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Title:
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IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT IN SMES: PREREQUISITE TO BENEFIT FROM RELIABLE AND FLEXIBLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE CLOUD |
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Author(s):
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Kirsten Platz, Jürgen Jähnert |
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ISBN:
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978-972-8939-67-0 |
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Editors:
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Piet Kommers and Pedro Isaías |
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Year:
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2012 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Cloud Computing, Standardization, IT Service Management, SMEs, Innovation, Change management |
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Type:
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Full Paper |
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First Page:
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227 |
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Last Page:
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234 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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Information processing is of high relevance for all industrial sectors and company sizes. Reliable and flexible Information Systems based on new Information Technologies and IT Services are needed to compete in today´s Information Society. The currently observed trend back to more centralized IT delivery models, as currently discussed under the acronym cloud computing, that supports a flexible and effective exchange and processing of information, is in its core principles nothing new and from a global perspective not even a challenge for the companies. But the use of cloud computing demands a high standardization of the existing IT and processes, which has to happen prior to the process towards the centralized IT service provisioning out of the cloud. It can be observed that there is a big difference considering the maturity of different company types with respect to the level of process and IT standardization. Whereas the large companies have a relatively structured IT and clearly defined processes, SMEs have not yet thoroughly reached that level. IT Service Management (ITSM) as concept to structure and standardize IT infrastructure and services can be seen as necessary prerequisite for SMEs to enter the world of cloud computing. Acknowledging the fact that cloud computing has not yet fully reached all industrial sectors and not all rather technological open issues have been solved (governance, security,
), there is a certain risk that SMEs, which are of high economic importance as they account for about 99% of enterprises and 60%-70% of employment, are not yet ready for standardization. One reason for this is that available ITSM frameworks, which would guide these organizations in structuring their IT, do not sufficiently address the specific requirements in terms of flexibility and complexity and thus seem to be much too heavy to be realistically adopted by SMEs. Empirical studies, conducted by the EU funded project INNOTRAIN IT, have clearly shown that there is still a big gap between knowledge on ITSM frameworks and their application in Central European SMEs. Therefore, within INNOTRAIN IT, a specific IT Service Management method derived from well-known ITSM frameworks (ITIL, COBIT, VAL-IT etc.) and adopted to the specific needs of SMEs has been developed. This method supports SMEs in standardizing their processes and IT to benefit from innovative information systems offered in the cloud. |
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