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IT Service Management

Facing the Inevitable: How to Handle Change Within Your IT Infrastructure
Processor,com 10.03.2008
Regardless of how smoothly any IT shop operates, one thing is for certain: Change is going to happen. In the technology sector, the early adoption of change management began in software development. However, enterprises are tasked with documenting and managing IT changes throughout their organizations more thoroughly. “A lot of the newcomers to the ITIL world find it useful—for example, identifying a way to roll out best practices,” explains Jay Long of the Forsythe Solutions Group.

New Tools Connect SOA to Business Success
NOTE: Free registration is required to access article.
Insurance Networking News 01.01.2008
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is seen as a beacon of hope for insurance companies long beleaguered by tangles of incompatible legacy systems and networks. However, while the technology is now widely available, selling SOA to the business can be an uphill climb. Version 3 of ITIL, released in June 2007, has elements that many analysts say will bring its services focus more in line with emerging SOA requirements. For starters, Version 3 focuses on the management of IT services across the enterprise as opposed to IT silos, explains Michael Tainter, IT service management practice director at Forsythe Solutions Group, Skokie, Ill.

Strategies for Justifying CMDB ROI
SearchDataCenter.com 12.12.2007
Change is a constant in data centers -- and a constant problem at that.. And that's the attraction of configuration management databases (CMDBs); they promise to make critical configuration dependencies more obvious, lay the foundation for orderly change and eliminate unpleasant surprises. "Determining an ROI around CMDBs and ITIL is hard, because we're talking about productivity gains," said Jay Long, manager of IT service management at Forsythe Solutions Group Inc., an IT consulting company based in Chicago.

Eight Security Tips That Every CIO Should Know
InterGovWorld.com 06.19.2007
How you follow up in the immediate aftermath of a crisis can affect not only how the event is perceived, but also how successfully you’ll avoid trouble in the future. It’s not so much what occurred that matters, says Mike Tainter, IT service management practice director at Forsythe Solutions Group Inc. in Skokie, IL. It’s “how it was handled and communicated afterward. That’s what really matters, “ he says.

Five Tips for Building an Incident Response Plan
Computerworld.com 05.16.2007
According to Michael Tainter, Forsythe director of IT service management, one of the five tips for building an incident response plan is to assign key roles to specific team members in advance.

ITIL V3 Is Almost Here: What Should You Expect?
SearchCIO.com 04.11.2007
“ITIL V3 will add more clarity and consistency to IT processes, and it will help companies to achieve better alignment between business needs and goals and IT processes,” said Mike Tainter, IT service-management practice manager at Forsythe Solutions Group Inc., a unit of Skokie IL-based technology provider Forsythe Technologies. Forsythe uses the ITIL framework internally and has implemented many ITIL projects for clients.

ITSM & ITIL Best Practices: An Overview & Guidelines
Processor Magazine 02.23.2007
ITIL has been around since the 1980s, yet Michael Tainter, ITSM practice manager at the Forsythe Solutions Group, notes that while the majority of businesses have budgeted money for ITIL projects, many are still in the early stages. “They’re still just trying to figure out what ITIL is,” he say.

Natural-born IT Productivity Killers
InfoWorld 02.05.2007
Chuck Kirchner, IT Strategy director for Forsythe Solutions Group explains how common strategies for boosting production can be counter-productive.

Inorganic Growth
SearchCIO.com 02.02.2007
“Lack of documented processes and procedures delays – probably doubles – the time it takes to get people aboard and working,” says Mike Tainter, IT service management practice manager at Forsythe Technology.

Why ITIL Rules
Smart Enterprise 12.11.2006
“The more people adopt ITIL, the more they’re going to create a standard language. That means we’ll be able to focus on enhancing and improving our systems and create better availability, capacity and continuity in the future,” says Mike Tainter, IT service-management practice manager for Forsythe Solutions Group.

Primer: IT Infrastructure Library
Baseline 07.28.2006
Organizations can often save time by adopting a "solution set" with predefined process models based on the ITIL concepts, rather than starting with the ITIL books alone, says Chuck Kirchner, IT strategy and planning practice manager for Forsythe Solutions Group.

Instilling a BPM Mind-Set Into IT Practices
Business Finance 04.03.2006
Chuck Kirchner, practice manager, IT strategy explains the necessary framework for IT to provide end-services to customers. "The first step is the creation of a services catalog, which lists and defines all IT projects and how they help the business," he says.

Conducting Your Own IT Image Analysis
Processor 01.20.2006
Chuck Kirchner, practice manager of IT strategy and planning, explains how IT managers should evaluate their departments. "All components of ITSM (IT service management) must be considered, including services (the capabilities that IT provides to the business), process (the procedures and work instructions followed to support the delivery of IT services), people (the roles, skills, and culture to support the effective delivery of IT services), and technology (the enabling technology and infrastructure to effectively provide and manage IT services)," says Kirchner.
IT Strategy

Getting a CFO to Say Yes to IT Projects
BaselineMag.com 06.11.2008
It’s a contradiction that’s tough to handle for many IT managers and CIOs: The budget is getting leaner, yet demand for more technology and services keeps increasing. The areas in which IT and CFOs can work together most effectively are security, regulatory compliance, business continuity, storage management and service management, according to Patrick Zelten, vice president of professional services at Forsythe Solutions Group, a technology consulting firm.

Companies Expected to Proceed with Caution in ’08 IT Spending
ITBusinessEdge.com 12.04.2007
Patrick Zelten, vice president of professional services for Forsythe Solutions Group answers questions. Question: Does much tech spending usually occur in the first quarter? Zelten: Most companies are on an annual budget cycle, so Q1 is typically the time when you’d see larger, capital-intensive, more strategic projects launched. The projects typically have been approved by the board, the CEO or the CFO, and those would be multi-million-dollar-type projects like a new data center or a new IP telephony phone system. So (in Q1), they’ve got the money, they’re ready to go.

Industry IT Spending May Outpace Others
Investment News 12.03.2007
"Many of the same hot topics in 2007, including security, data centers and IT optimization, will require significant spend[ing] in 2008," said Michael Conley, senior vice president of emerging technologies at Forsythe Solutions Group, an IT consulting firm in Skokie, Ill.

Post-Merger Data Center Integration: Now Comes the Hard Part

IT Business Edge 08.13.2007
When it comes to integrating data centers and IT operations following a merger, what are some of the key challenges organizations face? Jason Gates, Managing Consultant, IT Strategy at Forsythe Solutions Group says, “Organizations face five key challenges when integrating data centers and/or IT operations following a merger.”

Data Center Manager Asks: Is IT Automation a Best-of-Breed or Single-Vendor Game?
CIOs Uncensored: Information Week's CIO Weblog 08.08.2007
Mike Tainter is featured in author Chris Murphy’s blog which appeared on InformaitonWeek.com

A Look at ITIL V3
Procesor Magazine 08.03.2007
“A lot of people are expecting a lot of change between V2 and V3. They think it’s going to look different. The reality is that’s not true, “ says Mike Tainter of Forsythe Solutions Group.

Primer: Project Management Certification
Baseline 03.28.2007
“As a hiring manager, when I look at an individual with that PMP behind their name, that gives them an edge on a candidate who does not have that,” says Sue Stuefen, director of project management for Forsythe Solutions Group, an information technology consultancy.

Listen to Mike Conley on Tech Talk with Craig Peterson
Tech Talk With Craig Peterson 01.23.2007
AUDIO: Mike Conley, vice president of key accounts at Forsythe Solutions discuses technology trends for 2007. Tech Talk with Craig Peterson is rated the #1 radio show in the Boston Market, helps you learn the secrets of everyday technology that you need to know.

Are Business and IT Working Together?
Processor.com 01.19.2007
Patrick Zelten, vice president of consulting services at Forsythe Solutions offers insight on how business groups and IT types can collaborate more effectively.

Bringing IT in Through the Out Door
ITBusinessEdge.com 10.17.2006
With Michael Conley, vice president of key accounts for Forsythe Technology, a provider of technology and business consulting services, technology leasing services and value-added reseller services for all of the leading technology product manufacturers.

Insourcing: Is IT Heading Home?
CIO Insight 10.04.2006
Considering bringing some outsourced functions back in-house? You’re not alone. But before you act, consider these suggestions from Michael Conley, a sourcing expert and vice president of key accounts for Forsythe Solutions Group, a Skokie, IL-based IT consulting firm.