So-called “disruptive” enterprise technology trends are becoming more prevalent in the market. IT administrators are struggling with the challenges and strain these trends bring to the IT department, says Bob Davis, CMO at Kaseya, IT services management software.
IT admins have long relied on IT service management (ITSM) software, but traditional one-size-fits-all solutions have ultimately led to a multitude of tools that lack integration and conspire against the very solution they are attempting to utilise.
IT administrators today must deal with an array of business challenges and pain points within their enterprise and require systems management flexibility in order to aid them in their jobs. The solutions must be integrated, but at the same time, modular.
A deeper look at the consumerisation of IT reveals that a lot of people think of it in the context of BYOD. In even the largest, most conservative businesses employees bring their phones and tablets to work and plug into the company network, which makes them part of the IT infrastructure.
In addition to this companies are going out and buying applications that solve particular needs – from individuals within the company, to divisions, and departments such as HR, finance or sales. If users are in a sales group, they no longer have to wait for IT to approve and bring in a big project.
They can now sign up, and start downloading licences within the hour. That can be a big problem because it complicates the role of IT, which is ultimately responsible for making sure that the software systems and hardware are functioning in an organisation. This kind of rogue software buying, device utilisation, and consumerisation trends really conspires against IT departments.
The enterprise IT department has reached a crossroads: keep running new IT with dated strategies, or embrace a new idea around ITSM.
Enter customisable IT: a take-what-is-needed tool approach to solving end-to-end service management requirements.
What is customisable IT?
Traditionally enterprises bought software in the form of SKUs if you will, as a throwback from the early days of packaged software, because, well, everybody purchased that way. Those were the days the Big Four in systems management ruled the industry with monolithic enterprise suites.
But today’s enterprise is more lean, and efficient. It doesn’t want to be weighed down with unnecessary software hanging onto the network with much of it not being used. That was the problem with the software suite; only pieces of it were used, yet there were still licences businesses had to pay to stay in compliance. It was integrated, but not modular.
The cloud has changed all of that. Think of how the whole app store concept has changed the way people buy mobile software. A smart person thinks up an idea and immediately goes to their phone and says, “I’ll bet there’s an app for that”. Usually there already is an app in the app store and the idea of instant upload, use and gratification takes hold. This is the case in the enterprise as well.
Large organisations are at the point where they desire an efficient, customisable IT experience, where IT can use its precious budget on exactly what it wants for as long as they want it, and for as many devices as live on the network.
Customisable IT helps IT take back control by focusing efforts on the specific pain points they are experiencing. IT administrators can employ a tailored approach that maps specifically to their organisation’s unique needs.
With complete integration, leveraging customisable IT gives administrators the flexibility to scale as their enterprise grows, adding and removing features as needed. Only by remaining nimble in today’s quickly moving business environment can IT best serve its organisation.
With more than 25 years of software marketing and executive management experience, Bob Davis oversees the global marketing efforts of Kaseya. Davis applies significant experience from marketing network and system management solutions to directing Kaseya strategy, product marketing, branding, public relations, design and social networking functions.
One of the original founders of the company, Davis returned to Kaseya in 2010.