IT management
Information technology management (short: IT management) deals with the control of IT. For IT management, IT is to be understood in a broader sense, that is, in addition to information technology , IT also includes the aspects related to the creation and use of information technology, such as the goals, the tasks and the responsible persons . In addition, within companies and organizations, there is the close interaction between IT and other specialist departments (such as marketing, controlling, finance) whereby the task of IT management is to convey to these departments the best possible use of information technology for their specific tasks as well as enable.
Definitions of IT management
The introductory definition of terms is very general and there are actually more specific definitions for IT management:
- IT management deals with the research and understanding of information technology as a company resource , which includes both the strategic and operational capabilities of a company in the design and development of products and services for maximum customer satisfaction, company productivity, profitability and competitiveness guaranteed.
- "Strategic IT management is [...] a [...] management task that directly influences business success by increasing the value contribution of IT to corporate success and at the same time minimizing the risks and costs associated with IT."
To 1.) The definition is very handy at first glance. However, she postulates that IT management takes place in companies and thus unnecessarily excludes other organizations. A finite list of goals for IT management is given, but other goals also exist, e.g. B. For some organizations security is the most important goal. IT management is by no means only concerned with “research and understanding”, but also with the concrete implementation in organizations. In some cases, they even deliberately do without their own findings - in favor of simple implementation (keyword: best practice ).
To 2.) The second definition is also based on a company and the question arises as to what a "value contribution" is. Here, too, not all areas of IT management are taken into account, e.g. B. IT management in a nuclear power plant must not be about minimizing costs. In general, a “simultaneous” minimization of costs and risks is not possible if the minimization of risks is associated with costs.
The existence of different definitions for IT management and the criticism of these definitions clearly shows the fuzziness of IT management and the difficulty of describing IT management with a catchy and at the same time generally applicable definition. It is therefore helpful to first break down the complex topic of IT management into individual parts. The following division into areas of responsibility for IT management represents an approach, see figure. However, there are also other options for the division that can be more useful for the concrete implementation of IT management in organizations. B. the identification of relevant control objects, such as the specific stakeholders and the specific goals of IT management.
IT management tasks
IT management moves between IT on the one hand and the IT customers and the overall organization that embeds IT on the other. Customers are the recipients of IT services, and this can be both external and internal customers. The overall organization embeds IT as one service area among others. Other service areas are e.g. B. Marketing or Production. The overall organization can, but does not have to, be identical to the IT customer. For example, the internal IT department of a company works for the specialist departments of this company as a customer and this company simultaneously represents the overall organization. In another example, a management consultancy, IT services are provided for external customers. In this case, the overall organization would be the management consultancy, which is not identical to the customer. It is important to consider both areas separately because the interests are different and IT management takes this into account in different areas of responsibility.
The core areas of IT management are:
- The alignment focuses on the alignment of IT to the needs of the customer and the overall organization.
- The Enabling dedicated to the fact that IT not only passively support the departments, but also actively using technology enables new business opportunities. In some cases, when considering the alignment and enabling alignment, one speaks in the broader sense.
- The IT strategy shows where IT should develop in the future. The IT strategy must always be combined with the corporate strategy, since IT in companies never acts as an end in itself.
- The IT controlling provides key figures ready to serve the chosen for managing IT towards IT strategy.
All areas are interconnected. The IT strategy must be created taking into account the organization-specific needs for alignment and enabling, and the IT strategy must be formulated in such a way that the information from IT controlling can be used to check whether the IT is moving in the direction of this strategy .
The IT management as a whole must provide the coordination service to coordinate the following areas of responsibility:
IT service management
IT Service Management (ITSM) describes how IT is aligned with its customers. IT is used as a service provider - resp. Service provider - understood, who has to provide a defined and priced service. The customers can be both external and internal customers.
IT governance, risk and compliance management
The alignment of IT to the overall organization and the management of IT through this overall organization is the subject of IT governance. The areas of IT risk management and IT compliance are closely linked to IT governance ; they are often seen as a unit and then referred to as IT-GRC . The content of IT risk management is the recording, assessment and handling of IT risks. IT compliance deals with the management of compliance with regulations, particularly laws, but also regulations with customers and suppliers.
IT resource management
IT resource management controls the resources and IT personnel. The resources are primarily the technical components, e.g. B. Hardware and software. The staff are the people who work in IT. The relationship between IT and the people who work there is now very varied. While in the past it was mainly their own employees who worked on-site for IT, today these are also freelancers and employees of other companies, e.g. B. from management consultancies. Sometimes entire areas are outsourced to other companies and sometimes tasks are processed in other countries. Organizing these new forms of division of labor for one's own IT is a focus of IT resource management.
IT program and portfolio management
IT program management bundles IT services into service areas, e.g. B. Application development, network operation or innovation consulting. Specific services are planned and provided later within these programs. The IT portfolio management evaluates the individual services with regard to their conformity with the overall situation. The IT program and portfolio management thus represents the connection between the IT strategy and the actual service provision.
All areas of responsibility are interrelated and cannot be delimited without overlapping. In addition to the tasks mentioned, there are also other subject areas that are more or less relevant and that are more or less assigned to IT management, e.g. B. the technical IT architecture management.
IT management tools
Various software solutions support companies in setting up and developing their IT management. With their help, the different areas of IT management can be modeled and managed.
- Software AG: ALFABET (formerly planningIT)
- BOC: ADOit
- MEGA: MEGA Suite
- rimacon: rimacon omniSuite
- Software AG: ARIS
- Troux Technologies: Troux Enterprise Suite
Qualification measures
The University of Hamburg offers since the winter semester 2010/2011 with the consecutive master's program IT management and consulting for the first time in Germany a specific university training path for IT management at. The Technical University of Cologne is starting the IT Management (Computer Science) bachelor's degree in the 2017/2018 winter semester.
Other university courses with a focus on IT management are the bachelor's and master's programs in International Information Systems Management at the Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg and the consecutive master’s program in International Information Systems at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg .
The ICN Business School in Nuremberg has been offering Computing Management and IT Management for the Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in International Management (BBA) since the 2011/2012 winter semester.
The private, state-recognized University of Applied Sciences offers part-time training with the consecutive master’s degree in IT Management and Information Systems.
In addition, many other public and private universities offer master’s courses in IT management and related areas.
Individual evidence
- ↑ See MK Badawy (1998), Technology Management Education: Alternative Models. California Management Review. 40 (4), pp. 94-115
- ↑ M. Bernhard; R. Blomer, J. Bonn (2003), Strategic IT Management: Organization - Processes - Reference Models. Volume 1, Düsseldorf, p. 3
- ↑ University of Hamburg / Master's degree in IT Management and Consulting [1]
- ^ New bachelor's degree in IT management (computer science) - TH Köln. Retrieved June 26, 2017 .
- ↑ Otto Friedrich University Bamberg / Bachelor's degree in International Information Systems Management [2]
- ↑ Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg / Master’s degree in International Information Systems [3]
- ^ ICN Business School, Nuremberg, Nancy / Bachelor [4]
- ↑ University of Applied Sciences for Business / Master’s degree in IT Management and Information Systems [5]
literature
- Tiemeyer, Ernst: IT Management Handbook. Concepts, methods, solutions and work aids for practice. Hanser reference book; 6th edition 2017. print- ISBN 978-3-446-44347-1 , e-book-inside
- Johannsen, Wolfgang; Goeken, Matthias: Reference models for IT governance. Strategic effectiveness and efficiency with COBIT, ITIL & Co, Dpunkt Verlag; 2007 ISBN 3-89864-397-2
- Resch, Olaf: Introduction to IT Management: Basics, Implementation, Best Practice, Erich Schmidt Verlag; 2009 ISBN 3-503-12060-2
- Prinz, Michael: The 2 + 2 for strategic IT management. Practice-oriented modern IT management. epubli publishing house; 2014 ISBN 978-3-8442-7713-5
- Rittershaus, Axel: Management practice for engineers and IT experts: The toolbox for effective managers in the IT of the future, SpringerVieweg Verlag, 2016 ISBN 9783658115234
Web links
- Qualification objectives and didactic principles of a book for the introduction to IT management (PDF; 273 kB) - Article