The components of the Technology Improvement Program provide a system of assessments that start at an overview level and drill down in focus and detail as need and relevance are understood. This system provides optimal results with a minimal barrier to entry. Designed from the bottom up with your needs and concerns in mind, it is easily leveraged in order to get exactly what you want from the effort. The program is very flexible, includes built-in customization, and can be focused where your need is the greatest.
The suite of assessments currently included in the TIP are:
IT Process Assessments and Review
This series of service offerings is directed toward the evaluation and review of the processes involved in managing IT. The assessments are based on accepted best practice, with the Cobit 4.1 framework being used extensively throughout. Cobit provides objective criteria for evaluating IT processes and controls across the organization.
- SelfCheckTM : based on the Cobit QuickStart, the Process SelfCheckTM (PSC) looks at 32 defined IT processes by asking a series of around 70 questions and asking the participant to evaluate the state of each process within their organization. The assessment is offered entirely online and provides a means to establish a baseline and ascertain where improvements might be made.
- QuickCheckTM : moving to the full Cobit 4.1 framework, the Process QuickCheckTM (PQC) delves more deeply into the IT process and control structure. Using more than 300 metrics to assess all 34 Cobit processes, the PQC uses a detailed assessment instrument to substantiate the results of the PSA and establish a verified Capability Maturity Model (CMM) score for each. The PQC is delivered onsite by K12TW staff, and ties together the CMM with organizational relevancy to both qualify the baseline and provide a gap analysis that will direct further activity.
- Advanced Review : again based on full Cobit, the Process Advanced Review (PAR) provides detailed analysis of all 34 IT processes but with attention given all 210 Cobit 4.1 objectives. While the PAR can be administered in its entirety, it is better utilized as a targeted device aimed toward improvement of specific processes and controls identified in the CMM baseline. The complete PAR system includes over one thousand individual attributes for assessment. It is administered onsite by K12TW staff and provides in-depth evaluation, verification and analysis of the specific processes audited.
Infrastructure Assessment and Review
This set of service offerings is designed to assess the state of your actual infrastructure and the use of technology across the organization. Absent an objective standard for such assessment, K12TW has developed a proprietary system which is loosely based on the Microsoft Infrastructure Optimization Model, Gartner Infrastructure Maturity Model, and other related systems.
The Infrastructure series of assessments follows the same structure as that identified for IT processes above, with the QuickCheck comprised of over 200 criteria. Again, at the Infrastructure SelfCheckTM (ISC) and QuickCheck (IQC) level, the objective of the assessment is to establish a baseline and identify areas for improvement.
Five areas are examined within our Infrastructure taxonomy. These domains are:
- Identity Management
- Resource Management
- Support Management
- Application Management
- Business Continuity
Each of these areas is fully defined within the taxonomy and evaluated based on a rubric of objective criteria that renders a scored profile. Much like the CMM, this is accomplished by scoring these assessments on a continuum. The scale used sets a range starting with "Basic," on the reactive side, and extends figuratively upward to "Optimized."
Once a baseline has been established, our IAR (Infrastructure Advanced Review) comes into play. Again with specific areas of concentration already identified, the output of the IAR is always a detailed improvement plan specifically designed with your needs in mind. |
