Good to Great IT

A survey and analysis of what makes an IT department great.

Download the Good to Great IT White Paper

ITIL:  Theory into Practice

It is testimony to the complexity of today’s technology systems that even one of the most widely-used frameworks for simplifying and standardizing IT management is, in itself, a daunting piece of work. 

Implementing the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) set of guidelines to aid the implementation of a lifecycle framework for IT service management (ITSM) is now a major priority for a growing number of organizations, but remains a task where external help is often of critical importance.  In keeping with Touchpaper’s role as a leading provider of IT Business Management (ITBM) solutions, this white paper aims to assist today’s chief information or technology officer with a number of critical issues relating to ITIL

Download the ITIL: Theory into Practice White Paper

The Touchpaper ITBM Maturity Model

Touchpaper has introduced a uniquely practical approach to best practice service management that enables CIOs to measure the value and contribution of IT to overall business success.  The new methodology, known as the Touchpaper Maturity Model, is applicable to both internal IT and customer facing environments.  This new white paper explains how, using the Touchpaper Maturity Model, organizations can gauge effectiveness and track Return on Investment (ROI).



Download a copy of the Touchpaper ITBM Maturity Model White Paper

ITIL Refresh - Will it improve your service?

IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is not a new concept, being originally developed by the UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the 1980s.  However, it is currently undergoing a major refresh that will lead to a new framework – ITIL V3, that is designed to update existing best practice in line with the changing global business climate, user feedback and modified organizational needs.  These modifications mean that ITIL will become even more central to those managing IT service delivery and support infrastructures moving forward.

This white paper aims to provide an overview of the content in the forthcoming ITIL Refresh and Touchpaper’s views on how it will benefit organizations when adopted as part of an overall IT Service Management strategy.



Download a copy of the ITIL Refresh White Paper

Knowledge powers the service desk

Knowledge management (KM) has enjoyed something of a chequered history in the corporate arena, with many early implementations failing to live up to full expectations.  This is perhaps unsurprising given the high hopes for KM and the practical difficulties that many organizations experienced when trying to effectively create, capture, organize, access and use knowledge.The time has come to review knowledge management within service delivery.

Download a copy of the Knowledge Powers the Service Desk White Paper

Measuring the Value of IT Survey

IT plays such a central role in supporting today's businesses that it would seem almost essential to develop goals and processes to evaluate how it is contributing to business success.  Yet a recent survey of 100 IT directors by IT Business Management (ITBM) software leader, Touchpaper, reveals that many organisations are failing to do this.

According to the research only 40% of enterprises formally measure how IT is contributing to strategic business level goals or track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for IT in business related areas.

Download a copy of the the Measuring the Value of IT Survey

Counting on your help desk – How to find the right return on investment

A lot of money has been spent on IT support tools in recent years. Overall, millions of pounds and dollars have been invested in finding ways to simplify and improve the complex task of managing IT – with much of the investment devoted to help desk systems, network or systems management tools, asset management, problem resolution and knowledge databases. As it moves into a phase of technology maturity, the issue of return on investment (ROI) becomes more of a priority. This white paper examines why this issue is back on the table, looks at the problems inherent in making these calculations, and identifies payback elements at different stages in the evolution of an IT support function.



Download a copy of the Counting on your Help Desk White Paper.

How to Manage the ICT Dependency Culture - Local Government Whitepaper

In July 2004, Sir Peter Gershon published an independent review of public sector efficiency. In his report (known simply as The Gershon Report), Sir Peter proposed savings of over £20 billion by 2007/8 and anticipated a gross reduction of over 84,000 posts in the Civil Service. As a result, it was anticipated that there would be a far greater dependency on technology.

Touchpaper has joined forces with industry analyst, Rhion Jones, to produce a white paper entitled 'How to Manage the ICT Dependency Culture'. The whitepaper is a call to action for Local Authorities in England and elsewhere in the United Kingdom to appreciate some of the challenges that lie ahead as a result of our unprecedented dependence upon information and communications technology (ICT).

It is intended for all those who find themselves involved in the immense process of change that affects all parts of the public sector, but which impacts Local Government in particular.

Whilst presenting us with significant challenges, our dependence on ICT is not bad news. It provides us with a huge range of benefits including more and better access to public services for citizens and businesses, more customer-centric public services, and new ways to personalise services and engage citizens more fully in service design and provision.



Download a copy of the How to manage the ICT dependency culture - Local Government White Paper.

Improving IT service levels - by Touchpaper and LANDesk

IT managers face a difficult juggling act in trying to maintain or increase service levels to other departments in the face of increasing infrastructure complexity and mounting financial scrutiny. In this environment, many are implementing, or at least considering, automated systems that can undertake time-consuming tasks such as inventory taking, patch application or software licence monitoring. This white paper aims to undertake a review of the risks and benefits of implementing these systems compared to sticking with traditional manual processes. It also looks at the differences in return on investment (ROI) between so-called ‘point products’ which handle only a specific function such as applying patch updates, and integrated management suites that offer several automated functions within a single package.



Download a copy of the Improving IT Service Levels White Paper.

Is ITIL the Route to IT True Efficiency?