Develop an information technology operations plan
Determine what information technology policies, laws, regulations, standards, and contracts are applicable in a given situation
Scenario
Intelligent Computer Services (ICS) is a global technology innovator and implementer of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, with specialization in the finance and retail industries. ICS employs more than 150,000 individuals and has offices in 120 countries around the world, with its global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Its U.S. headquarters are in Chicago, IL, and other U.S. office locations include New York City; Austin, TX; Minneapolis, MN; and Seattle, WA, to name a few.
To support its global footprint, ICS has built and managed five global data centers in Dublin, Chicago, Albuquerque, Singapore, and Tokyo. These data centers support ISC business objectives, as well as data center colocation space for its clients in the developing world.
Ten years ago, ICS initiated a global assessment of its information technology infrastructure intending to start migrating its critical business solutions to cloud computing services. Unfortunately, as a result of the global economic recession, ISC had to put the initiative on hold to restructure its business operations to focus on growth and revenue improvements.
Recently, with a 30% ($43 billion) revenue increase from ten years ago, double-digit profits, and cash on hand of about $7.5 billion, ICSs board of directors approved an executive proposal to migrate 75% of its critical technology infrastructure services to the cloud in three years.
The proposal aims to leverage native cloud services, software as a service (SaaS) solutions, infrastructure as a service (IaaS) platforms, and security services, as well as being multi-cloud. This cloud migration journey will include large human capital, finance, and talent development initiatives to ensure continuous delivery of first-class client services.
The CIO has approved the strategic plan and roadmap for the SaaS solution and the implementation of Oracle HCM Cloud (Project One). Additionally, the human capital transformation initiative is in progress. Both initiatives are expected to go live in the next six months. As ICS plans the global release of the HCM solution, it is essential to have a well-defined operations plan to support and maintain the SaaS solution and apply the recommendations from the transformation.
As part of the service acceptance team, you have been tasked with working with all key stakeholders to develop an IT operations plan for the new HCM processes and cloud solution.
Directions
Strategic Plan and Mission
Explain how the organizations strategic plan and mission relate to the operations plan. The plan should demonstrate an alignment with the organizations mission and how the operations plan supports strategic planning efforts.
Business Continuity
The plan should identify the tactics chosen to ensure that personnel and assets are protected and are able to function quickly in the event of an interruption to service. This might include a schedule to run periodic maintenance tests to ensure that system recovery works properly, or implementation of employee training in advance of an emergency. Another identified tactic could be development of a communication plan that would prepare other organization members for disruptive events.
Vendor Management
The plan should identify a process to guide the organization in how it will engage with its vendors. This could include strategies to reduce potential risks related to vendors (e.g., due diligence) or to address underperforming vendors. It might also include developing a central system for storing, managing, and reporting on vendor-related information.
Compliance and Standards
The plan should address the relevant regulations related to legal compliance and industry standards, and how the organization plans to comply with these in its day-to-day activities. For instance, this could include identifying specific security measures to protect personally identifiable information.
SLAs and NDAs
The plan should determine how service level agreements (SLAs) and nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) might impact IT operations and systems planning. For instance, this might define the level of service expected from a vendor or what will happen if a vendor underperforms.
