Reducing Downtime and Addressing Skill Gaps with Services Operations Management

As enterprises continue to navigate the complexities of data management, analysts predict an increasing shift towards consumption as a service infrastructure solutions. This model offers myriad benefits – including cost savings, scalability, agility and streamlined operations – empowering enterprises to tailor their hybrid cloud data infrastructure solutions to their unique needs, paying only for what they use, thereby optimizing operational expenses.

Taking on the Market Challenge with Hitachi EverFlex IaaS

One standout in this market is our Hitachi EverFlex Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering. With its pay-per-use model, EverFlex offers a combination of hardware, software and services on a highly flexible basis. The Hitachi EverFlex with Cisco Powered Hybrid Cloud solution further enhances this capability, integrating Cisco compute, networking and software to deliver a comprehensive as a service solution for scalable data centers. This innovative approach goes beyond traditional leasing, providing custom managed services tailored to specific customer needs.

A New Way to Approach IaaS: Service Operations Management

For those who like the idea of IaaS but want to retain ownership of their IT assets, another capability is service operations management (SOM). Unlike IaaS, SOM is dedicated to managing IT and data infrastructure and systems owned by an organization or business, with a focus on providing superior efficiency, effectiveness and customer satisfaction.

SOM helps companies tackle challenges such as finding skilled staff/resources and relieving overworked teams. As well as avoiding risks posed by human error and service outages. By deploying skilled personnel, bridging critical skills gaps, adhering to ITIL (IT infrastructure library) best practices, implementing advanced monitoring and reporting, and aligning customer outcomes with SLAs and KPIs, SOM can deliver a broad range of benefits. These include cost savings, faster time to value and reduced risk, all while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

The Evolution of IT Operations Management

The history of SOM is deeply intertwined with the evolution of operations management as a whole, which initially focused primarily on manufacturing processes.

However, as the IT service industry grew, the principles of operations management were adapted to meet the specific challenges of IT service delivery. Ultimately, SOM emerged as a distinct field, emphasizing the efficient management of service requests, incident handling and changing management to ensure seamless service delivery and customer satisfaction.

Modern SOM incorporates advanced technologies and best practices – such as ITIL frameworks and AI-driven solutions – to optimize IT service management processes, reduce risks and enhance operational efficiency. This evolution reflects the broader trend of leveraging technical advancements to meet the dynamic needs of businesses in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Customizable Solutions for Unique Customer Needs

One of the major benefits of SOM is that its easily customized to the needs of different types of organizations, making it ideally suited to the needs of rapidly evolving organizations. Hitachi Vantara SOM offers competencies in capacity and performance management, administration and observability, all supporting ITSM (IT service management) and service governance.

Leveraging insights from a global customer base and optimized runbooks and best practices, Hitachi Vantara delivers exceptional services by combining onsite expertise with cost-effective central delivery, customizable to meet distinctive customer or industry needs.

Optimizing IT Operations While Minimizing Downtime

In addition to being from a highly trusted industry name, Hitachi Vantara SOM stands out for numerous reasons, making it a comprehensive and highly effective option for IT service management challenges.

First, it’s designed to address critical pain points in IT operations by leveraging seasoned expertise, proven processes and best practices. The focus is on optimizing IT operations to minimize downtime and ensure seamless performance, which is crucial for maintaining operational efficiency and resilience. This includes proactive 24/7 monitoring, health checks, reporting and SLA-driven services, ensuring potential issues are identified and mitigated before they impact operations.

Another key differentiator is the ability to provide cost savings, faster time to value and reduced risk, all while ensuring exceptional customer satisfaction. By automating routine administrative tasks and using advanced observability, Hitachi Vantara SOM enhances productivity and allows IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives. The solution also offers expert guidance and support from a global team of seasoned professionals, helping organizations navigate complex IT challenges and addressing skill shortages.

There’s also a robust governance model that ensures escalated issues are handled at the appropriate management level, allowing for effective decision-making and issue resolution. This programmatic approach delivers tangible outcomes that align with business objectives, making Hitachi Vantara's SOM a reliable partner in IT operations.

Freeing You to Focus on Your Critical IT Priorities

By outsourcing labor-intensive routine administrative tasks to Hitachi Vantara, your IT teams gain the bandwidth to concentrate on strategic initiatives such as cybersecurity or pioneering new IT services to meet evolving business requirements. Heightening your own ability to foster innovation, improve efficiency and sharpen your competitive edge.

Consumption as a service is reshaping the enterprise landscape. Solutions like Hitachi EverFlex and SOM are among those leading the way, providing scalable, efficient, customer-centric services specifically designed for businesses' owned infrastructure.

Reach out to your Hitachi Vantara representative to learn more.

Read more

• Webpage: Hitachi Vantara Services Operations Management (SOM)
• Blog:  Enhancing IT Operational Excellence with Infrastructure as a Service
• Blog: Understanding IT Infrastructure Residency Services and Their Value
• Blog: IT Infrastructure Modernization for Business Agility with Hitachi EverFlex
• Webinar: A More Flexible Approach to Hybrid Cloud Modernization and Management