Systems Management

When we wrote our plan we wrote down all of our systems in one column, then over three more columns we wrote, critical, have to have, nice to have. We then went down the list of systems and ticked them off under one of the three headings.

Critical items are aging or legacy systems that are costing you time and money or have genuine security risks. These would be things like the older Windows boxes or security appliances. These should be addressed first. If you can't address them immediately make sure you document why.

Have to have items are tech or processes that will go to reduce overall cost and improve your core business. A good example of this is Virtualization, where a large CAPEX cost will reduce OPEX costs and improve overall system reliability.

Nice to have items are tech or processes that you believe will benefit the operation, either by making the user experience better or have a financial impact.

The bottom line is going to boil down to risk and cost. When things start going wrong IT are the first to be blamed and the last to get investment. Ultimately your plan is as much about protecting your rear as it is about improving your systems. - Druis 7 years ago