a great number of institutions have discovered that by having a well-established ITIL-laden IT infrastructure makes transitioning to the cloud a much more streamlined affair.  In fact, having a well-tuned ITIL system in place virtually assures that only minor adjustments need to be made to one’s service management structure.  So, in this way, having a rock-solid ITIL framework is essentially tantamount to crisis prevention when establishing a cloud computing infrastructure.

having a well-established ITIL-laden IT infrastructure makes transitioning to the cloud a much more streamlined affair

So, what’s the next step if you’re (a business owner, CEO, IT manager, or other high level individual that is) responsible for long-term decision making with regards to the direction of your institution and management of personnel?  The obvious course of action here is training and certification in ITIL and / or cloud computing.    In truth, training is highly recommended in both of these areas if you are an IT professional, if you are really serious about your career, certification in both is advised.  Why certify?  There are basically two ways to look at ITIL / cloud Certification;

• From the point-of-view of the owner / manager
• From the point-of-view of the IT professional / individual seeking certification

Employers and managers are much more inclined to hire and deal with employees who are well-versed in the processes, methodologies and technologies that are being utilized.  ITIL in particular, is / has been adopted by a great number of people / institutions across the globe already, and it works; therefore, it only follows logic that if you want to remain relevant you need to be well-versed in this regard.  This is why employers and managers are encouraged to look into not only becoming certified themselves, but also to offer and suggest that their IT employees do the same.

Click here for ITIL certification packages.

Click here for Cloud computing certification packages.

While cloud computing has yet to be embraced by the entire world, it is literally on-the-cusp of achieving such a distinction.  For example, cloud computing has already been embraced by megaliths like Google, Amazon, corporations as well as most of the governmental institutions across the globe.  These groups have the finances and influence to utilize and / or create whatever they desire, yet they are opting to devote time, energy and money to the further development, dissemination, and design of cloud computing infrastructures.

ITIL has a great reputation among both IT professionals as well as business persons, and for good reason.  It is a representation of the hard work, knowledge, experience and research gathered from countless individuals (and groups).    By the same token, cloud computing is taking on new followers and devotees on a daily basis, once again comprising both those in the world of IT as well as business and the general population.  In other words, both of these concepts (ITIL and cloud computing) are being embraced worldwide, and both of these disciplines are also IT-focused / driven / intensive as well.  ITIL is widely known as THE source for proven IT processes and methodologies concerning establishing, maintaining, correcting, servicing, and planning IT infrastructure.  However, ITIL has yet to be fully linked, or rather, formally applied to cloud computing.

This is somewhat odd to say the least, especially considering the fact that we know ITIL works in any grid computing / networking model, and cloud computing stems directly from it (grid computing).   It would seem that a great number of individuals simply don’t want to dwell on the similarities or precursors of grid computing inherent to cloud computing.  This is in all actuality a weakness because many methodologies which are essentially holdovers from traditional IT infrastructures, like ITIL, can be repurposed to serve the new computing model.

It has already been documented that instituting an ITIL program prior to a cloud computing transition (or individual service upgrade) not only cuts back on known incidents, but also improves overall functionality (in the cloud).  This is largely where proponents of an ITIL-to-cloud interface are focusing their attention; on utilizing ITIL to provide a foundation for cloud computing.

However, it should be noted that ITIL can be used to assist in general cloud computing operations.  The obvious limitation here is that ITIL solutions can really only be applied to certain elements / components which are essentially derived / adapted from pre-cloud technologies.  This of course only applies to specific solutions; ITIL concepts for organizing or structuring assets for example, can be applied very liberally to any number of ends within a cloud model.  The principal hindrance, with regards to cross ITIL – cloud computing inter-compatibility, remains the nature of a cloud computing model itself.

Because cloud computing is more or less a vendor-controlled type of service / technology, the abilities of IT personnel to modify it are severely limited (unless you own your own private cloud, but this is quite an exception).  This is because any cloud computing model, at the most, only offers subscribers the ability to manage / modify up to around half of the components in said cloud model.  In fact, IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is the only service model that allows for this level of control, the other two (SaaS and PaaS) are very limited in this regard.  This is not to say that cloud computing itself is limited, but only that the current available / typical service models do not allow for a full ITIL-infused treatment, so to speak.

On the other hand, the limited ability of ITIL to control and/or influence any cloud computing service model might simply be signaling the need for a cloud-specific adoption of ITIL.  The idea of developing a cloud-specific version of ITIL has been a hot button topic in cloud computing circles for some time now (and the creation of such a thing is apparently underway behind the scenes).  In the meantime, ITIL can still be used to manage those user-managed components / modules found in two of the prototypical cloud service models (IaaS and PaaS).  There is no formalized approach to applying ITIL to the cloud as of right now, so those who are intrepid enough to engage in this type of activity should take the advice of others who might have done so successfully.  If your institution is among the few that are able to adapt elements of ITIL to the cloud you might very well be encouraged to offer up materials for consideration in a future cloud-centric version of ITIL.

So, how can IT managers and professionals prepare for a future steeped in cloud computing and ITIL? 

Why with training and certification in both of these areas (cloudcomputing and ITIL), of course!

Employees who understand ITIL and how to implement it are not only less likely to create problems; they will gain a much better understanding of how the entire operation (in which they are participating) works.  This level of understanding is becoming more and more important as businesses are beginning to utilize IT to do virtually everything (this included internal operations as well as external sales, communication with consumers, and digital product development).  ITIL helps businesses to ensure that things are being done in the best manner possible, in a timely manner, with a firm crisis management system in place (should anything go wrong) in order to minimize downtime.

Cloud computing is simply the next step in the ongoing evolution of computing, networking and IT in general.  All the signs of a cloud computing takeover are here; and businesses, governments and ordinary citizens are adopting cloud technologies at an increasingly rapid pace.  If you or your organization are truly serious about staying current and competitive, and understanding and adoption of cloud services is pre-requisite.  The obvious place to start is with generalized and affordable cloud computing training and certification.

Once you, your organization, and/or employees have a better grip on both ITIL and cloud computing, you can then start to find ways of integrating the two disciplines.

Outlook CRM is more popularly known as Outlook for customer relations management.  Outlook CRM integrates the usefulness of the email client Outlook and Outlook Exchange with effective customer contact support software.  It comes as a plug-in for Outlook in order to systematize customer contact management. 

Outlook CRM is primarily an organization tool.  It can make a list of customers and organizes it into several client categories.  Companies therefore can easily select a group of customers with similar preferences and proceed to establish regular contact with them.  This ensures that the relationship between the enterprise and the client will remain through constant communications. 

Outlook CRM can also be used as an effective scheduler and event organizer.  This function is present in Outlook.  However, by using Outlook CRM solution specific marketing drives are organized so that companies will not create redundant campaigns on similar market niche. 

Small and big businesses can benefit from Outlook CRM.  For small companies, this software can be used to build their customer list and to start their initial customer contact campaign.  It could increase sales lead which could be the basis for more comprehensive marketing campaigns.

On the other hand, big companies can use Outlook CRM as their efficient solution for maintaining good customer relations.  Because the software allows automated contact support, they will be able to provide specific needs of their customers thus strengthen loyalty of their client base.  It can also be used as a platform to launch regular marketing campaigns to keep their customers updated and informed.