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Summary
The following business case is focused on the development of the project aimed at the improvement of the work of the Eversoft, Co. IT department. The current situation of the company is analyzed and the most important problems to be solved are defined. Based on the results of the analysis, two possible solutions (the reorganization of the IT department and the implementation of the information technology service management system) are offered and assessed in order to pick the most suitable to address the mentioned issues. The choice is made in the favor of the latter option. The benefits and costs of the provided solution are evaluated, and the conclusion concerning the feasibility of the project is made. Finally, a set of recommendations concerning the implementation of the project is presented.
Business Case: Eversoft Co.
The Problem Statement
Eversoft Co. is an American IT company with headquarters in San Diego, CA, which provides services for the entire lifecycle of the IT systems, as well as the support for the telecom infrastructure. The company works in areas of e-commerce, document management, telecommunications, banking, finance and real estate, as well as in the field of tourism, entertainment, and game production. The three main business areas of the enterprise are the development and support of software, the development of custom software, including the solutions for mobile phones, and IT consulting in various fields, especially in the field of e-commerce document management. The company focuses on a long-term partnership with its customers and employees. Most of its customers are companies with an annual turnover in excess of one billion dollars.
Eversoft Co. possesses a developed IT department which main tasks include maintaining communication with customers and processing the applications and requests from buyers and employees (i.e. provision of technical support). However, despite its role in the company, the IT department is viewed as a division that does not bring profit but requires significant maintenance costs by the company’s management. Moreover, the business processes of the IT department are not efficiently automated, as the information systems for this purpose are very complex and require specialized knowledge and constant attention to their deployment and operation. As a result, the efficiency of labor department is barely on the average level, which may have a negative influence not only on the company’s profitability, but on its image (Betz, 2011). Therefore, there is a need not only for professionals who would do such work but also the efficient methods of the IT management.
Analysis of the Situation
Eversoft Co. uses a traditional (resource) approach to the management of the IT department. It is based on the principle that the task of the IT department is to create and support various types of systems that are viewed as business resources: if they are put at the disposal of qualified professionals, they can perform any tasks assigned to them. For example, using such resources as a computer, the Internet and particular software, the accountant can prepare and submit an annual financial report. In case when it is impossible to use the resource, it is necessary to instruct a specialist of the IT department to understand the situation and make the required corrections (Grembergen, 2001). Thus, in a traditional approach, the IT department of the company has been creating and maintaining a set of IT resources and processing complaints (applications) from the employees and the end users who use these resources and products of the company at their discretion. However, the traditional approach has certain flaws that lead to the following issues within the company:
There is no clear division of responsibilities between the IT personnel;
There are not enough arguments for increasing the IT costs;