Foster-Melliar and ITpreneurs form elaborate partnership for the delivery of IT best Practices training

Both ITpreneurs, enabler of IT Best Practices management training, and Foster-Melliar, leading provider and pioneer of ITIL® and IT Service Management in South Africa, jointly announce the signing of an elaborate partnership for the delivery of training using ITpreneurs full-range quality material and e-Learning courses.

Having years of experience in designing and delivery of IT Best Practices management training, Foster-Melliar initially planned to design their own ITIL® V3 Intermediate courseware, however, the required extensive material necessary for these courses required significant investments. Motivated to seek an alternative solution without compromising on the high standard of quality, Foster-Melliar chose to license ITpreneurs materials.

When reviewing and testing, Foster-Melliar recognized the benefits of licensing from ITpreneurs and adopted not only the ITIL® V3 Intermediate courseware but also the ITIL® Foundation, ISO20,000 and COBIT™ material in order to maintain consistent high quality materials while improving the experience for learners in their path towards certification.

“Being two highly regarded leaders in the industry, a partnership between ITpreneurs and Foster-Melliar allows benefits not only for each company, but the industry as a whole.” said Ike Hanselman, EMEA executive. “Foster-Melliar’s expertise will lead to improved delivery for learners and strengthen their lead in the South African market.” .... Read More>>

Are you ready for King III?
New Legislation to change the face of IT

The King III report is the buzz word in the South African business world at present and what makes this report more noteworthy is the fact that it will be backed by South African legislation as from 1 March 2010. The question on everyone’s mind is what does it mean? And how does it affect my business?

Russell Steyn the Managing Director of Foster-Melliar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Simeka Business Group and the first company in SA to offer training across all the ITIL life cycles says, “The impact that King III will have from an organisational point of view is quite substantial as it directly translates into a requirement for the subject of IT governance to be discussed at board level. The IT industry will for the first time be represented making allowance for the sector to finally enjoy the right accountability and the right visibility at the right levels.”

The 2009 King III report will have a profound impact on business for two reasons:

It is applicable to any company incorporated in the Republic of South Africa under the auspices of the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (CIPRO).

IT Governance is specifically addressed in King III

.... Read More>>

ITSM Managers programme

With the introduction of the new version of ITIL®, there was a lot of debate around the future of V2 qualifications. APM, the official accreditor for ITIL®, had even put a date to the Sunsetting of the ITIL® V2 qualifications. The date was originally set around the end of 2008. Well, that date has come and gone, and as we stand today, there is no date for the sunsetting of the V2 qualifications. EXIN, one of the world’s largest ITIL® exam providers conducted a world-wide survey on this issue, and I have included their results here to have a look at. It makes for interesting reading.

The fact of the matter is that the ITIL® managers programme is still the best value, easy on your training Rands, and quickest route to ITIL® Expert level.

 When asked the question; “Are you establishing processes” as opposed to “Are you getting value from your processes”, most South African companies answered the former. This and other interesting facts will be highlighted at the Service Management Expo this year. www.smexa.co.za. The major focus of the Managers Programme is to help managers like yourself to establish processes, a need that was highlighted by the itSMF research that will be presented at the Expo.

 Many people who have done this training in the past have found that there is little support for them when they get back to the office and the thrill of the internationally recognized – never expires – certificate, has worn off. We don’t believe that it should be this way, and as such, in addition to supporting you after your qualification, we will introduce you to a community of like minded professionals by including a membership to the itSMFsa in the price of your training! By doing this we can expose you to professional people, delivering professional advice and guidance, give you discounts on books, and most importantly stay in touch with you as we are members too.

 I believe there is great value on the Managers Programme. I have no doubt you will not only enjoy the learning aspect, but the content as well. 

I look forward to seeing you on a course soon, and at the next itSMF event – on us! 


Regards,

ITSM Managers programme

With the introduction of the new version of ITIL®, there was a lot of debate around the future of V2 qualifications. APM, the official accreditor for ITIL®, had even put a date to the Sunsetting of the ITIL® V2 qualifications. The date was originally set around the end of 2008. Well, that date has come and gone, and as we stand today, there is no date for the sunsetting of the V2 qualifications. EXIN, one of the world’s largest ITIL® exam providers conducted a world-wide survey on this issue, and I have included their results here to have a look at. It makes for interesting reading.

The fact of the matter is that the ITIL® managers programme is still the best value, easy on your training Rands, and quickest route to ITIL® Expert level.

 When asked the question; “Are you establishing processes” as opposed to “Are you getting value from your processes”, most South African companies answered the former. This and other interesting facts will be highlighted at the Service Management Expo this year. www.smexa.co.za. The major focus of the Managers Programme is to help managers like yourself to establish processes, a need that was highlighted by the itSMF research that will be presented at the Expo.

 Many people who have done this training in the past have found that there is little support for them when they get back to the office and the thrill of the internationally recognized – never expires – certificate, has worn off. We don’t believe that it should be this way, and as such, in addition to supporting you after your qualification, we will introduce you to a community of like minded professionals by including a membership to the itSMFsa in the price of your training! By doing this we can expose you to professional people, delivering professional advice and guidance, give you discounts on books, and most importantly stay in touch with you as we are members too.

 I believe there is great value on the Managers Programme. I have no doubt you will not only enjoy the learning aspect, but the content as well. 

I look forward to seeing you on a course soon, and at the next itSMF event – on us! 


Regards,

COBIT® – The Essential Guide – Part 1 (May upset sensitive viewers – parental guidance is advised).

Almost 20 years ago to the day I had a nasty incident that left me scarred for life! The details of the Incident remain sketchy, in fact I can’t really remember too much at all..... Mmmm I do seem to recall there was a lot of music – dancing – and a bottle of Monis Esprit! The biggest lesson from this experience was – coffee does not sober you up!

Seriously... It was confirmed on Mythbusters. 20 years too late, but there you are – proof! And the scar you ask? I’ll show you some day J

I love Mythbusters – you learn a lot, like not to believe everything people tell you! And of course there are those “I didn’t know that” moments as well.

That is why I am starting a COBIT® essentials guide, as my contribution to the IT world. There are many myths that surround COBIT®, and I hope to “BUST” a few of those for you. For instance, did you know that the “IT” in COBIT® does not stand for IT? No. COBIT® stands for Control Objectives for Information and related Technology! Can you believe it?

COBIT® is for Auditors!

Another myth. COBIT® is not for Auditors. Yes, COBIT® makes a great framework for auditors to use, and companies that have adopted COBIT® will need to be audited. But COBIT® is not designed for auditors!

COBIT® assists companies to become better at what they do. How? Well, you need to have objectives (goals) as a company, right? Company objectives can’t be achieved without IT, right? So IT also needs objectives. Stay with me? And to make sure you achieve your objectives, you need to put controls (processes and procedures, etc) in place, right? And you will also need to check that the controls are being adhered to. (This is where the audit comes in).

Easy.

OK, now in English.

You work all your life to buy nice things. Plasma, LCD, LED TVs, HiFis, furniture, appliances, etc etc. One day you realise that you live in South Africa. So you want to reduce your risk of unwanted visitors getting to your stuff. This is your Security Objective. In order to achieve this, you need to put controls in place. So you buy an electric fence, disconnect the battery and connect it directly to the 220V power supply! This is the control. Passers-by are impressed with the Northern Lights – effect of your glow in the dark house, and would be thieves are assured that if they attempt to scale the wall, they will become biltong. The control objective – Keep thieves out!

Simple né?
So if you apply this to the four domains of IT, and the 32 processes therein, you can start to imagine what COBIT®, and Foster-Melliar’s 2 day COBIT® essential course is designed to do.

• Understand company objectives
• Align IT’s objectives with the above
• Risk Down and Assurance Up, by
• Putting controls in place
• That help you to achieve all of the above, i.e.
• Control objectives for information and related technology

PS. If you attend this course, we will throw in an electric fence as well! Excludes installation, 220V connectors and public liability J

PPS. Only kidding!

We would love to see you at our next course!
Warm regards