Prove Your Worth

Sure, companies depend on their infrastructures to run their businesses but that doesn't mean IT gets a blank check. In fact, it is just the opposite as IT organizations are under constant pressure to demonstrate their value to the corporation. And in this age of "do more for less," you know the powers that be will have no problem making cuts if you can't prove your worth. The constant demand for IT to quantify its value to the company has made business service management a particularly appealing option for IT pros.Yes, there are definitely many other benefits to be derived from instituting an approach to enterprise management that ties IT processes to the business operations they support, not the least of which is a more efficient infrastructure. But perhaps the most compelling driver for IT to employ a practice like BSM is its promise as a means to demonstrate the value the technology teams delivers to the business.

Vendors would be wise to deliver the tools -- and the training -- IT professionals need to demonstrate to their business counterparts exactly how they are helping the company run more efficiently and compete effectively. And maybe then, business managers will stop looking at IT as just a cost center and begin seeing IT as a critical component to achieving corporate revenue success.