Cote has some great thoughts today on his blog People Over Process in a post titled “What IT Should Enable: Making Money”. Cote talks about many of the key selling points into the concepts of Business Service Management (BSM) and how IT should really be thinking about its role in today’s companies. I also had a nifty similar thought from some time ago on how the average IT person should think of their role here.

I deal with the challenges of making BSM stick with clients every week. I see the same things over and over as the barriers to BSM success. The ones Cote mentioned are valid, but once the investment in a BSM capability has been made, the real challenges for BSM success become evident.

What can we as the “tools guys” do when we have to work with the clients and organizational groups/silos who just don’t get it, have their own fires to fight, project deadlines, silo oriented goals/objectives or can’t swim through the corporate politics and silos?

How do we “sell” and convince clients of the “culture change” needed for the concepts of BSM to really come to life? I know they’re very well aware of these “issues” but the state of denial, FUD and reluctance to leverage their latest technology purchase as the lightening bolt to get changes happening frustrates me to no end. I can spend all day painting the picture of capability, value, return on investment, “pain” avoidance and how the [insert IT group here] can be the hero that saves the day but the first thing out of their mouths is “we’ll never have access to that data, information, metric, etc.” Argghhh…..

The technology we sell isn’t the problem – it’s everything around it. (well, most of the time)

*Usually these things are given away by vendors…let me know if you find out anywhere they’re being given away so we can all save $20*

Javvin has just released a new technology poster “Network Management Architectures and Technologies Map”. This network management map is designed for people who are using, operating, managing, and learning networks, including telecommunication engineers and operators, IT and networking engineers, the network admins, and networking technology educators and students.

Highlights of the network management poster below:

– A comprehensive network management guide and reference for Telecom, IT and networking professionals.
– An easy to use training tool for IT students to get an overall picture of network management architecture, frameworks, models, protocols and technologies.
– All in one chart displays all the technologies of the network management for data networking and telecommunications, such as Telecommunication management network (TMN model), FCAPS, eTOM, FAB, BSS/OSS, OAM&P, SNMP/RMON, AAA, IPFIX/NetFlow, CMIP/CMIS and more.
– Popular network management tools for status monitoring, traffic monitoring, device monitoring and troubleshooting.
– Designed by experts with decades of experience in the network technology creations and daily management.
– Large (27 in x 39 in) and high quality poster for offices, labs, class rooms and homes.

Details of the network management architecture and technologies can be found at http://www.javvin.com/networkmanagementmap.html