While using remote infrastruc-ture management (RIM) – a pro- cess of managing information technology (IT) infrastructure remotely – has grown signifI-cantly, there is a fragmentation of tools used to facilitate RIM and ineffective service level agreements that do not support business outcomes, says In2IT Technologies South Africa MD Saurabh Kumar.

IT research firm IDC estimates that 85% of IT infrastructure and equipment can be man-aged remotely. RIM enables organisations to leverage out-sourced infrastructure man-agement services. Services can be standardised and IT policies streamlined, with the cost of management becoming more predictable. Outsourced RIM services also enable organ-isations to benefit from higher reliability, reduced risk and lower IT costs.

“Despite the benefits of RIM, many organisations experience a number of challenges with the introduction of RIM,” he says.

The primary issue is that despite significant investment in tools and technology to allow for RIM – each designed to manage a different area, solution or part of infrastructure, with most of the tool features not being used – the fragmented RIM environment fails to provide an aggregated view of IT infrastructure.

“There are simply too many tools, areas and providers to manage and, as a result, service-level agreements may not be met, infrastructure may not be effectively managed and organ-isations could end up with little or no return,” Kumar highlights.

It is essential to create an integrated view of IT operations and align IT with defined busi-ness outcomes to ensure that IT adds value to the organisation; RIM service providers can then work towards supporting these goals with appropriate service-level agreements and services, he explains.

A holistic solution for monitor-ing infrastructure, as well as a strategic, phased approach to the implementation of RIM services, can go a long way towards assur-ing success, Kumar highlights.

Service providers need to deliver visibility of the infra-structure being managed through comprehensive reporting, as an integrated, holistic solution is necessary for businesses to monitor key areas of IT infra- structure.

“Whether organisations choose to outsource the [complete] management of infrastructure to a single service provider or only certain aspects of it, it is essential to create well-defined service-level agreements to govern that management,” advises Kumar.

RIM enables a company to increase its focus on innovation and efficient and effective operation. However, organisations need an integrated view of their IT operations, business-aligned service-level agreements and trusted service providers to strategically align RIM with business objectives.