Fundamentals of IT management

Last updated: 2024-02-25

This article is for IT managers.

What IT management is all about

IT management in a company is a systematic process of taking care of information technologies throughout their life cycle, from acquisition, through use to disposal. Klíčovým úkolem IT ve firmě je:

  • Ensure that staff (users) are equipped with IT equipment - especially computers, mobile phones and other devices
  • Ensure that employees and other users have secure access to the company's applications and information system so that they can carry out their work
  • ensure that the company's computer network is functioning so that users can connect and use their devices
  • Provide and operate other information technologies to support the operation of all other company processes.

If you say IT in a company, most people think of IT people who take care of personal computers, the company computer network, wifi, and all the applications and software tools that employees use to do their jobs. Ensuring these things are also the main task of IT management, it is under under the hood, but there is much more to it. Let's go through it all, bit by bit.

The IT department's most visible work is all about computers, network management and business applications. Virtually everything that revolves around around computing, printers, meeting room projectors and corporate applications falls under IT management. So the most visible parts of IT management are:

IT equipment for employees

  • issuing and removing computers, mobile phones and other devices
  • maintenance of computers and other equipment

Support for users of applications, software and information systems

  • operation of company systems and software
  • dealing with user emergencies and fault reporting
  • creating and managing users
  • creating user access
  • and creating application users
  • resetting passwords
  • helpdesk and user support for applications, systems and cloud applications

Computer network management

  • network management
  • ensuring the running of the company wifi network
  • allocation of access to the wifi network
  • employee accesses to the company network

Management of other IT equipment

  • printer management
  • management of projectors in meeting and conference rooms

What IT management has to deal with in the background

Against the background of the above, IT management includes

Coordination and integration of applications and cloud solutions

  • interconnection (integration) of company systems and applications
  • orchestration
  • escalation
  • project implementation

Introduction and implementation of new systems and applications

  • negotiations with suppliers of information technology
  • project management implementation (introduction) of new solutions

Information and Cyber Security (Security management)

  • IdM
  • Access control
  • Intrusion detection
  • Compliance
  • Policy

Managing all IT assets: IT asset management

  • inventory
  • routine updates
  • Network
  • cloud hosting

Service management

  • negotiations with suppliers of IT services and all support services
  • negotiations with suppliers of SaaS solutions

Planning and design

  • Information system architecture
  • Planning changes in the IT and information system
  • Budget
  • Change Management

Methodologies for IT Process Management

There are several basic frameworks and methodologies for IT governance that help build best practices and process standards. The most prominent and widely used in practice are ITIL and COBIT

IT management according to ITIL

ITIL V4 divides IT management processes into 4 areas

  • Organizations and people
  • Information and technology
  • Partners and suppliers
  • Value streams and processes

It also divides management into three areas

  • General management practices
  • Service management practices
  • Technical management practices

IT management according to COBIT

ITIL divides IT management processes as follows

  • Manage risk
  • Manage security
  • Manage changes
  • Manage operations
  • Manage service requests and incidents
  • Manage problems
  • Manage security services
  • Monitor, evaluate and assess performance and conformance