Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 14 | Page 18

LATEST INTELLIGENCE PRESENTED BY CHOOSING IT MANAGEMENT TOOLS THAT WORK FOR YOU I T organisations are buying IT management tools for the wrong reasons. To select technology that’s fit-for-purpose, first work out what fit- for-purpose really means (hint: fit for purpose also means fit for the future). Download whitepaper here According to research firm Gartner Inc, “based on client inquiries, we have noticed, on average, IT organisations replace their IT service support management (ITSSM) solution once every five years. “In addition, through 2018 we predict that 90% of IT organisations will select a particular ITSSM tool because of a promoted feature that they will never actually use. On analysing the nature of the drivers for replacement, we find that tools are not switched because they lack features and functionality, but primarily because they were purchased for the wrong reasons.” 18 INTELLIGENTCIO Inevitably, today’s solutions become tomorrow’s headaches and the cycle begins again. Be objective about what you need, Research firm Info-Tech explains: “It is easy to be distracted by new and flashy features, but it’s more important to stay focused on the core requirements your organisation needs to improve service management.” When we look at the trends behind IT maturity, we see that average maturity levels have remained stagnant for the best part of a decade. IT organisations are not improving maturity because they are not thinking in terms of maturity; the mindset is still focused on the technical level. Too many times, this technology first approach influences the buying process. Organisations quickly discover that tools are not ‘fit for purpose’ because the purpose was never clearly defined. n www.intelligentcio.com