MindTree, a mid-size Indian outsourcer, has developed its own remote IT infrastructure management service delivery platform, MWatch, in a bid to differentiate its remote management services from those of its larger competitors.

…The MWatch offering will be particularly of interest to customers that have not invested heavily in IT infrastructure management tools, or have point tools rather than an integrated platform, Mohan said.

…The platform was developed by MindTree with the help of technology that it got from its acquisition last year of 7Strata, a remote infrastructure management services company in Chennai in south India.

Medium-size outsourcers will continue to play an important role in the IT services market, but they have to specialize by, for example, creating reusable intellectual property relevant to the customer, said Siddharth Pai, a partner at TPI, a sourcing data and advisory firm.

…Remote infrastructure management, which is expected to account for about 8 percent of revenue for MindTree in the fiscal year ended March 31, is a new but fast growing business for the company, Mohan said.

news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110223/tc_pcworld/indiasmindtreeoffersremoteitmanagementtools_1

Metrics, in its broadest application, means a definite range of parameters that can be
measured in quantitative terms or numbers. The metrics you use should only be applied within
the field it is applicable in, otherwise you would be misleading yourself as to the
parameters you come up with.

When we speak of IT Management on the other hand, that is a very broad term covering
practically all aspects of Information Technology. So let us focus on a sub-sector of IT
which is Knowledge Management (to narrow down our scope.)

The activities of Knowledge Management (as used in IT departments) may pertain to
sub-categories like social computing, content management, and the software help desk. Thus,
when we speak of IT Management metrics as used in Knowledge Management, it means defining
the parameters by which Knowledge Management (and its sub-categories) can be accurately
gauged.

This may take the form of creating a knowledge mapping process. Under this process may fall
the knowledge audit function which covers identification of what specific knowledge is
available before a knowledge management project begins; the network survey function which
pertains to tagging the specific communities that participate in knowledge creation and
knowledge sharing; and creation of the map itself to be used to show how knowledge assets
influence key business processes.

We say that the IT system enables knowledge management practices within the organization if
it supports the flow of knowledge throughout the organizational system. One commonly used
enabler is the ubiquitous blog which is described as a social computing tool that allows
unstructured knowledge transfer.

So to find the appropriate IT Management metrics service in the field of Knowledge
Management, you may need look no further than your own IT department and their specialists.
In fact, they may provide the most accurate metrics applicable to your organization at the
moment.

IT certification may come in three main forms: those with sponsorship by software vendors; those with backing from vendor-neutral groups; and those supported by educational institutions. Some tech certificates are easier to get than others though.

There are seven technologies which are expected to have key importance in the IT Management world come year 2008.

The first is the CCSP certificate which stands for Cisco Certified Security Professional. This encompasses five exams which you must re-take every three years to keep your certification up to date.

The second is the CISSP which is the acronym for the Certified Information Systems Security Professional. This is a non-vendor-specific certificate awarded by the (ISC)2 organization.

The third is the SSCP which means Systems Security Certified Practitioner, which is also granted to applicants by the (ISC)2 organization. You only need to take a three-hour exam to be awarded this certificate.

The fourth is the GIAC Security Expert certificate (also called GSE.) This is given out by the SANS Software Security Institute. To qualify to take the GSE, you must pass three other certifications first, namely, the GSEC, the GCIA, and the GCIH.

The fifth is the Red Hat Certified Engineer (or RHCE) certificate which only covers Linux networks. Its advanced form is the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA.)

The sixth is the popular ITIL® certificate series which starts at the Foundation level, proceeds to the Practitioner status, and culminates with the Manager certificate.

The last category actually covers certain sub-areas in IT training, such as Voice over IP, wireless networking, database administration, compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, and compliance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.)

IT Management Sigma Six (or Six Sigma as it is more popularly known) is a methodology used
to enhance management by employing statistical tools in a significant way. This helps the IT
Management team cut down on errors while reaping substantial cost savings.

This methodology was developed by the Motorola company back in the 1980s. The name Sigma Six
or Six Sigma (depending on how you use it) is based on the 6 Sigma statistical variation
that is equivalent to less than 3.4 errors for every one million times an error could occur.

When the Six Sigma methodology is being implemented, project team leaders have a great deal
of importance during the training itself. Classroom training alone in some companies may
take as long as twelve months so that on-the-job experience can sink in and be applied in
practical terms. Classroom training can encompass the DMAIC Process and advanced statistical
methods (among other topics.) One of the prized end results is to achieve Black Belt status
(which may be a pre-requisite for some organizations for the employee to be promoted into
Senior Management ranking.) This is followed by the lower rankings of Green Belt, and then
lastly Yellow Belt. The rank higher than Black Belt may be the Master Black Belt status.

To qualify as appropriate Six Sigma implementation, best practices may involve defect
identification and prevention, cost avoidance, system improvement, and of course customer
satisfaction. It may be difficult to adequately define how it can be implemented, since in
each company there may be individual ways of interpreting what Six Sigma means.

Everyone needs to know how they can integrate environmentally-friendly practices into their
occupation – and the IT Management world is not excluded from this trend either. IT
Management does cover so-called Green Practices when it comes to handling or choosing
software and hardware as well.

First, you should compute thoroughly how much energy you use when you are using the
software and hardware you have right now. Then figure out how much you could save if you
factor in Green Practices into the use of such software and hardware.

Second, the server should be placed in hot aisles to allow the cooling to be directed
straight at the racks. You can also make your IT room air-tight by sealing existing holes
in the walls, ceilings and floors where air would escape though do not cover appropriate
air-ducts if they are necessary.

Third, modular and scalable systems may prove more appropriate if they use less energy for
cooling and allow you to do the same organizational functions with the least amount of
power. Choose systems that can allow you to upgrade to higher organizational functions
later on but still permit optimal use of power.

Fourth, allow servers to rest by using a storage virtualization device or software. This
relieves the servers from having to store rarely-used information while keeping IT
applications more mobile.

Fifth, check with the EPA of the US regarding energy-efficiency standards (like the Energy
Star standards) for hardware such as desktops.

If everyone does their part to figure out how to make their computer usage more
environmentally-friendly, that makes for good IT Management in this day and age too.