2015 IT Service Management Hot Topics

As 2014 draws to a close, it’s time to think about what the 2015 hot topics will be in the world of ITSM and project management. Our lead tutor, Claire Agutter, tells us what she thinks will be important in the upcoming 12 months.

Cyber Security/Cyber Resilience

Ask anyone at Sony about the need for cyber resilience and I’m sure they’ll understand it…now.

2014 has been a big year for cyber-attacks, and organisations are shifting their focus from cyber security (focus on preventing attacks) to cyber resilience (focus on preventing attacks AND planning for a robust response in times of crisis).

Cyber resilience requires education and awareness for everyone in the business, but there are some specific ITSM requirements too.  Cyber resilience can be seen as an expansion of existing information security management guidance, requiring focus on people and process as well as technical solutions.

The industry is responding. Members of the ISACA can download a PDF of ‘Transforming Cybersecurity’ for free, Axelos provide a detailed FAQs section on Cyber Resilience, and you can undertake CESG Certified Training through APMG International.

Business Relationship Management/Business Service Management

As the links between IT and the business get closer and closer, IT services become indistinguishable from the business processes they support.  However, in times of crisis IT and the business pull away from each other and the blame game starts.

Business Relationship Management and Business Service Management are essential to build a strong relationship and make sure IT and business goals align.

The Business Relationship Management Institute is seeing rapid growth and demand for its training – something that I see continuing in 2015.

The increasing popularity of COBIT5 is also a key trend here – using the COBIT5 goals cascade to link IT goals to business goals.

DevOps

DevOps has been a hot topic in 2014 and will continue to grow in 2015.

DevOps days and events are getting more and more popular, and large and small organisations are looking to how they can adopt DevOps practices to improve their speed, agility and success.

The lack of formal ownership of DevOps is both a challenge and an opportunity.  It’s great that the community will support and drive its development, but there is also a risk that poor quality training and publications will proliferate as its popularity grows.

Current Axelos products/best management practice

• ITIL – the last sets of exam statistics for ITIL show a slight drop in exam numbers around the world.  Axelos need to focus on helping IT service management practitioners see the value of the ITIL certification.  The new ITIL Intermediate Navigation Tool will provide valuable guidance.

The planned CPD scheme could also help practitioners understand the relevance of ongoing training in supporting their career goals.

• PRINCE2 – will 2015 be the year that PRINCE2 takes off in the US?  The PRINCE2 training market is heavily weighted towards Europe at the moment, with many US delegates seeing PMI and PRINCE2 as competitors, rather than complementary guidance.  Can PRINCE2 take off in the home of PMI?