Quality In Internet Operations Department In Etisalat Information Technology Essay

reference In mesh reverse trading functions Department In Etisalat breeding technology Es recite net income operations Department in Etisalat worn out(p) a green goddess of time and effort on the flavour of its cognitive procedure in severalise to reach and achieve a accept worldwideistic IT management measure much(prenominal) as lieT one and only(a) security measures. The research shows the go of scarper developed in the plane section in value to achieve the insolateTone credential and to be aligned with ITIL worldwide standard in iii major(ip) responsibilities atomic number 18 incident management, problem management and change management.IntroductionQuality became an important telephone line issue due to the increase in conflict in world markets. The total fiber management (TQM) antenna introduced by W. Edwards Deming used by several organizations in the world to amend their operations and the figure outes used in each(prenominal) told function al beas of their organizations. The basis of TQM is to reduce the errors produced during the manuf defenduring or attend march, increase client satisfaction and improve product/ attend to superior, productivity, and competitiveness by improving communications with s dispenseholders (customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders and society). The application of TQM pile deepen from business to business, even across the same industry.Etisalat has a great maiden to introduce prime(prenominal) and get several choice certifications for most of its operable processes. net operations Department lended on the last few old age to develop its quality based on the appropriate quality standards and got the ISO9001 certificate as tumesce as the solariseTone certification, which I am divergence to tolerate on in this research.Etisalat is the only assistance leave aloner in the center(a) East to achieve solarise Microsystems elite fair weatherTone certification for Internet operations which offers midland external hosting and data centre solutions. According to Mr. Ali AlSharhan (EVP/IT Etisalat) The fair weatherTone certification certifies our attend to delivery in areas such as architecture, execution of instrument and management from assistant delivery environment. done this, we can assure our customers that the assistance aim Guarantees we support are among the worlds outflank and backed by Suns independent auditing. (Etisalat enhances customer and ingrained dish up levels through SunTone certification, 2007)From left to right Ali Al Sharhan Exe data trackive valetudinarianism President, IT, Etisalat Tareq Alkharji Vice President mesh Operations, Etisalat and Marc Heger, Gulf District Manager for Sun Microsystems Middle East and North Africa (MENA).Marc Heger, Gulf District Manager for Sun Microsystems MENA said As part of its SunTone accreditation, Etisalat is the only regional managed hosting provider that can maximize its IT efficiency, benchmark and quantify the successful provision of function externally and knowledgeablely, and document the improved quality of answer that it is now providing, (Etisalat enhances customer and internal helper levels through SunTone certification, 2007)SUN TONE CRTF.jpgIn this research I am going to talk about the SunTone certification description, process, procedures, quality compend and recommendation on best usage of quality certification in Internet Operations department.ObjectivesThe objectives of this research areTo learn about quality certifications applied on IT environment.To develop and improve the live quality process of the mesh operations.To vex recommendation on how to apply quality on IT environment and keep developing it.To analyze the internet operations quality practices internally through interview with quality manager in Etisalat. implicationThere are several important points that I am going to gain through this research such asTo downstairs stand the current practice of Internet Operations.To improve and develop the current quality process and adopt the best practices.To develop my current TQM Fundamentals course knowledge and compare it with the current quality practice of internet operations department. shotThe to a greater extent(prenominal) quality applied on internet operations processes, the more haughty and satisfied output will matter to Etisalat internet products. backing returns Level Agreement (SLA) and useable level harmony (OLA) betwixt sections will arrive at a positive impact on customers satisfaction. books retreadIn fact no one wrote in this pendent before, however an audit report was done to Sun Microsystems to eminentlight the quality aspects of Internet Operations Department in Etisalat.Chapter 2SunTone initiatoryIn May 1999, the SunTone initiative lunched as a certification and branding architectural plan for proceeds providers armed service to audit and certify web delivered softwa re applications. Through a combination of IT management define best practices, limitedations and run, the SunTone Initiative enables organizations to cut time and cost to deploy high quality web enabled services. The SunTone Initiative also helps enterprises to gain high quality service products applications from external helper Providers and deploy them with confidence.The SunTone Initiative supports the practice of hosting and managing a range of web enabled services through a combination of internal external IT resources. Customers can take advantage of SunTone Initiative whether they intend to build world class services internally or to purchase high quality SunTone certified applications from IT service providers and software vendors. (About the SunTone Initiative)SunTone BenefitsThe SunTone Initiative helps enterprises manage their IT services efficiently and cost effectively, in order to increase Quality of serve up (QoS). The process of certifying services under the Su nTone Initiative helps companies toMeet assist Level Agreements (SLAs) with higher quality of service deliveryManage flexible, high quality IT services.Build and maintain IT staffing competencies. breach utilize existing IT resources.Adopt the sourcing strategy that make most economic, technical and business sense with full confidence.SunTone Certification processThere are three steps to get the SunTone certification areSunTone SpecificationsThe SunTone Service manner of speaking Specification is a guide to managing web-enabled services to the highest Quality of Service levels. The specifications provide guidelines and contain a checklist to allow enterprises to evaluate their current operations against the best IT practices.SunTone Enablers.SunTone Enablers are offerings and tools to help customers to equal the SunTone standards for higher quality network service delivery. Sun serve for the SunTone Initiative provide expert consulting, flexible acquisition solutions, and miss ion critical support focused on helping customers and partners forgather the SunTone requirements for network service delivery.SunTone Audit CertificationThe SunTone certification audit performed by Sun or third parties validates the implementation and gives the company an industry recognized seal of approval for their web-based services.What is Quality of Service (QoS)?Quality of Service is a measurement of how well a service or solution complies with Service Level Agreements (SLAs). These metrics includes, but not confine toAvailability unquestionablenessSupportResponse timesSecurityDisaster Recovery ProcessesCriteria of SunTone CertificationThere are two different SunTone specifications, one for enterprise customers and service providers, and the other(a) is for software developers. Each specification has its own requirements covering areas such as infrastructure, running(a) practices, hardware, software, and overall service delivery practices. Certifications of Enterprise customer solutions and service provider solutions must be re sweeted annually, and must align to the standards of the current specification level.(Frequently Asked Questions)Chapter 3Profile of the companyEmirates Telecommunication potentiometer (Etisalat) is one of the telecommunication service providers in the UAE since 1976. It is now a well known Telecommunication provider in almost 18 countries in both Asia and Africa continents with more than 100 million subscribers. It has construct up a modern telecom infrastructure and established itself as an innovative and certain operator. 60% of Etisalat revenue gained from mobile services while the remaining is from other services such as landlines, internet, interconnect, etcetera Based on that, Etisalat is considered as the 13th largest mobile network operator in the world. Financial Times ranked Etisalat as the 140th in the Top 500 corporations in the world in terms of market capitalization.Mission StatementEtisalat has find o ut a mission statement in order to derive its business towards customers satisfaction. Its mission has a great effect of innovation and development of new products and services to be provided to customers whenever needed. It has set the following mission statement, vision, values and future day which will provide a clear guide to its business.Mission To incommode peoples reach.Vision A world where peoples reach is not limited by matter or distance.Values Energy,Openness, EnablementFuture A world in which technology extends our reach.Etisalat is an international telecom provider covering 18 countries in the world based on investment, joint ventures and stack holding. Its business and memorial tablet is well defined and managed under the umbrella of Etisalat Group. Etisalat Telecommunication Corporation is one of the telecom service providers in the UAE. Etisalat UAE is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and includes three regional offices Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and northern Emirates. It has been divided into that in order to concentrate on it specialization.The headquarter or what we squall in Etisalat Head Office is specialized in planning, developing, marketing and managing all activities centrally. The regional office responsibility is to take care of normal operational work such as sales, finance, regional engineering and administrational work related to to the region that was delegated to them by the head office.(Etisalat Website)Internet OperationsInternet Operations is the department that is creditworthy of operating the internet services provided to public such as internet access, emails, hosting services, data center services, Internet payment gateway, eSecurity services as well as internet access to other service providers internally in the UAE or externally in other nearby countries. It was founded in 1995 to provide internet service through dialup and then grow to operate several other services with high quality reliable service.The department has sever al sections that look into different internet services provided to customersNetwork Operations This section is responsible of the network infrastructure of the internet service provided by Etisalat. They are responsible of the backbone of the internet that is connected to the international lines and carriers. Moreover, they are responsible of internet access services such as ADSL, leased lines, cable modems, etc.Service Operations This section is responsible of the internet services provided by Etisalat such as email, web hosting service, database, etc.Security Operations This section is responsible of the maintaining the security aspects of the internet and work as a gourd for all the internet service provided by Etisalat.Internet Network Operations Center This section is responsible of monitor of the internet network and services all the time and assuring high availability of the infrastructure.Internet Operation HierarchyChapter 4Research methodologyThis research is done based o n an interview conducted with nearly employees who participated in developing the quality of Internet Operation department processes. I set out done an interview With Mr. Asef Termizi, Sr. Manager/IT presidential term Architecture sanction and Mr. Anwar Bawab, Sr. Specialist/IT Governance Architecture pledge, who were members in SunTone Certification process. groundThe background of this research is to collect data about quality implementation in Internet Operations department in Etisalat in order to understand the current process and overcome its limitations and errors.LimitationI approach some problems while collecting data areThe SunTone Certification is limited to some eHosting services that are managed by several sections in Internet Operations department.Most of the sections in Internet Operations are applying processes that was defined several years agone or modified sometime ago without referring to quality assurance. So it was difficult to interview those sections and ask them about their quality measures of the current process.The SunTone Certification is a brand quality certification introduced by Sun Microsystems, and measures quality of the companies uses their hardware. It came to my attention that it is no more an accredited certification. That is wherefore there is very limited information about SunTone on the internet. entropy CollectionThis research is mainly based on an interview with IT Governance Architecture Assurance Sr. Manager IT Governance Architecture Assurance Sr. Specialist in Etisalat participated in preparation of the SunTone certification. Also some of the information provided is based on SunTone Certification Audit Report provided by them. information AnalysisEtisalat started in 2005 to introduce the SunTone certification for the Internet Operations department in cooperation with Sun Microsystems. This work continued up-to June 2007 to gain this certification after several audit, revision and initiatives applied to achieve the SunTone seal of approval. Internet Operations went through the most stringent service reliability requirements and sagaciousness to ensure the efficiency of its People, Processes, Products (Technology Tools) and Partners (Suppliers, Vendors) (Termizi, 2010).The project was led by Internet Operations in coordination with Corporate Quality Department in consultation with Sun Microsystems. The SunTone audit and certification program incorporates principles from multiple industry standards, including ITIL and ISO. The program is built on the principles of IT Service commission excellence which included 15 perspicacity areas under the categories of Service Delivery, Service Support and prudence, such as-Service-Level Management.Service Architecture.Availability Management.Capacity Management.Data Center Management.Configuration Management.Change Management.Service Desk Management.Incident Management. riddle Management.Release Management.Etisalat got their SunTone Certif ication in only three assessment areas areIncident Management to restore normal service operation as quickly as possible and minimize the obstinate effect on business operations,Problem Management to resolve the shank causes of incidents and thus to minimize the adverse impact of incidents and problems on business that are caused by errors within the IT infrastructure, and to prevent recurrence of incidents related to these errors.Change Management to ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient handling of all changes,The SunTone certification signifies Etisalat ability to meet the highest quality standards in the industry, instilling process excellence in Etisalats IT Service Management strategy (Termizi, 2010).The process that Sun Microsystems auditors follow to recommend the accreditation to Internet Operations in their last assessment meeting in 2007 isReview the previous improvement plan and check the tangible evidence.Hold an initial meeting with the Etisalat Internet Operations, Co-location and e-Hosting Management group to detail the Audit process.Verify that Etisalat has complied with the recommendations of the previous assessment within the scope of Co-location and e-Hosting Services.One-to-one interviews with key management and personnel require case by case examples of changes and incidents with particular emphasis on usage of ITIL disciplines, processes and related documentation.Review of specified documents.Collaborate with Etisalat, in terms of the implementation of ITIL disciplines and best practice. grooming of the attenders Report.(Bawab, 2010)The ITIL has a great input to develop the process on Internet Operations Department based on the best practices of IT processes. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of concepts and practices for Information Technology Services Management, Information Technology (IT) development and IT operations (Wikipedia, 2010).During the latest audit of t he Sun Microsystems auditors, they highlighted some of the issues that Etisalat has to take care of in order to reach the highest quality standards such as Service Level Agreements. Etisalat should work on their SLAs with both customers and vendors in consideration of Risk Management. The SLAs with vendors and customers should carry the same service levels, penalties, reporting processes, escalation procedures, etc.Hypothesis Setting Service Level Agreement (SLA) and operational level agreement (OLA) amid sections will have a positive impact on customers satisfaction.Audit resultsThe audit results reported by Sun Microsystems auditors based on their latest assessment areEtisalat should finalise and improve the implementation of three key ITIL responsibilities and related processes Incident Management, Problem Management and Change Management.There has been a major drive to implement these aspects, in particular the Incident and Change with less importance at place being placed on Problem Management.Etisalat should rework their SLAs (both customer and vendor).The attender checked the SLA documents and is satisfied that SLA exists for all parties.Functional and Organisational Compliance of ITIL Management practices with specific regard to Incident Management, Problem Management and Change Management.There has been a huge amount of effort and refinement put into implementing these disciplines.Appropriate internal costing of services and service components.The actual cost per square measuring rod of the data centre environment, various levels of manpower needed to install a service, electricity, set up costs of each service available to customers are available. Using the automated workflow and work order system installed, Etisalat have tight control over the amount of time each set up component.Use of a knowledge base of Known Incidents.The Auditor noted that the majority of calls were solved at the initial point of contact. pass on further maturity in ITIL d isciplines.150 Etisalat staff have been deft formally on ITIL.Automate processes where appropriate.The use of the HP suite of Incident, Problem and Change Management tools has satisfied the Auditor that the level of automation is elegant and widely used.(Bawab, 2010)Transition to ISO20000The auditor has noted some high level issues relevant to focus the efforts the transition to ISO20000. There are a manage of similarly between SunTone and the ISO2000 standards, almost to the point one might say they are identical. The key drivers are Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs). The standards use If you cant measure it you cant manage it. (Termizi, 2010)ISO20000 is the first international standard for IT Service Management developed in 2005 by the BSI Group. It promotes the adoption of an integrated process approach to effectively deliver managed services to meet the business and customer requirements (Wikipedia, 2010)In the diagram we can see the rel ationships between all the entities recommended to have a stable and high value Service Management system. In the middle we can see the plan, do, check act model. The model looks at the relationship between the input side (on the left) backing Requirements and the output side (on the right) Business results. Those controlled activitiesconvert input to output in a reliable manner. These measures are alien with customer satisfaction surveys. The linkages of the standards elements to the Plan, Do, Check, exercise (PDCA) activities arePLAN Plan Service ManagementDO use Service Management and provide serviceCHECK Monitor, measure and look backwardACT Improvement.(Bawab, 2010)Hypothesis The more quality applied on internet operations processes, the more positive and satisfied output will result to Etisalat internet products.(Veyeren, 2007)Chapter 5ConclusionQuality has become an important approach that organizations are taking care of while developing their process of work and ma naging their resources. Internet Operations Department in Etisalat spent a lot of time and effort on the quality of its process in order to reach and achieve a recognized international IT management standard such as SunTone Certification. The process of work developed in the department to be aligned with ITIL international standard in three major parts are incident management, problem management and change management. tributeThere are several points that I can recommend in order to improve the quality of Internet Operations process in order to achieve customers satisfaction.Adopt a service level agreement (SLA) with the customers in order to provide the best service to customers.Develop the process of coordination and incident management between Internet Operations sections using an operation level agreement (OLA) in order to achieve the SLA.Adopt more ITIL management responsibilities such asService Level Management.Capacity Management.Data Center Management.Configuration Management .Service Desk Management.Work hard to gain ISO20000 Certification.