Enterprise service delivery technical framework

• US 8,051,154 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Robert J., Compain, Philippe, Terry, Chris Edward, Pickersgill, Alan Paul, Nekolaichuk, Stephen William, Benny, Mark Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): OSMAN, RAMY M
• Application Number:
  US09/876,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,799 Days
• Field of Search: 709/332, 709/300, 709/312, 709/201, 709/202, 709/205, 709/223, 709/224, 706/45, 706/919, 706/920, 717/100, 717/105, 703/7, 703/22, 705/7
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

An Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture includes a Technical Model, and a Technical Delivery Framework, and is designed to facilitate the development of complete enterprise service management solutions. The use of the Enterprise Service Delivery Technical Architecture results in solution designs created to be independent of the technology platform being managed with a view that meets the overall business requirements that span the technology platforms within a business environment. An information technology infrastructure already in place for a customer is analyzed and broken down to its very lowest level building blocks. Then the building blocks within the model of the technical architecture are mapped with the building blocks of the customer'"'"'s information technology infrastructure to determine which of the building blocks of the model are to be used for the customer'"'"'s information technology operation. A specific technical delivery framework is developed for each customer.

Claims

1. A method for creating a technical framework for use in delivering a specific set of information technology services for a customer, comprising the steps of:

determining a solution scope for the technical framework to be created, the solution scope guided by an information technology services contract with the customer, the solution scope based on common practices for delivering certain types of information technology services;

a processor of a computer system mapping the customer'"'"'s existing equipment to lowest level abstractions of architectural building blocks in a technical model, the technical model describing people, processes, tools and information used to deliver specific services to customers, the architectural building blocks comprising architectural components that are sufficiently modular and bounded to be described as self-contained entities;

creating a list of design objects as a function of the solution scope for the technical framework, the design objects based on logical groupings of architectural building blocks, including software and hardware components; and

designating relationships between the design objects as a function of the solution scope and the specific set of information technology services for the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contract does not encompass the technical model and the technical framework.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

delivering the specific set of information technology services to the customer, said delivering requiring combinations of points-of-control due to contractual, geographical, linguistic, and chronological requirements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

reducing an architecture complexity and infrastructure costs while supporting continuous improvement by remaining flexible enough to use new technologies, reducing training and staffing costs, reducing system integration costs, and allowing an outsourcing entity to provide service to any customer set, regardless of size, geography, language, nature of the customer'"'"'s business, and technology or scope of management services required.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each building block is independent of an underlying physical implementation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the contract has a scope, wherein the customer'"'"'s exiting equipment that is mapped consists of each piece of equipment that is within the scope of the contract, and wherein the exiting equipment includes servers, workstations, network routers, and hubs.

7. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable storage device having computer readable instructions stored therein, said instructions configured to be executed on processor of a computer system to implement a method for creating a technical framework for use and delivering a specific set of information technology services for a customer, said method comprising:

determining a solution scope for the technical framework to be created, the solution scope guided by an information technology services contract with the customer, the solution scope based on common practices for delivering certain types of information technology services;

mapping the customer'"'"'s existing equipment to lowest level abstractions of architectural building blocks in a technical model, the technical model describing people, processes, tools and information used to deliver specific services to customers, and the architectural building blocks comprising architectural components that are sufficiently modular and bounded to be described as self-contained entities;

creating a list of design objects as a function of the solution scope for the technical framework, the design objects based on logical groupings of architectural building blocks, including software and hardware components; and

designating relationships between the design objects as a function of the solution scope and the specific set of information technology services for the customer.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the contract does not encompass the technical model and the technical framework.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

delivering the specific set of information technology services to the customer, said delivering requiring combinations of points-of-control due to contractual, geographical, linguistic, and chronological requirements.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

reducing an architecture complexity and infrastructure costs while supporting continuous improvement by remaining flexible enough to use new technologies, reducing training and staffing costs, reducing system integration costs, and allowing an outsourcing entity to provide service to any customer set, regardless of size, geography, language, nature of the customer'"'"'s business, and technology or scope of management services required.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein each building block is independent of an underlying physical implementation.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the contract has a scope, wherein the customer'"'"'s exiting equipment that is mapped consists of each piece of equipment that is within the scope of the contract, and wherein the exiting equipment includes servers, workstations, network routers, and hubs.

13. A data processing system operable for creating a technical framework for use in delivering a specific set of information technology services for a customer, comprising:

a processor;

an input device;

an output device;

a memory unit; and

a bus system for coupling the processor to the input device, output device, and memory unit, the processor further comprising;

circuitry for determining a solution scope for the technical framework to be created, the solution scope guided by an information technology services contract with the customer, the solution scope based on common practices for delivering certain types of information technology services;

circuitry for mapping the customer'"'"'s existing equipment to lowest level abstractions of architectural building blocks in a technical model, the technical model describing people, processes, tools and information used to deliver specific services to customers, and the architectural building blocks comprising architectural components that are sufficiently modular and bounded to be described as self-contained entities;

circuitry for creating a list of design objects as a function of the solution scope for the technical framework, the design objects based on logical groupings of architectural building blocks, including software and hardware components; and

circuitry for designating relationships between the design objects as a function of the solution scope and the specific set of information technology services for the customer.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the contract does not encompass the technical model and the technical framework.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processor further comprises:

circuitry for delivering the specific set of information technology services to the customer, said delivering requiring combinations of points-of-control due to contractual, geographical, linguistic, and chronological requirements.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the processor further comprises:

circuitry for reducing an architecture complexity and infrastructure costs while supporting continuous improvement by remaining flexible enough to use new technologies, reducing training and staffing costs, reducing system integration costs, and allowing an outsourcing entity to provide service to any customer set, regardless of size, geography, language, nature of the customer'"'"'s business, and technology or scope of management services required.

17. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein each building block is independent of an underlying physical implementation.

18. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the contract has a scope, wherein the customer'"'"'s exiting equipment that is mapped consists of each piece of equipment that is within the scope of the contract, and wherein the exiting equipment includes servers, workstations, network routers, and hubs.