Friday, February 25, 2011
Pink Elephant Announces 2010 ITIL Award Winners
Las Vegas, NV – February 25, 2011 – Pink Elephant announced the winners of five prestigious awards at the company’s 15th Annual International IT Management Conference & Exhibition, which was held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, February 20-23, 2011. Each year at Pink Elephant’s conference awards are presented to recognize individual and corporate commitment to ITIL® (IT Infrastructure Library) and ITSM (IT Service Management) excellence.
Since the UK’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC) first developed ITIL in the late 1980s, it has gained recognition as an international IT industry standard. Pink Elephant has worked diligently to increase awareness of the best practice framework on a global scale, and part of this effort has also included introducing the ITIL certification program to North America. To further increase ITIL’s recognition worldwide, Pink Elephant developed an awards program. Five awards are presented annually to individuals and organizations demonstrating a significant commitment and dedication to ITIL and ITSM excellence.
2010 ITIL Award Winners
1. ITIL Project of the Year: Recognizes an organization that has demonstrated significant commitment to ITIL and ITSM best practices with involvement of certified staff, and visible positive outcomes.
There are two winners: Ohio State University and State Compensation Insurance Board.
2. Innovation of the Year: This award is in recognition of a product or service developed by the vendor community that has made the greatest contribution to ITSM in the last calendar year.
The winner is Service-now for the company’s IT 3.0 product. To learn more visit www.service-now.com.
3. ITIL Practitioner of the Year: Recognizes an individual who has shown visible commitment to ITIL best practices, and is an industry champion for IT continuous improvement and quality principles.
The winner is Debra Jenkins, Branch Chief Service Level Management, U.S. Army.
4. Pink Elephant Student of the Year: Recognizes the ITIL Service Manager Course attendee with the highest score during the year.
The winner is Christopher Bolash, University of Michigan.
5. ITIL Case Study of the Year: Chosen by conference attendees, this award recognizes the individual with the highest overall rating for a case study presentation delivered at the conference.
The winner is Stephen Wrenn, SVP Enterprise IT Services, CVS Caremark. This is Stephen’s third win.
“On behalf of everyone at Pink Elephant, congratulations to all the winners!” said Pink Elephant’s president, David Ratcliffe. “There are many success stories out there and we are very happy to profile and recognize individuals and organizations for their hard work and achievements”.
The 2011 ITIL Awards will be presented at the 16th Annual International IT Management Conference & Exhibition, Las Vegas, February 19-22, 2012.
About Pink Elephant
Founded in 1980, Pink Elephant is the leader in providing IT Service Management best practice services. Operating in many locations across the globe including the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Netherlands, South Africa, Hong Kong, Malaysia & Singapore, Pink Elephant is the world’s #1 supplier of ITIL® and IT Service Management conferences, education and consulting services.
For more information, visit www.pinkelephant.com.
###
For further information, please contact:
Kara Block
Marketing Department
Pink Elephant
Toll Free: 1-888-273-7465, Ext. 353
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.
Pink Elephant & Hornbill Announce “ITSM Extreme Makeover 2011”
Las Vegas, NV – February 25, 2011 – Today in a joint effort Hornbill Service Management and Pink Elephant are announcing the launch of “ITSM Extreme Makeover 2011”. This initiative involves Pink Elephant and Hornbill working with GamingWorks and Loyalist Certification Services to deliver an extreme makeover for a deserving IT practitioner organization.
Why “extreme makeover’? Whether fashion, body or property, an extreme makeover sets out to transform someone, or something, from mediocre to stunning, usually in a relatively short period of time.
Each participating IT service provider will donate products and services with a total combined value expected to exceed at least US $250K. The objective of the extreme makeover is to show how an IT Service Management (ITSM) organization can be transformed using best practices and good program management. Over a 12-month period it is expected that measurable value can be achieved.
“This is one of the most exciting projects we’ve ever embarked upon at Pink!” says Pink Elephant president David Ratcliffe, adding that the project will get major worldwide attention. “Documenting the whole journey as we go, we’re going to let the world see – in a very public way via social media – how we go about helping an organization improve their ITSM operation and deliver real positive results to their business. As far as we know this is a first-ever in the IT industry.”
“ITSM Extreme Makeover brings together a prestige team of partners to prove that IT Service Management can truly deliver value when an organization is focused on doing the right things” said Patrick Bolger, Chief Evangelist at Hornbill Service Management. “This is a fantastic opportunity for the chosen organization. The partners are donating world-class IT Service Management education, process definition and tools, free of charge. By registering on the project website, other IT organizations can follow the project and learn from our approach. We’re delighted to offer our software and services to such a worthy project.”
The chosen organization will be announced after the application submission deadline on April 8, 2011. The organization’s journey will be chronicled and shared across the globe on video, blogs and social networking sites throughout the following 12 months. The outcome will be presented for the world to see at Pink Elephant’s 16th Annual International IT Management Conference & Exhibition, February 19-22, 2012 in Las Vegas. Organizations wishing to apply should visit www.itsmextrememakeover.com.
About Pink Elephant
Founded in 1980, Pink Elephant is the leader in providing IT Service Management best practice services. Operating in many locations across the globe including the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Netherlands, South Africa, Hong Kong, Malaysia & Singapore, Pink Elephant is the world’s #1 supplier of ITIL® and IT Service Management conferences, education and consulting services.
For more information, visit www.pinkelephant.com.
About Hornbill Service Management
Hornbill develops and markets Supportworks: platform technology and applications for IT Service Management and business helpdesks. Hornbill’s software enables its customers to provide excellent service and support, while benefiting from the economies of service desk consolidation on a single technology platform.
Hornbill was founded in 1995 and has offices in London and Dallas. Hornbill has earned many industry accolades including; Service Desk Institute “IT Service and Support Technology Supplier of the Year”, “Best Business use of Support Technology” with Sharp Electronics and “Support Excellence Award for Smaller Helpdesks” with Camelot.
For more information about Hornbill visit www.hornbill.com.
###
For further information, please contact:
Kara Block
Marketing Department
Pink Elephant
Toll Free: 1-888-273-7465, Ext. 353
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
It’s About People, Information Services & Innovation
For those who missed the opening video of the 15th Annual IT Management Conference, I highly commend it to you as an incisive and insightful forecast of the near future:
Monday, February 21, 2011
IT 3.0 - it’s about people
The 15th Annual IT Management Conference is underway! It looks to be another conference at the standard of excellence we’ve come to expect from Pink Elephant. Don’t take it for granted - it is remarkable the work that goes on to make this event as good as it is. Every time you notice, thank a Pinker.
In a recent interview about this conference, David Ratcliffe said an informal theme is “the business expects value from IT, are we delivering it?”. There is one other theme I will particularly be looking out for as a personal passion: People. If you come to my “He Tangata” session at the conference you will see how the two themes are inextricably linked.
IT as an industry is slowly maturing. Originally it was a technology-centric industry, where we thought change meant changing the “stuff”. In the last decade or so we have grown to understand that change requires changing the practices, to “best” ones, as well as the technology. In recent years we’ve finally seen the realisation dawning that change starts with attitudes, behaviours, and culture. Without people-change, then improvements in practices and tools don’t deliver.
Service-Now.com has a really interesting take on this concept, which they call “IT 3.0”. As their attached white-paper says:
Information technology is built on the essentials of people, process and technology. IT 1.0 and 2.0 were too much focused on technology and process. IT 3.0 represents a people-centric view of IT service by using recent advances in technology and a more-practical approach to process, helping the business through familiar usability, cloud services and social IT.
And in every session, listen out for this theme of People coming up more and more. We are reaching a new maturity in IT.
Friday, February 18, 2011
George’s Conference Optimiser #5
Hi! George Spalding here again – your Pink Conference Host.
This is my last in a series of Conference Optimisers; I’m back with more tips for getting the most out of your conference experience in Vegas. If you missed any of my others, look back in the blog.
1. Newly Added – Social Media Sunday Conference Primer
Tip: Attend this newly added one-hour session, Sunday at 4:15 p.m. to learn about the many “social networking” activities at the conference.
You know how to network…now take it to the next level…it’s time to learn how to network socially. With the continually expanding number of methods where you can meet new people, share comments, share photos, exchange ideas, social networking is becoming the thing to do. This is one session where you should ensure you have all your communication devices with you! Chris Dancy, Pink’s Digital Engagement Director will have you tweeting, posting and checking-in in no time at all! Hey, you can become “mayor” of Pink’s Conference (find out what that means in social-speak!).
2. Social Media Activities
Tip: Try it….you’ll like it!
We are very excited to give our conference attendees numerous social networking opportunities. To look at the long list of the various activities available to you, click here. We will also have this same information available to you in your Conference Kit, which includes a nifty “social media treasure map”. If you want a sneak preview, take a look here.
Just a few things to bring to your attention for now:
Foursquare – When you arrive at the Bellagio, check into Pink11
Twitter – Include #Pink11 hash tag in your Twitter messages to join the conference’s chatter stream. There are two Pink twitter accounts you should follow while at the event. One is Pink’s corporate twitter account: http://twitter.com/theitilexperts. This one is used for general information. The other is: http://twitter.com/PinkUpdate which has been recently set up just for conference chatter. For example, this is the one you should follow if you want to submit questions during general sessions
PinkApp – In the palm of your hand you carry photos of your family, work documents, music, movies. Why not carry with you your Pink experience? For BlackBerry, Android and iPhone get the PinkApp and interact and connect! Get documents, white papers, and more. Try it out!
3. Demo Theater
Tip: Get the most out of the Exhibition Showcase by sitting in on product demos.
At this year’s conference we have a large Demo Theater near the back of the Exhibition Showcase, which will be used by several suppliers to deliver Product Demonstrations. A schedule is located on signs outside the theater. Make sure to take a look when you arrive on Sunday for the Welcome Reception, which is also held in the Exhibition Showcase.
And, speaking of the Exhibition Showcase, I’d like to take this opportunity to profile a few more suppliers who are participating. Check out their information (and, hey – some are giving away prizes!): CA, VMware.
4. Thanks To Service-now.com – Platinum Sponsor
Tip: Attend one of many sessions in Service-now.com’s Thought Leadership Stream.
We want to take this opportunity to thank Service-now.com for their contributions. Our conference is all about great content and we are excited to highlight a few sessions, sponsored by Service-now.com, that we think will deliver great learning opportunities.
The Changing Role Of IT & The CIO, Monday at 10:20am
Retooling: Switching Tools In A Tool Centric Culture, Monday at 3:00pm
Harvesting The Power Of The CMDB, Tuesday at 3:00pm
Using LEAN & ITIL, Tuesday at 10:20am
and Service Catalogs In The Real World, Wednesday at 10:20am
To view more recommended presentations, click here.
5. Breakfast Clubs
Tip: Maximize your learning experience – get an early start to your day!
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings – there are a ton of sessions we have starting at 7:15 a.m. each day. If it’s been a while since you’ve looked at the program, it’s a good idea to take another look. In recent weeks there have been some exciting recent additions that you may not be aware of.
6. And, One Last Time…
Don’t forget to pack your favorite tropical shirts, grass skirts, coconut bras, and leis, and join in the fun with our Jimmy Buffett conference theme – Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes. And, yes – you can (and should!) wear your tropical gear to any of the sessions.
Hey, don’t sweat man – take a look at what I have to wear!!
That’s it!
See you in Vegas!
Regards,
George Spalding
Executive VP
Pink Elephant
Telephone: 905-331-5060
Toll Free: 1-888-273-PINK
Thursday, February 17, 2011
George’s Conference Optimiser #4
Dear Pink Conference Attendees:
Hi! George Spalding here again – your Pink Conference Host.
This is my fourth in a series of Conference Optimizers; I’m back with more tips for getting the most out of your conference experience in Vegas. If you missed my first three, click here.
1. Have You Downloaded Your Conference Presentations?
Tip: Spend the time now to review all presentations to decide which ones to take with you.
Remember, Pink is now green! When you attend our conference, you will not be receiving a huge, bulky manual filled with hard copies of session presentations. There will not be any onsite facilities to print either. Presentations are available through a password protected website from February 1 – April 1, 2011. This information was conveyed to you on your confirmation email. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Service Center at 1-888-273-PINK, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
2. Download My Special Conference Primer!
Tip: If this is your first Pink conference, take a moment to download my presentation for helpful tips.
My short presentation is a special download especially helpful to attendees who are new to our conference. Watch it and get all the details you need to know about making your conference experience as valuable as possible. Learn many helpful tips designed to make your conference experience the best possible. The video will be available on our conference attendee website on February 17.
3. Pink TV
Tip: Tune into channel 19 in your Bellagio hotel room.
As in previous years, you can stay connected to daily/hourly conference activities by watching channel 19 on your hotel room TV at the Bellagio. This is especially helpful to conference attendees who are new to the event.
4. How Long Ago Did You Last Look At The Conference Program?
Tip: If it’s been a while since you last looked at our program, it’s a good idea to look again!
If you recall in my first Optimizer email, I strongly recommended that you and your team should review the agenda before attending the conference to coordinate and plan out your days – have you done that yet? There’s only a couple of days left…
Even if you have planned out your program, it’s a good idea to review the sessions one more time because there have been some recent additions you may not be aware of. For example, I want to draw your attention to a very important Breakfast Club session about why ITIL® initiatives fail:
Attitude, Behavior & Culture (ABC) – THE Number 1 Success Or Fail Factor, presented by, Paul Wilkinson, Director, GamingWorks, Tuesday, February 22 at 7:15am.
5. Exhibition Showcase & Featured Sponsors
Tip: Make sure to familiarize yourself with all our amazing exhibitors before you get onsite.
We have many organizations represented this year in our Exhibition Showcase. They are a major part of our conference, so take a moment now to familiarize yourself with them all, before you get there. Check out the amazing line-up of exhibitors.
Here are a few we’re profiling now: Click on their links to read about special prize give-aways, product demos, and other information: Service-now.com, Numara, Hornbill and ASG.
6. Pack Your Leis & Tropical Shirts!
Tip: Join in the fun of the conference theme!
Don’t forget to pack your favorite tropical shirts, grass skirts, coconut bras, and leis, and join in the fun with our Jimmy Buffett conference theme – Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes. And, yes – you can wear your tropical gear to any of the sessions!
BTW, there is still room in our exciting slate of Pre- & Post-Conference courses – over 20 courses! Check them out! And, don’t forget – if you’re attending the conference (at full fee), plus a course – you’re eligible for the Combination Discount.
That’s it for now!
Regards,
George Spalding
Executive VP
Pink Elephant
Telephone: 905-331-5060
Toll Free: 1-888-273-PINK
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Don’t Forget Your Togs
Remember the theme is Buffett-based, that means Margaritaville. Don’t forget your togs. The Pinkers haven’t…
See also this post from last year about “Exhibit Hall booth plumage” which is a potted history of Pinker colouration in other conferences.
“Togs”? Clothes. Or in my part of the world: bathing costume.
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Pink Prez Sez: An Interview with David Ratcliffe
In the final straight heading for the 15th Annual Conference, it seemed apropos to talk to the head honcho, Pink President David Ratcliffe.
So David, with only days to go how is the 15th Annual Conference shaping up?
Still lots to do! The period right after the holidays up until Day 1 of the Conference is always an exciting time to be Pink. As usual, we’re trying out a few new ideas when it come to the program and the logistics around the event – but I don’t think we’re being too radical anywhere. So anyone who’s been to a Pink Conference in the past will recognize this one as being just as good and valuable.
In some ways the recession-that-is-supposed-to-be-over is biting even harder this year than last. Are you seeing that? Or is it true that IT seems to be on the up-and-up?
Well, we’re still seeing many organizations being careful with their cash, but I think that’s what everyone should be doing anyway! In fact, I believe it keeps businesses like ours on our toes. We have to deliver value and that’s an informal theme I want us to get across at the Conference this year; “the business expects value from IT, are we delivering it?” Anyway, for Pink, we’re delighted to be back on the growth path with the Conference. After a couple of slightly shrunken years in terms of attendance we’re now on the increase again. We’re really psyched about that!
I gotta be honest David. I’m a bit skeptical about this whole social media thing in a business context. Pink Elephant just acquired my good friend Chris Dancy’ s ServiceSphere business. Clearly you are more upbeat about it?
You can’t ignore social media – well maybe personally you can opt out, but in business I don’t think you can. It’s just about communication really, so why shouldn’t Pink – and every other business for that matter – make some effort to understand the risks and opportunities presented by social media? I think it’s a no-brainer. I’m interested in social media from the perspective of a business leader – on behalf of Pink - but also because I believe there’s a great opportunity here for corporate IT to show the way on behalf of their customers. Why not?
Yes and not just show the way but also figure out how to protect the organisations’ interests . We are losing control of the centre. Operational capabilities are being taken out of departmental IT’s hands by social media, by Web 2.0, by Agile programming, by the Cloud and outsourcing. Which creates all the more need for governance and assurance: define the rules, defend security, protect IP, ensure compliance. Do you think corporate IT’s role might move from driver to policeman?
Great – so you get it too! I think the best way to describe corporate IT’s role with social media is “driver”. Good call! After all, with other communications media – like telephone conversations, face-to-face meetings, letters & email, etc – we don’t have a policeman, do we? So until social media services, tools & skills are incorporated into the education system, corporate IT can fill the gap.
I said “from driver to policeman”. We’ve lost control of the steering wheel for some systems. I think there is a difference between wikis and blogs vs phone calls and letters: wikis and blogs are being used to capture valuable data assets. So who is subjecting them to the disciplines of ITSM? Support, backups, DR… Even if we in IT don’t police corporate policy, we need to police the integrity of the data. When the marketing department builds their own wiki, then after a long lunch their administrator deletes all the data, they’ll be on the phone to IT begging for help to get it all back again.
I see what you mean. I was only referring to the guidance that corporate IT could provide the business on using social media; you’ve highlighted an important point about protection and security of data in the “social media cloud”. There’s plenty of risks to be managed – it’s a big subject!
You spend a lot of time in Asia. What’s that all about?
After being the first IT services organization to go public with ITIL in North America in 1997, we did the same in south-east Asia in July 1998. So we have many loyal, long-standing customers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia & Hong Kong. More recently we’ve begun building relationships with customer organizations in China and India too. So Asia is an important market for Pink, especially since we introduced our Online range of Consulting and Education products. Now customers, anywhere can benefit from our expertise without anyone having to fly half-way around the world. But the question you asked was why I spend time there. Well, Pinkers in far-flung places (away from our corporate HQ in Toronto) need some attention too. I try to visit at least a couple of times a year and it makes sense to coincide those visits with customer activities – usually our Pink Perspectives or other special events.
Do you want to help the IT Swami out in predicting the future of ITIL? Does Pink Elephant have a crystal ball?
I don’t stay awake at night worrying or even wondering about the future of ITIL. What’s more interesting to me is whether or not corporate IT steps up and maintains a relevant role in business. Mobile computing, then the cloud and more recently the consumerization of IT along with social media have all come along while corporate IT has largely paid little attention. What’s up with that? Seems to me there’s a lingering arrogance within the corporate IT silo that “we don’t have to be concerned about these passing fads”. if you’re a sleepy CIO from the 80s you’re going the way of the dinosaurs – and in record time – unless you wake-up and start adding some value.
Perhaps it is not arrogance so much as an inability to respond fast enough to what after all is an extraordinary rate of change. Perhaps IT is just overwhelmed by too much to deal with at once: Cloud, cybercrime, privacy laws, social media, mobile and personal computing, Agile, micro-apps… The guidance is falling behind reality.
I understand. But get used to it. We can’t sit back and claim that things are happening too fast. Try telling that to General Motors, Chrysler & Toyota.
I reckon the world wants “one framework to rule them all”. They don’t want to have to merge ITIL and COBIT and ISO20000 and ISO27000 and MOF and CMMI-DEV and ISO38500 and Uncle Tom Cobbley. They want one point of reference, a nice neat package, one box to tick to say IT is OK. I think that desire is there though it may not be conscious or articulated yet. Anything that delivered that (or purported to) would expand rapidly. You talk to a lot more people than me. Do you get that feeling?
Frankly, I’m getting a bit tired (maybe it’s frustration!) with the focus on frameworks. Of course I don’t mean I don’t like the concept of bodies of knowledge to help with broad ranging activities. It’s just that I see way too much emphasis on frameworks. Statements like “Which framework should we use? Is this one better than that one?” or worse still “such-and-such a framework just doesn’t work for us!” make me think that we’re not thinking enough about the context and we’re too pre-occupied with the inner workings of IT.
So we need a framework for focusing on business integration? No wait, that’s BiSL. And look how widely that is adopted. OK if frameworks are not the answer, what is? How do we get IT management (because I think Dilbert is right: the real problem is management) to function as a part of the business, to think about what really matters?
Well frameworks may be a big help, but let’s not look at the framework as the sole source of salvation. I get the feeling that many IT folks seem to think that “if we adopt ITIL we’ll be OK”. No! Use ITIL to help you become efficient in how you help the business. So how do you help the business? Focus on projects and improvements that reduce risk and improve the bottom line. Write that in capital letters on your whiteboard first, then look at whatever frameworks can help you. And most will.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Count the Shays
In preparation for the conference you should read Lost in Las Vegas, a recent travelogue of LV by Matt Gross. He covers many of the highlights we recently profiled for you, such as the Neon Museum and the Pinball Hall of Fame, but with more zest and panache than your humble correspondent can muster. Matt finds other neighbourhoods such as Chinatown, and sniffs out the authentic places to eat Asian and otherwise. It opens like a crime paperback: “The minute I walked into the steakhouse, I knew I was in the wrong place. Or maybe exactly the right place.” For a great profile of the Las Vegas of the second decade, check it out.
I’ve invented a game based on this article. Every time you go to a bar in Vegas, play “Count the Shays”. Read the article to find out what a Shay is. It has nothing to do with the delightful locomotives that my family and I will be riding right after the conference. But it has everything to do with Las Vegas. Viva! See you there.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
George’s Conference Optimiser #3
Dear Pink Conference Attendees:
Hi! George Spalding here again – your Pink Conference Host.
This is my third in a series of Conference Optimisers; I’m back with more tips for getting the most out of your conference experience in Vegas. If you missed my first two, click here.
1. Don’t Leave The Conference Early!
Tip: Attend one of our many FREE 1/2 day workshops on Wednesday, February 23rd.
These are not your typical breakouts. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to look through the amazing line-up of the ITIL®, ITSM, and IT business management workshops on Wednesday afternoon, February 23rd. Included are several “process health checks.” There are over a dozen workshops to choose from – operational, tactical and strategic.
No need to pre-register. Check out the complete list here.
2. Cirque Du Soleil Discounted Tickets
Tip: Take advantage of discounted show tickets.
Thinking about seeing O, Love, Mystère, KA, or the new Viva Elvis? Pink has partnered with Cirque Du Soleil to bring you discounted tickets for the most popular shows in Vegas. A representative will be on hand starting Sunday in the Exhibition Showcase to help you with your requests.
3. Sunday Conference Optimizers
Tip: Start your conference experience early by meeting new people from like-industries who share common interests.
Don’t forget, the conference agenda actually starts on Sunday afternoon at 4:15 p.m. with a few “Optimizers” and several Industry “Focus Groups”. Read more about the Sunday Conference Optimizers.
4. Hold “Debriefing Meetings” At The Conference
Tip: Choose somewhere to get your team together daily to share notes and ideas.
At least once each day at a convenient time, plan to hold team meetings to review key learning points from the sessions each team member has attended. It’s also a good idea to document these in preparation for sharing them with others upon returning to work. And, start an “Action List” of the great ideas you’ve heard about from each session and Exhibitors that you want to explore further.
5. Back At The Ranch…
Tip: Share your conference experience with others after you return to work.
Don’t keep all the great information you got at the conference to yourself! Once you’ve returned, the team attending the conference should present key findings and learning points to a wider audience. Hold a Lunch & Learn or a specially-themed meeting (Hey – why not have a “Jimmy Buffett” theme?!). This will promote the sharing of information and also get discussion started about how to implement the best practices learned at the conference. Preparing a brief “Trip Report” for wider distribution is also a good practice.
6. NEW! Social Media Thought Leadership Stream
Tip: All IT managers must understand the power of Social Media, and its role in everyday personal and business life.
There’s no denying it, Social Media is one of the world’s fastest growing business trends. Is your IT organization ready? At this year’s conference, we’ve recently added many sessions on this subject you may not have yet noticed. We are very excited to give conference attendees the opportunity to receive many golden nuggets of information that will enable you to understand how to exploit multiple social networking platforms for the benefit of your overall IT operation and your organization’s customers.
Choose from the following 5 exciting options:
- Social Media Essentials – a 2-day pre-conference workshop presented by Chris Dancy, Digital Engagement Director, Pink Elephant, on February 19-20
- Enterprise .Next: – a breakout session presented by Chris Dancy, Digital Engagement Director, Pink Elephant, on Wednesday, February 23 at 10:20 a.m.
- Technology Panel: Trends – Today & Tomorrow – a breakout session moderated by Chris Dancy, Digital Engagement Director, Pink Elephant, on Monday, February 21 at 1:25 p.m.
- ITSM In A World Of Social Media & Cloud Services – a breakout session presented by Craig McDonogh, Service-now.com, on Tuesday, February 22 at 10:20 a.m.
- Social Media & Security Essentials – a breakout session presented by Troy DuMoulin, AVP Strategic Solutions, Pink Elephant, on Tuesday, February 22 at 3:00 p.m.
That’s it for now, but stay tuned for more tips and conference optimizers to come.
Regards,
George Spalding
Executive VP
Pink Elephant
Telephone: 905-331-5060
Toll Free: 1-888-273-PINK
Sunday, February 06, 2011
G2G3: breaking down the barriers between business and gaming
One of the new sponsors of the Conference this year is G2G3, who some how manage to get paid for playing games. Yes “G2G3 has broken down the barriers between business and gaming” and “G2G3 is the leading provider of Simulations and Readiness Programs which create enterprise IT organizations that are ready, willing and able to change.” I had to go find out more.
I recall long ago when I still used to go to the gym, I was lying flat on my face on the floor, motionless, doing a yoga relaxation exercise, when two new guys walked past me and one said to the other “Now THAT’s my idea of exercise”. I feel the same way about Mark Sutherland, Managing Director G2G3 Propulsion Ltd: now that’s my idea of working. I asked Mark some more about it.
Are simulation games a way to lighten up dry training?
Simulation games have been used to lighten up dry training in the same way that sauces are used to lighten up dry or poorly cooked food. At G2G3 our approach, in my opinion, is fundamentally different. The question suggests that simulations are simply condiments used to spice something up rather than valid experiences in their own right. At G2G3 we are focused on creating experiences that are immersive, complete and pedagogically sound that give participants a valid and rewarding experience in a risk free environment.
Just like in military simulations we strive to give people true situational awareness in as realistic an environment as possible, challenging their assumptions and skills and implementing best practices in a real rather than theoretical environment. Giving people true perspective and understanding of the implication of their actions in an operational environment is critical. Generally this is something that traditional “dry” face-to-face training fails to deliver. People need context and experience and simulations deliver this in abundance.
When we formed G2G3, we did so as a result of being frustrated by the diabolical implementation of Service Management Tools and processes. People were spending millions on deploying tools, processes and education that simply failed to deliver the benefits that were sold. I still firmly believe that this is still the state of affairs. Every year we see many large corporations repeat their mistakes over and over again, they are deploying their third or fourth tool-set, training everybody, and re-engineering their processes but failing to give their people context and failing to address the hearts and minds.
Simulation in the context of being part of a well thought through contextual readiness initiative is a vital component and one that most industries and professions that have life or death outcomes depend upon. Pilots, doctors, surgeons, soldiers, saturation divers, submariners all rely on simulation so why not IT. People in Operational IT need to understand that the systems they support, manage, optimize and change underpin in many circumstances life-support functions so they really can’t afford to be complacent.
We now live in a world of extreme complexity my belief is that experiential education combined with the humble checklist is essential to ensure that mistakes are not made.
I recently read a fantastic book called the Checklist Manifesto written by a surgeon called Atul Gawande and he suggests the same thing. We cannot remember everything and this is something that the military have always realized. As a young Platoon Commander in the Army I always had an aide-memoire in my pocket that I could refer to, be it on exercise (a simulation) or in real conflict. I urge all IT people to read Atul Gawande’s book as the parallels between ER medicine and IT Operations, for me anyway, where very similar. You can’t teach the skills for either using dry training and chalk and talk.
I’m a big fan of The Checklist Manifesto too. (It inspired me to do a webpage full of ITSM checklists). You do a lot of business partnering with more generalist consulting or training companies. How do you manage all those partners? It seems to me you are almost as much in the partnering business as the games business…
Great question. We are in the partnering business, as we want to develop tools and approaches that make a real difference. Our strategy is where possible to get these tools into the hands of people at the coalface so they too can make a difference. We have never wanted to build a consulting or training business ourselves and we are a small company so growth through our partner community is very important to us.
The management of our Partners is important, and I must admit that it is a constant challenge to keep them happy, something we don’t always achieve and something that we can always improve upon. We want to build and develop the best experiential education in the enterprise IT space and get it into the hands of people who can use it to deliver the right outcomes for their customers. Think of us a bit like Caterpillar, we want to make the great equipment that is vital to help the construction companies build and construct great structures.
You also provide wider consulting services too, right? How wide do they go?
We do, however this is on a relatively small scale and only in very specific circumstances. We consult directly when very large organizations, typically with over a thousand IT Staff are deploying new tools and processes for the nth time and they finally have woken up to the fact that they need to do it differently than the previous n-1 times. In these circumstances we typically are blending all of our tools together to create what we call a “Readiness Programme”. Like I said earlier we are all about creating situational awareness, giving context and helping people remember what they need to do at key points. A programme of this type generally blends immersive simulations, with contextual education, aide-memoires, communications and strategic messaging to bring everyone together with a common purpose. Everything we focus on is predominantly practical rather than theoretical and one of our trademarks is that everything we do is highly visual. Making the complex, simple. I should also say that often it is our partner community that introduces us to these opportunities.
What else do you do? What’s MindSweep?
As well as the immersive simulations and readiness programmes that I have just mentioned we continue to invest very heavily in the next frontier of educational approaches and thinking how they apply to the enterprise IT and IT operations community.
Virtual Simulations are a growing area for us and we have developed a number of these serious games for use by the large vendors. The term serious game usually refers to games built using traditional game technologies but with serious outcomes. In the last 12 months we have developed such games to introduce and teach the concepts of cloud computing, storage management and ITSM. These serious games really appeal to the generation Y participant, those people born after 1982, who have been gamers all their life. It is interesting that by the age of 16 most young people have spent 10,000 hours in game environments which is funnily enough is the same amount of time they spend in traditional education! 3 Billion hours per week are spent playing on-line games and the Institute for the Future believes that we probably need to spend 21 Billion Hours per week in game environments trying to solve big issues like poverty, hunger, climate change etc. It is proven that people go into a state of deep focus when engrossed in game environments and I would like to see that same degree of engagement and focus within the corporate environment.
Would you believe that so far we have spent close to 6.0 Million Years playing World of Warcraft. People are collaborating, solving problems, being heroic and evolving in a way never seen before and at a rate never seen before.
The word game is a tricky one, as is simulation, you may prefer scenario planning but essentially they are all the very similar. One things for sure as the Gen Y audience ascends into leadership positions the old chalk and talk approach to education is likely to die and intense, gripping methods of education will emerge. I hope that we are in a position to contribute significantly to this change.
As well as our virtual serious game technologies we have developed other Partnerships and Products that add are designed to add value to our Partner Channel. Pathfinder is an Assessment Product and Mindsweep that you asked about earlier is a Learning Path Manager. We saw the need to have a tool that helps organization’s ensure that the right people attend the right education specific to their role, something that Learning Management Systems don’t do well. In large companies with thousands of staff this is a laborious and time-consuming task and Mindsweep takes that pain away. Additionally Mindsweep focuses very much on managing the learning experience and has active polling and assessment capabilities that we believe are very important to ensure the business is getting the right return on what are often very serious investments, and that the people are getting the knowledge and education that helps them be effective.
We are also very excited about a new product that we are launching in February. I don’t want to say too much about it now however I can tell you that it’s called Vyper, and that it connects the real world up to the game world in a way not seen before. It’s a sort of augmented reality for IT Operations and the Datacenter.
Do you get a lot of competition? How hard can it be to make a game?
We like competition and to be honest I wish we had more. Yes, we do compete with other companies and that is healthy and good, however when we compete the competition tends to come from one element rather than all the elements. What I mean by that is that if someone simply wants to add some sauce to some dry training, then people may compare and contrast games and simulations on the market, or if they want some e-learning built we will compete against companies that do that but to date we have yet to compete on a like for like basis. That day will come however and I think the thought of that keeps driving us to innovate and be creative rather than sitting back.
How hard can it be to make a game? Every day people come up with great game concepts and many build fantastic engaging experiences. We all play games at some point in our lives so we all have the capability to build them; and we should. Making the delivery of those games consistent, repeatable and consistent takes time and investment, and I suppose that is where we have been successful. Going back to my Caterpillar analogy I am sure you could build a great dumper truck in your back garden but could you then scale that to thousands of dumper trucks with instructions in twenty languages. It’s the back end logistics and support that needs as much effort as the game themselves.
Go see G2G3 in the Exhibit Hall and find out if it is as much fun as it sounds.
Friday, February 04, 2011
George’s Conference Optimiser #2
Dear Pink Conference Attendees:
Hi! George Spalding here again – your Pink Conference Host. This is my second in a series of Conference Optimisers; I’m back with more tips for getting the most out of your conference experience in Vegas. If you missed my first one, click here.
1. Start Building Your Agenda Now!
Tip: Do not wait until you are onsite to study the agenda.
This year there are 15 tracks with more than 160 sessions to choose from with a vast array of compelling topics. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially at the last minute. If you haven’t already done so, visit the Agenda Builder. It’s available via the conference virtual site at http://conferences.pinkelephant.com and login using the credentials provided in your confirmation letter. If you have any problems logging in call our Customer Service at 1-888-273-PINK. Once you’re in, take some time to look through all the sessions and the presenters, make some choices, decide on your path and print out your agenda. You can always go in and change it later.
Experience has shown us that this is the most valuable tip I can share to get the maximum return from your conference investment. And, don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions about the program.
2. Use Our Sample Conference Itineraries
Tip: Another way that Pink helps you navigate around the jam-packed agenda is with our “sample conference itineraries.”
We’ve suggested sessions you may want to attend based on your specific role within your organization, and your level of ITSM knowledge. We have received feedback from previous attendees who have found these very helpful. Check out the sample itineraries. You’ll find sample itineraries for:
CIOs/Senior IT Managers
Beginner ITIL® and ITSM Knowledge
Advanced ITIL and ITSM Knowledge
Program/Project Managers
Service Desk Management
IT Business School
3. Check Out The Pre- & Post-Conference Workshops
Tip: Maximize your learning by attending one of a multitude of pre- and/or post-conference courses – over 26 to choose from including many new additions! Check out the complete line-up.
Here are a few new additions to this year’s pre-/post-conference course line-up:
Social Media Essentials: What do IT managers need to know about social media? LOTS! Find out at this amazing two-day workshop
PRINCE2® Foundation & Practitioner Certification Courses: Project management skills have been identified as a must-have for today’s IT managers
ISO/IEC 20000 Foundations Certification Course: Go beyond ITIL to get a wider view of IT Service Management (Plus get 1 ITIL credit towards your “ITIL Expert” qualification)
ISO 27002 Foundations Certification Course: Get certified in security management – one of today’s most pressing issues
And, don’t forget! We offer a “combination discount” if you attend both the conference and a pre/post course! Click here to read more.
4. Hold A Team Meeting Before Leaving For The Conference
Tip: Get your team together in advance of the conference to review the agenda and establish clear goal and objectives.
Once again, a high number of attending organizations have chosen to bring a team to Pink’s annual conference. If you’re one of these organizations, holding “agenda coverage” meetings in advance, before arriving onsite allows you to spend the needed time to establish clear goals, and pin-point specific deliverables you need to bring back to the workplace in order to make the investment of time and money a success. Whether you are coming alone or bringing a team, be sure to take time now to define your goals for attending – devise a strategy around the agenda and identify key deliverables. With over 160 sessions and 15 tracks, it’s important that you get the most out of your team’s participation.
5. Take Advantage Of Cheap, Cheap Rooms At The Bellagio
Tip: There is no need to stay anywhere other than at the conference venue!
Vegas has not yet fully recovered from the recession and this means that the high-end rooms, such as the Bellagio are very inexpensive. So, take full advantage of the Bellagio’s recession pricing and stay at one of the most famous and beautiful hotels in the world. Rooms that were priced in the high $300s and $400s a few years ago are now starting in the mid $100s for many nights during our event (including pre-/post-conference course dates). Room rates vary per night but all are way, way below the norm. You’ll never see rooms at the beautiful Bellagio Hotel again at these unheard of cheap rates!
To get preferred hotel rates, contact Pink’s Customer Service Center at 1-888-273-PINK, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
That’s it for now, but stay tuned for more tips and conference optimizers to come.
Regards,
George Spalding
Executive VP
Pink Elephant
Telephone: 905-331-5060
Toll Free: 1-888-273-PINK
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Jumpstarting Innovation In IT
We are continuing our “Real Professors” interview with Dr. George Westerman of MIT Sloan School of Management. Dr. Westerman is running two new conference sessions this year: Jumpstarting Innovation In IT and Taking Charge Of The Value Conversation. In the first part we talked to Dr. Westerman about Value. This time we look at Innovation:
IT people are generally technically innovative. Do they need a different or broader understanding to be able to innovate at a business level?
You need an understanding of the business; how it works, and what problems exist. And you also need to be seen as speaking business language and providing value for money. Only then can you credibly and consistently make the case for innovative changes to the business. Before you’ve taken the early steps on the path to value, you can suggest things, and sometimes you’ll get lucky. But you don’t want to depend on luck. You want to build a capability to innovate.
My research is showing ways that IT leaders can make IT more innovative in the business sense. You can identify a few pet projects that may turn into something that someone wants to talk about. You can run innovation events to get people involved. You may even create a small unit to focus on innovation. But the key is that, unless the relationship is there, it’s really tough to consistently introduce innovation. So, start on the path to value, and then you’ll find the right moment to invest in making innovation happen.
Is there a flip-side where IT spend more time than they should trying to innovate, dabbling with new technologies when they should be strengthening what is already in place and keeping the lights on?
I know of one large firm where exactly this problem happened. The CIO was so focused on innovation that the IT unit stopped investing in keeping the existing infrastructure up to date. He was replaced by a new CIO who had to slow down the innovation agenda, stabilize infrastructure, and put in a strong leader who would ensure that operations stayed in shape. Then they could ramp up the innovation investment again.
In these days of tightened budgets, how can IT fund innovation research?
It’s a leadership challenge. It’s your job to set aside a small amount of money to invest in things that the business has not yet asked for, and that may not have a return. Even if you’re a pure cost center or order taker, this is sometimes possible, especially for technology-focused investments. You can fund a project out of operational savings, manage it outside of the business view, or find a pioneering business unit leader who wants to try an experiment. However, once you’ve moved a bit along the path to value, the conversation becomes much more natural.
Does every organisation need to innovate?
It depends how long you want to stay in business. You can last a few years with no innovation. But by the time realize you need it, you’re still need a few years to build your innovation capability. Not every company needs to be in the breakthrough innovation business like Google or Apple. What you do need, though, is a way that you can apply technology to make the business better in ways which business executives may not realize they want. Whether that’s big innovation or small innovation, it’s a necessary part of powering your company forward in this century of digital business.
Two interesting sessions: on delivering and measuring value, and on driving innovation. Check them out at the conference.