The document outlines a webcast presented by Jay Graham of Randstad Technologies, focusing on infrastructure management, data center operations, and site engineering. Key topics include the importance of command centers in proactive incident management, methods for improving site engineering through technology, and strategies for effective resource acquisition in a tightening IT talent market. The document emphasizes the need for ongoing analysis and adaptation in managing IT functions to enhance performance and meet operational demands.

1. w ebcast
Secrets from the deep:
Navigate infrastructure management
through our experience & successes

2. Speaker info
Jay Graham
Vice President, Solutions
Jay Graham, Randstad Technologies Vice
President and Global Practice Executive for
Infrastructure Services and Deployment Services
delivery, oversees project-based and outsourced
technology services for key clients. Jay’s
previous includes serving as Chief Information
Officer for Randstad’s legacy IT services
subsidiary, Technisource, as well as Chief
Technology Officer for a Top 300 eCommerce
company.
Jay holds a Master’s of Science in Computer
Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of
Technology and an MBA from Wright State
University in Dayton, OH. He earned his
Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from
the United States Naval Academy.
2

3. Agenda
• Command Center – What tools can help you better monitor the
infrastructure and the user experience for these key processes:
Event Management, Incident Management, and Problem
Management?
• Site Engineering – How do successful organizations assign,
track, and manage these critical day to day operational tasks that
can make or break a data center?
• Data Center Operations – How can reviewing workloads, tasks
times, and frequency help you manage your operations more
efficiently?
• Resource Acquisition/Management – What are the best
options for resource acquisition and how can you ensure you have
the skill sets you need to run your environment?
3

4. Randstad Technologies
• 2nd largest technology talent and solutions provider in the US
•
Recruitment
•
Consulting
•
Projects
•
Outsourcing
• 70 Randstad Technologies offices
• 6 Delivery & Operations Centers
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5. Infrastructure Outsourcing Solutions
A comprehensive range of data center outsourcing, operations
support, maintenance & management solutions, on-site and
offsite; 24x7x365 across all platforms including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Console operations
Systems monitoring
Job processing & batch scheduling
Data center site engineering & logistics
Management & administration
Tape & print operations
Randstad Technologies experience & expertise
• Currently manage systems used by 90 million end-users
• Over 1,700 employees dedicated to managed services
engagements
,
5

6. Command Center
What tools can help you better monitor the infrastructure and
the user experience for these key processes:
• Event Management
• Incident Management
• Problem Management
6

7. What is a Command Center?
A Command Center is centrally
managed IT support for a
function requiring rapid response
and resolution
• Common types Command Centers
•
Network Operations Center (NOC)
•
Security Operations Center (SOC)
•
Some organization combine multiple support
functions in one Command Center
• The Command Center team is
usually located together to
facilitate communication and
enable speedy problem resolution
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8. Polling Question #1
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9. Command Centers are often created to respond
quickly to incidents but can lose structure and
focus over time
Typical, underperforming Command Centers share several
characteristics:
• Many are reactive. They wait for something to go wrong and
scramble to restore service.
• Dependency on alerts. They can’t act until they receive
notification from a monitoring system or users tell them there’s a
problem.
• Reliance on manual categorization or correlation of alerts.
They have to sift through hundreds of notifications to find the
items they need to act on.
• Regular ‘re-solving’ of problems. Once the immediate issue is
addressed and service is restored, the ticket is closed and they
move on to the next issue.
9

10. In order move beyond ‘adequate’, IT
organizations need to get in front of incidents
10

11. Forward-thinking Command Centers are adding
user experience to their monitoring mix
11

12. Problem Management is a powerful driver
of performance improvement for the
Command Center
Problem Management requires ongoing analysis using multiple approaches
Incidents by Category, Number and
Duration
Incidents by Category / Subcategory,
Number and Duration
Software
MS Office
Security - Account
Lockout
Hardware
Number of incidents
Number of incidents
Security
User Installed
Software
PC Apps
Time spent resolving incidents
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Size of bubble = Average Business Duration in Minutes
Time spent resolving incidents

13. Polling Question #2
13

14. Site Engineering
How do successful organizations assign, track, and manage
these critical day to day operational tasks that can make or
break a data center?
14

15. What is Site Engineering?
Site Engineering is the hands-on work in the data center
• Common Tasks
− Rack and stack hardware
− Pull cables
− Restart Servers
− Replace components (memory, NIC, HDD, etc.)
− Decommission hardware
• Typically, the larger the data center, the more specialized the
team- smaller organizations may combine System Administration
with Site Engineering
• Commonly outsourced as a managed service
15

16. Although site engineering is often seen as
routine and commoditized, there are many
opportunities to innovate and improve
service delivery
16

17. Analyzing ticket data can help identify areas for
process improvement, training, and further
investigation
17

18. In our experience, deploying tablets with remote
desktop capability increases productivity, reduces
work errors, and improves accuracy when
documenting work performed
tablet WOs as a subset of all WOs
Tablet WOs
Total #WOs
53% of Server
Installs
79% of
Maintenance
82% of
incident
support

19. Mobile apps can provide valuable tools using
team members’ smartphones and tablets, but
data security should be taken into consideration
List of
available
items based
on user, role,
location, etc.
User can scan
barcode, take
photos, and
add notes as
needed
Results can
be emailed to
user for use
in completing
ticket
19

20. Polling Question #3
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21. Data Center Operations
How can reviewing workloads, tasks times, and frequency help
you manage your operations more efficiently?
21

22. What is Data Center Operations?
Data Center Operations (DCO) is the management of the
work in the data center
• Common Tasks
− Site Engineering
− Logistics
− Media Operations (Report Printing, Backup)
• Many organizations are challenged to effectively coordinate
all the work to be done in the data center
• One of the harder IT functions to benchmark as the work
and environment varies widely from company to company
22

23. Time consuming,
rarely performed
tasks should be
assigned to senior /
certified team
members to reduce
risk
Focus onboarding
on most commonly
performed tasks to
get new team
members more
productive sooner
Low effort,
rarely
performed
can be risky
23

24. Resource Acquisition/Management
What are the best options for resource acquisition and how
can you ensure you have the skill sets you need to run your
environment?
24

25. Resource Acquisition/Management
An organization’s approach to Resource Acquisition and
Management can allow it to effectively compete for critical
resources in an increasingly competitive market
25
1 – InfoWorld.com, September 27, 2013
2 – Randstad Workforce360, July 2013

26. IT skills gap
26

27. Find the sourcing approach that matches your
business and technology requirements
Sourcing Option
Managed
Services
Managed
Services
Resource
Program
(MRP)
Staff
Augmentation
Insourcing
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Benefits
• Simple, SLA-driven management of function
• Predictable costs tied to business activity
• Vendor expertise and experience performing similar work for multiple
clients brings best practice knowledge to the process
• Predictable costs based on skill set and market
• Provides a level of management to facilitate career development and
minimize turnover
• Expands recruiting reach through vendor
• Flexible – resources available as/when needed
• Accommodates less structured environments
• Allows client direction / redirection
• Can be simpler – no regular interaction with / management of service
provider(s)
• Keep tribal knowledge in-house
• Develop in-house team’s skills

28. Polling Question #4
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29. Summary
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30. Summary
Area
Key takeaways
Command
Center
• Moving from reactive to predictive can require a great deal of effort, but
will deliver a great deal of business value.
• If you aren’t monitoring the user experience, you are getting an
incomplete picture of your IT performance.
• Problem Management is a key function for improving the Command Center
• You can have the Command Center of the future now.
Site
Engineering
• Analysis and review of ticket data can help elevate Site Engineering
above ‘commodity’ level
• Mobile technology can improve efficiency and accuracy of work and
documentation
Data
Center
Operations
Resource
Acquisition &
Management
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• The overarching nature of Data Center Operations requires ongoing
analysis of work drivers and KPIs to ensure the work of the data center
is effectively managed and delivered
• The IT talent pool is tight and getting tighter, particular for Data Center
skills.
• The IT skills gap is real and only expected to increase.
• Businesses need to proactively manage their current pool and planned
talent acquisition to ensure that needed skills are available.

31. Thank you
Jay Graham
VP, Solutions
Randstad Technologies
3011 Internet Blvd.
Suite 300
Frisco, TX 75034
T 972.448.7070
F 972.239.3139
jay.graham@randstadusa.com
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