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Test 000-029: Fundamentals of Applying Tivoli Service Delivery and Process Automation Solutions V2

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Section 1 - Establish the Customer's Baseline

  1. Given the need to evaluate a customer's environment, analyze the technical environment including networking, hardware, software, and security, so the customer's environment has been evaluated.


    2. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Determine size of environment (servers, locations, etc).
    2. Determine which operating systems are being used.
    3. Determine which third party products are in use (database, application servers, etc).
    4. Determine which authentication and security protocols are in use.
    5. Determine which hardware is in use and available for future expansion.
    6. Determine the number of assets to be managed.

  2. Given the need to understand the customer environment, analyze other third party applications the customer has including ERP applications like Service Access Point, Oracle, Seibel, PeopleSoft, or home grown application, and also IT Governance application, IT Monitoring application, IT application development application, IT asset discovery application for ITAM/ITSM, so that the current solution is identified and a migration or integration path is identified.


    3. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Determine the application currently in use.
    2. Determine weakness or pain the customer has with their current application.
    3. Determine how the current application is integrated with other applications.
    4. Determine if the customer wants to migrate to a new system.
    5. Determine if they plan to include any other application into the system.

  3. Given the need to understand how best to position IBM solution to the customer, the solution advisor should analyze the competitive products that the customer is picking and the reason behind it. This will help understand customer's budget and the mindset towards IBM, so that the IBM solution is appropriately based on customer requirements and competition.


    4. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Determine the competitive products the customer is considering.
    2. Determine how IBM solution compares with the competitors solution.
    3. Determine how IBM solution is positioned.
    4. Determine customer mindset towards IBM solution.
    5. Determine probable budget for the total solution.

Section 2 - Evaluate the Customer's People and Processes

  1. Given a list of the customer's documented business processes, identify the key areas of the processes that relate to IT so that the customer's current business processes have been assessed and any gaps have been identified.


    2. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Interview key contacts to gather information about each process.
    2. Attain a full understanding of all the steps of the processes.
    3. Determine objectives of each process.
    4. Determine risks within the process.
    5. Determine key controls used within the process.
    6. Create process flowchart maps.
    7. Identify value-adding and non-value-adding activities.
    8. Evaluate for improvements using IBM or third party technology that is flexible and fully supportive of business process objectives.

  2. Given a customer contact, obtain a description of the IT and business organizational structure and create a document that represents the organizational structure within an Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework of the customers environment so that the IT and business organizational structures and individuals assigned are documented.


    3. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Determine who performs these roles for ITIL Services Support.
      1. First Level Support
      2. Second Level Support
      3. Third Level Support
      4. Incident Manager
      5. Problem Manager
      6. Change Manager
      7. Release Manager
      8. Configuration Manager
    2. Determine who performs the roles within ITIL Service Delivery.
      1. Service Level Manager
      2. Availability Manager
      3. Capacity Manager
      4. IT Service Continuity Manager
      5. Financial Manager
    3. Determine who in the organization forms the ITIL Bodies.
      1. Change Advisory Board
      2. Emergency Committee
    4. Determine who performs the following roles outside of IT Service Management.
      1. Applications Manager
      2. Infrastructure Manager
      3. Test and QA Manager
    5. Determine who performs the ITIL Roles on the Customer Business Side.
      1. Client or Contract Manager
      2. Users
    6. Compile the results of the processed information.
    7. Create document that represents the IT and business organizational structures within the customer environment.

  3. Given a list of key stakeholders, interview key decision makers and compile the customer's IT Management requirements so that a document is created containing the customer's business and desired IT Management objects, goals, and current pains.


    4. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Determine the customer's mission, vision, and values -- Organizations begin with a mission that states why they are in business and why customers want to do business with them, which is derived from customer needs. Their vision is where they see the organization in a future state. Values are typically parameters of how they will conduct their business, their commitment, etc. Together they provided a basis for strategic planning which produces the goals and objectives.
    2. Determine the customers Goals and Objectives in relation to IT Management: Management defines financial targets for the organization and sets goals for other issues, ranging from product development, market expansion to productivity targets. Objectives are specific and quantifiable one-year targets. Goals are four-to-five year milestones against which to measure progress.

      3. The goals should be tangible and have measurable metrics that can be used to inform and guide to know when you've achieved your goal.
    3. Determine what your customer's problems are, what is not working or, what can be working better for the customer. Determine the problem(s) that should be solved.
    4. Determine the customer's core competencies, and then use them as a stepping stone to help determine how you can best leverage the IBM solutions.
    5. Determine how much change will be required. Their organization should move ahead with solution to relieve their pain and what processes, systems and applications will be affected.
    6. Document the customer's short term objectives, long term goals, and areas of pain.

Section 3 - Define IT Asset and Service Management Products

  1. Given the need to demonstrate to the customer how the IBM product portfolio has been designed using a structured, robust and common architecture, thus ensuring product compatible and interlock. Verbally demonstrate the key concepts and benefits of the product design using the Tivoli process automation engine (Tpae) so that the customer understands the importance of the Tpae across the range of products within the IBM portfolio.


    2. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. What is the purpose of the Tpae?

      2. The Tpae is a logical architecture providing core foundation services common to all products built on this Web architecture technology.
    2. What are the benefits of the Tpae?

      3. Tpae provides a common deployment methodology for multiple IBM products, underpinning the logic business components of all IBM products sharing this technology.
      Tpae enables customers to easily manage expansion of their IBM product portfolio with minimal interruption.
      Tpae enables structured and controlled customizations and configurations ensuring product and data integrity are not compromised.
      Tpae provides flexibility to meet clients changing requirements over a product life cycle.
    3. Which foundation services are provided by the Tpae?

      4. The Tpae provides core foundation services including Configuration, Administration, transaction management, Security, Resources, event management, messaging services, work flow, integrations, and business intelligence reporting.
      1. Configuration

        2. Tpae provides applications designed to enable clients to configure the database, screens and system properties to meet their business requirements.
        Applications include Application Designer, Database Configuration and crontasks. These applications are available from the Platform Configuration module.
      2. Administration

        3. Tpae provides applications designed to enable clients to define specific core data to meet their business requirements, such as Resources, Organizations and Sites, Calendars and Classifications.
        Applications include Labor, People, Crafts, Organizations and Classifications. These applications are available from the Administration module.
      3. Integration

        4. Tpae provides applications designed to enable clients to define integrations to third party products, or load data from external systems.
        Applications include Object Structures, Enterprise Services, External Systems and End Points. These applications are available from the Integration Module.
      4. Security

        5. Tpae provides applications designed to enable clients to define application users and their individual security profiles, including data restrictions, application access and controls. Restrictions have been conditionally based.
        Applications include Security Groups and Users. These applications are available from the Security module.
      5. Reporting

        6. Tpae provides imbedded reporting capabilities using Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools enabling report development and preconfigured reports including list reports and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports. Applications include KPI manager and Report Administration. These applications are available from the Administration module.
      6. Work Flow

        7. Tpae provides Workflow features that let you automate repetitive business processes and record management processes. Automating these processes provides a means for greater efficiency and accountability throughout your enterprise. Applications include Actions, Workflow Designer and Workflow Administration. These applications are available from the Platform Configuration module.

  2. Given the need to demonstrate to the customer the purpose and benefits of IBM Tivoli Asset Management for IT (TAMIT), verbally demonstrate the products capabilities so the client understands the key business benefits of implementing TAMIT.


    3. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. What are the purposes of TAMIT?

      2. TAMIT is an integrated productivity tool and database that enables effective management of the IT asset lifecycle to lower cost, mitigate license and regulatory compliance risk, and align IT with business goals. TAMIT provides the ability to capture, integrate, and maintain technical and financial information about IT assets from planning to procurement, deployment, and maintenance to end of life and disposal.
    2. What are the key benefits of TAMIT?

      3. TAMIT contains the elements required for effective IT asset life cycle management and software asset management. Using TAMIT, companies can:
      1. Track all IT assets, locations and changes.
      2. Record and manage all contracts for software licenses, leases, warranty and maintenance.
      3. Create and enforce technology standards by defining templates of standard asset requests.
      4. Establish charge backs using managed data.
      5. Provide a streamlined process for procurement and receiving of IT assets.
      6. Reconcile assets actually deployed with authorized assets (those purchased and under contract).
      7. Better control IT software license cost by reducing the likelihood of overbuying or incurring fines because of the under-licensing of software.
    3. What are the main phases of the IT Asset Management Lifecycle?
      1. Plan

        2. The Plan Phase is where a company formulates a budget and an associated schedule for hardware and software acquisitions. The technology refresh cycle indicates when existing assets should be replaced based on company policy. Stock rooms are used to keep spares and check inventory before a purchase is made.
      2. Acquire

        3. The Acquire Phase is where the asset gets purchased and created in the application. A PO approval process should be in place to expedite and control purchasing. Assets can be created from a PO, receipt of an asset into inventory or directly from a vendor.
      3. Deploy

        4. The Deploy Phase is where assets are assigned either to an employee, project or business unit. Employee information including location is received from HR feeds. The status of the asset is tracked as moving throughout the IT AM lifecycle. Communication with the end user allows for a smother deployment. Integration with Tivoli Service Desk can generate service tickets for the technician.
      4. Manage

        5. The Manage Phase is where asset reconciliation between what is discovered and what has been purchased occurs. Installing, moving, adding and changing (IMAC) should be recorded. Integration with Change Manager allows for more robust change management processes such as Request for Change to be implemented. During the Manage phase assets costs are managed through software license compliance, monitor stock rooms and view software use.
      5. Retire

        6. The Retire Phase is where an asset has reached its end of life. The asset can be disposed, auctioned, donated, sold to an employee, returned to a leasing company or purchased.

  3. Given the need to provide the purpose and benefits of IBM Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager (TADDM), describe how the customer needs can be addressed by TADDM so that the customer understands the importance of having accurate hardware and software dependency mappings supplied by the automated discovery process of TADDM.


    4. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. What is TADDM?

      2. TADDM is a vital component of an Information Service Management (ISM) implementation. TADDM provides complete visibility into application complexity by automatically creating and maintaining application infrastructure maps through an agent-free discovery process. The resulting maps include complete run-time dependencies and change history.
    2. What are the benefits provided by TADDM?

      3. TADDM provides insight into several key areas of IT infrastructure management.
      1. TADDM provides customers the ability to understand what they have in their IT environment.

        2. TADDM uses the application mapping and agent-less, credential-free discovery capabilities of application dependency software so that you can see relationships between applications, computer systems and network devices.
      2. TADDM enables customers to learn how their environment is configured and how it is changing over time.

        3. TADDM captures the configuration of each Configuration Item (CI) tracks changes to it and provides analytics to report the history of configuration changes.
      3. TADDM enables customers to determine compliance with a defined standard.

        4. TADDM compares discovered configurations to a "reference master" to reveal policy violations and to determine if configurations comply with your policies.
      4. TADDM provides integration capabilities with other Tivoli products to expand on its application discovery capabilities.

        5. TADDM integrates with products such as Tivoli Business Systems Manager, Tivoli Provisioning Manager, IBM Tivoli Monitoring Services, IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager for SOA and others.
    3. What is the purpose of TADDM?

      4. TADDM is designed to map the dependencies among software applications and the corresponding hardware. These mappings enable the customer to effectively anticipate the impact of changes to the environment and reduce the time needed for root cause analysis in the event of a service failure.

  4. Given the need to demonstrate to a customer the concepts of IBM Tivoli Service Request Manager (TSRM), describe and demonstrate the services and functions provided by TSRM, so the customer understands the purpose and benefits of TSRM.


    5. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. What is TSRM?

      2. Built from the ground up on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework, TSRM provides a comprehensive and modular approach to integrated Service Desk and Service Catalog management. In addition, this product enables a company to establish and efficiently operate a corporate service desk for service requests around enterprise assets. TSRM offerings include tools, best practices, and service offerings for incremental value.
    2. Which services and functions are provided by TSRM?
      1. Service Request Management

        2. Service Request Management is the formal interface between a service delivery organization and the customers and consumers of its services. Requests are the mechanism for initiating action in the service delivery organization. All requests have a common lifecycle. The function of the request management process is to manage all types of request through their lifecycle. Request management is an inward focused process. It controls the processing of requests within the service organization.
        A request has three basic lifecycle states:
        Registration - The process of receiving a request from an originating source and initiating processing.
        Evaluation - The process of analyzing a request to determine the correct course of action required to complete the request.
        Fulfilment - Performing the actions identified in the evaluation phase.
      2. Incident management

        3. Incident management is the process of restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible to help minimize an incident's adverse impact on business operations. In ITIL terms, an incident is any deviation from the expected standard operation of a system or service. Best practice incident management involves immediate service restoration using standard processes of investigation, diagnosis, resolution, and recovery.
        TSRM documents incidents from users, service technicians, and network systems management applications. Streamlining the process further, it leverages ticket types and classifications with powerful visual workflow escalation and e-mail notifications for quicker resolution, helping meet customer expectations and improve service desk efficiency. Consolidation of user communication across channels, including phone, e-mail, Web, and fax, captures each incident, creating a searchable knowledge base that can vastly reduce staff response time to anomalies or outages if similar incidents reoccur. Incidents can be linked with appropriate problems or changes, and are associated with their related CIs in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
      3. Problem management

        4. A problem is the underlying error in the infrastructure that is the cause of one or more incidents. Problem management is the process of diagnosing the root cause of the error and arranging for a correction. Furthermore, it seeks to prevent a recurrence of incidents related to these errors. Effective problem management depends on IT ability to quickly and accurately determine the root cause and turn an unknown error into a known error, that is, problems for which the root cause is determined and attributed to a specific CI.
        With TSRM, IT operations can more readily identify and classify the root cause of problems, assisting staff to quickly recognize and resolve known errors with minimal downtime. Built-in, real-time dashboards provide insight into all levels of service desk operations, so that any support staff, manager, or executive can monitor role-based KPIs in an intuitive, graphical display. Dashboards provide actionable information and can identify potential problem areas, enabling IT to take appropriate corrective actions in most cases before critical services are adversely affected. TSRM enables the creation of changes from identified problems and ties appropriate incidents to these problems.
      4. Knowledge Management

        5. Knowledge management provides automated assistance in problem determination and in some cases resolution to both support analysts and end users.
      5. Service Desk

        6. The traditional service provides a single solution for request management and tracking for both the support center and the operations center. Historically, it has been week integration with both operation center and support center automation. The current trend to extend the service desk more deeply into the operations center with the service desk asset repository is being evolved into a CMDB. They are still weak on integration with support center automation.
        The ISM Service desk focuses on the Incident management and the problem management processes and on all aspects of request and interaction management. The focus on end user support plays to the over service request management concept.
      6. Service Catalog

        7. The Service Catalog provides a mechanism for automating the deliver of structured and well-defined services. It shares interaction management, request management, and work management with the service desk.
      7. Operations versus Support

        8. Automation of both operations and support has caused the way the incident and problem management processes are implemented in the support center compared to the way they are implemented in the operations center to diverge to the point that they have little but the names in common.
        -Operations: In the operations center these processes are tightly tied into the overall ITIL service support processes.
        -The systems and service supported are mission critical assists in the operation center.
        -The majority of incidents are created though automated monitoring tools.
        -The people doing incident management are measured by service downtime.
        -The incident management tools must integrate with event management tools, the CMDB, and the other ITIL processes.
        -Support Center: In the support center, these processes focus on interactions with end users.
        -The systems supported are end users desktops, or end user interactions with services.
        -Incidents are created either directly by end users or by analysts on behalf of end users.
        -The people doing incident management are measured by call duration and end user satisfaction.
        -The incident management tools must integrate with inbound communication systems such as telephone and chat, and outbound systems such as remote control.
      8. Work automation

        9. Work automation provides common management of the fulfilment phase of all requests. Having a unified work management system that handles activities from any type of requests separated the management human and automated resource from the processes that generate work for those resources.
      9. Interaction Management

        10. Interaction management is outward facing. It is about the relationship between a service organization and its customers. The two primary goals are:
        -improving the user experience (Quality of Service/User satisfaction)
        -improving efficiency through elimination of unnecessary interaction and use of the most efficient interaction mechanism
      10. Self Service

        11. Self Service provides the end-user direct access to support automation tools. The goal is to automate as much of the interaction management and service support processes as possible, to limit Service Desk involvement.
    3. What are the benefits of TSRM?

      4. -Streamline ITIL-based incident and problem management processes for more rapid service restoration.
      -Increase the availability of critical IT services.
      -Help optimize productivity of service-desk personnel.
      -Increase end-user satisfaction.
      -Maximize IT infrastructure stability and availability.
      -Establish a common solution for global support.
      -Align IT operations and your business with service level management, service provisioning and service catalog.
      -Provide flexibility to your internal customers to shop for published IT service offerings through service catalog.
      -Assign and track service level agreement compliance to your service request/requisitions.
      -Associate cost to your IT service offerings and manage consumption.
      -Provide full service desk incident and problem management capabilities with service support and asset management processes, and service request for IT and non-IT.
      -User self service provides an easy-to-access, browser-based user interface to the service desk, enabling users to submit tickets, view updates, and search solutions.
      -Built-in Configuration Tools allow users to quickly and easily make changes to their workspace, user interface, workflows, reports, and more.
      -Based on leading standards-based technology: A Web-architected platform built on J2EE with advanced business process management, based on SOA, Web services, and XML.
      -Real-time integration with Operational Management Products (OMPs)

  5. Given the customer has a need for a configuration management solution, describe the purpose and benefits of IBM Tivoli Change and Configuration Management Database (CCMDB) so that the customer understands the value of the proposed IBM Solution.


    6. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Describe CCMDB.
      1. A fundamental goal of IT Service Management is the management of IT services and infrastructure with the same kinds of quality control that Enterprises strive to use for all business processes.

        2. -Process Management
        -Service Management Platform
        -Operational Management
        -Best Practices and Services
      2. Components

        3. -Data Layer
        -Process Layer
    2. Describe the design philosophy and purpose of CCMDB.
      1. IBM Service Management
      2. ITIL v.3
      3. IBM Tivoli Unified Process
    3. Describe tangible benefits from the use of CCMDB as they relate to the customer's objectives and requirements.
      1. Aligning IT with business objectives
      2. Managing IT services and solutions throughout their lifecycles
      3. Service management processes like those described in ISO, IEC 2000, and ITIL

  6. Given the need to describe and/or demonstrate to a customer the concepts of IBM Tivoli Release Process Manager (RPM), having a working knowledge of the basic concepts and benefits of the IBM Tivoli RPM, so that the client understands the purpose and benefits of IBM Tivoli RPM.


    7. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. What is the IBM Tivoli RPM?

      2. RPM provides a comprehensive range of features that help you manage, audit and coordinate simple and complex releases across any environment. You can fully customize the activities in a release job plan to ensure that the right people complete tasks in the right order. The product is fully integrated with Change Management and Configuration Management, enabling you to coordinate releases with approved changes and to ensure timely updates to CIs.
    2. What are the services and functions provided by IBM Tivoli RPM?

      3. RPM gives you one place to go to manage all of your release activities. A flexible user interface enables you to create, assign, monitor, notify, and report the status of release tasks, leveraging a best-practice ITIL® process. You can:
      -Plan and oversee the successful rollout of software and related hardware, centrally tracking the releases.
      -Configure the flow of release activities to support your current processes.
      -Agree to the exact content and rollout plan for a release, through liaison with Change Management.
      -Assign activities and tasks based on roles, ensuring that the right people own the release steps.
      -Organize and manage releases using job plans that are based on ITIL best practices.
      -Dynamically customize release activities and tasks, responding to changing needs as they arise.
      -View release status and pending tasks in real time. Adapt existing software repositories as definitive software libraries that can be tapped for software distribution during a release.
      -Schedule multiple rollouts targeting multiple CIs in a single release.
      -Receive reports that show, for all of your releases, release progress, release status, and the CIs that are affected by the releases. Best of all, this product enables you to achieve incremental value by adopting a process, growing and adapting the process at your own pace, and adding task automation to further reduce labor costs around defined release management pains.
    3. What are the benefits of the RPM?

      4. -Streamline ITIL-based release management processes to manage, audit and coordinate simple and complex releases.
      -Maximize IT infrastructure stability and availability.
      -Establish a common solution for releases.
      -Align IT operations and your business with service level management, service provisioning and service catalog.
      -Based on leading standards-based technology: A Web-architected platform built on J2EE with advanced business process management, based on SOA, Web services, and XML.
      -Real-time integration with OMPs, such as Tivoli Provisioning Manager version 5 (or previous versions)
      -Real-time interaction with Logical Management Operations, such as Get Status or Deploy Software
      -Shipped with standard Integration Modules for Tivoli Provisioning Manager for Software and Tivoli Configuration Manager, enabling a number of supported Logical Device Operations for these products

  7. Given the customer has a need for a total process management solution, describe the purpose and benefits of TPM so that the customer understands the value of the proposed IBM Solution.


    8. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Describe TPM.
      1. IBM Tivoli Provisioning Manager is a key product in the IBM Service Management suite of products. It provides resource provisioning and configuration management functions that can be executed as specific steps in systems management processes.
      2. Overall Architecture
      3. Components
    2. Describe the design philosophy and purpose of TPM.
      1. IBM Tivoli Provisioning Manager provides an easy-to-install, intuitive interface to automate data center provisioning activities and manage IT resource lifecycles, integrating with a variety of devices to enable highly accurate server provisioning and software deployments.
    3. Describe tangible benefits from the use of TPM as they relate to the customer's objectives and requirements.
      1. Tivoli Provisioning Manager can help enable data centers to execute changes within the IT infrastructure more quickly, reliably and securely.
      2. Computing resources can be deployed to meet current needs and then redeployed or repurposed as changes in demand occur.
      3. Tivoli Provisioning Manager can help you automate many steps involved in regulatory or corporate compliance efforts.

Section 4 - Define Key IT Asset and Service Management Capabilities

  1. Given the client's working knowledge of reporting, the solution advisor should understand the IBM Tivoli products' reporting capabilities and communicate the reporting capabilities and business benefits to the client.


    2. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Obtain the name of the customer's current reporting tool.
    2. Interview key contacts to gather information on how current reports are used.
    3. Describe the use of Adhoc (Query Based Report (QBR)) reporting (available in 7.1.1.4). QBRs are enabled in V7 to meet the Ad-Hoc Reporting Needs of Users. QBR's enable Users to create their own unique report by selecting columns, specifying sorting and grouping, and the query the report will run against. Once the user saves the report, this information is fed through an API to create an xml report design file, which is then executed thru the Business Intelligence and Reporting Tool (BIRT) Report Engine. The intention of this functionality is to make it as 'easy as possible' for all types of V7 users, who have a wide range of technical skills, to create their own custom reports. This is critical for many reasons, including:
      1. Enables users to quickly create their own reports for their unique business needs
      2. Does not require technical, development skills, like Java, to create the report
      3. Does not consume development hours in creating and maintaining large numbers of unique reports, which may only be used by a very small number of users
    4. Describe the BIRT.

      5. BIRT is a plug-in to the open source Java development program: Eclipse. You use Eclipse with BIRT to modify existing reports and develop additional custom reports. Java Script experience is required to modify existing reports and develop additional custom reports.
    5. Describe the use of BIRT reports for data analysis.
      1. KPI: Key Performance Indicator. Metric used to highlight performance against goal. It can quickly create and highlight status in red/yellow/green colors. It is able to link to reports, and display historical trending.
      2. App List Download: It is available from all Application List Pages, and user can immediately download list results to excel for additional analysis.

        3. Cons: Limited to only fields displayed on List Tab.
      3. QBR: Query Based Reporting - or Ad Hoc Reporting. User selects fields, naming, order to create his own 'unique' report. It can be scheduled, emailed and enabled for security access.

        4. Cons: Limited to fields in Application's Object in initial V7 Release.
      4. Report: Defined SQLl, sorting, grouping, and fields resulting in a formatted data set. It can include graphing, hyperlinking, record limits, application toolbar access. It can be scheduled, emailed and enabled for security access. Reports are associated with applications. Therefore, early on, you must decide which application the report will be accessed from.

        5. Cons: Create design file.
    6. Describe the process for customizing standard product reports.

      7. The installation and configuration of Eclipse with the BIRT plug-in includes customized setup that allows report developers to modify existing reports for each of the various products built on the Tivoli process automation engine (Tpae). An experienced Java developer, who has a working experience with Eclipse and Java Script can easily modify existing reports to meet the business needs using the BIRT plug-in.
    7. Describe the process for creating custom reports.

      8. The installation and configuration of Eclipse with the BIRT plug-in includes customized setup that allows report developers to create reports that will run within each of the various products built on the Tpae. An experienced Java developer, who has a working experience with Eclipse and Java Script can easily create new reports using the IBM Tivoli supplied report templates to meet the business needs using the BIRT plug-in.

  2. Given the need to demonstrate to the customer how their business processes can be automated and made more efficient, verbally demonstrate the capabilities and values of Workflow so that the client understands the key business benefits of implementing Workflow processes.


    3. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. What is Work Flow?

      2. Workflow features let you automate repetitive business processes and record management processes. Automating these processes provides a means for greater efficiency and accountability throughout your enterprise.
    2. Why use Work Flow?

      3. Workflow provides a means of electronically reproducing your business processes so that they can be applied to records. Using Workflow to manage records lets you do the following tasks:
      1. Apply your business practices to records consistently.
      2. Manage the movement of a record through a process from start to finish.
      3. Ensure that individuals act on records assigned to them in a timely manner.
      4. Guide users through their interaction with a record.
    3. What are some of the main capabilities of Workflow?
      1. Create a Workflow process for any business object (MBO). Because all the applications are associated with MBOs, you can build Workflow processes for any application, including cloned and custom applications.
      2. A record can be routed into a Workflow process automatically or manually.
      3. When a process task requires a user decision, the record can be assigned to the appropriately defined role.
      4. Assignees can receive notifications of assignments in their Workflow Inbox, or in their e-mail inbox, eliminating the need for users to search for their assignments.
      5. You can specify a delegate when workers are unavailable.
      6. Assignees can link from their Workflow Inbox directly to the assigned record.
      7. When a process requires user interaction, the system can direct a user to a specific application, tab, or action.
      8. If there is only a single choice of actions, the system can move a record through a step in a process.
      9. You can define a time limit for completing a task, after which the system can escalate the record.
      10. You can specify at which point in a process you want e-mail notifications generated.
      11. A Workflow can run a custom JavaTM class.
      12. A Workflow process can contain subprocesses, for example, for different subcategories of records, or records from different Sites.
    4. Which objects/Applications are enabled for Workflow?

      5. Every application is associated with an object, and you can create a Workflow process for any main object or any object with its own applications.
    5. Which applications within the Tpae are used to design, write and administer Workflows?
      1. Workflow Designer Application

        2. Use the Workflow Designer application to create, view, modify, and delete Workflow process records.
      2. Workflow Administration Application

        3. Be used to view and modify assignments and active instances of Workflow processes.
      3. Actions application

        4. Create action records that can be used as part of an escalation, service level agreement, or Workflow process.
    6. What are the most common nodes used when designing a Workflow?
      1. Start Nodes - point when a record enters or starts a Workflow process
      2. Task Nodes - indicates when a user has two choices, for example, to approve or reject a record
      3. Condition Nodes - indicates an evaluation of the record, based on data in the record
      4. Subprocess Nodes - indicates that a separate Workflow process is contained within a Workflow process
      5. Stop Nodes - marks the end of a Workflow process

  3. Given the customer has a need for an integrated solution, describe the capabilities of the Integration Framework (IF) so that the customer understands the value of the proposed IBM Solution.


    4. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Describe the design philosophy and purpose of the IF.
      1. Provide user friendly front end management of common and customer specific integration with other software applications in use by the customer.
      2. Allow for the continuity of automated processes across any applications within the customer's IT realm.
      3. The IF is a set of applications that help you to integrate the system with your framework applications. You also can create business flows between the system and the other framework applications.
    2. Describe the IF Architecture.
      1. Data Exchange
      2. Operational Management Product (OMP)
      3. User Interface Integration
    3. Describe the capabilities of the IF components as they relate to the customer's objectives and requirements.
      1. Pre-defined content to assist in implementing integration requirements in a timely manner. This content is a comprehensive set of outbound (Channels) and inbound (Services) integration interfaces that are available to use immediately.
      2. Applications to configure, pre-define, and to create new integration definitions
      3. Applications to facilitate the customization of pre-defined content using a processing rule engine, Java and Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations
      4. Support for multiple communication modes, including:

        5. -Web Services
        -HTTP
        -Java Message Service (JMS) messaging
        -Database interface tables
        -XML/Flat files
      5. Event-based, batch, program-initiated, and user-initiated processing of outbound and inbound messages
      6. Load and performance scalability using JMS queues
      7. Support for clustered environments that reduce system downtime, increase system availability, and improve system performance
      8. Support for UI-based integration, including context-based launching of external applications
      9. Support for integration to OMPs
      10. Support for bulk export of data using user-defined SQL query
      11. Support for bulk importing of XML or flat files
      12. Dynamic XML schema generation for all integration interfaces
      13. Dynamic generation of Web Services Interoperability (WS-I) compliant Web Services, including Web Service Definition Language (WSDL)
      14. Provide the concept of an adapter that is used to group related integration artifacts. You can configure and deploy adapters for enterprise connectivity with various systems. Each adapter can have its own interface and delivery mode. Pre-configured adapters for Oracle and Service Access Point are available as add-ons.

  4. Given the need to describe the architecture of IBM Service Management, have a working knowledge of the basic concepts and benefits of the supported architecture, so that the client understands the IBM Service Management architecture.


    5. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Physical Components

      2. The HTTP Server, the J2EE Application Server, the Process Runtime Database, and the LDAP Directory Server consists the environment to host the Process Manager Products. In other words, this is the environment that should run service management process implementations.
      1. J2EE Application Server

        2. The Process Manager Products are hosted inside a J2EE WebSphere environment and rely on the facilities that the Application Server provides. The platform is built using Java 2 Enterprise Edition technology, which requires a commercial application server to host and run business applications. IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment is the default J2EE application server used by an IBM Service Management installation. BEA WebLogic Application Server can optionally be installed and used.
      2. Process Runtime Database

        3. A database server is required to store information about Configuration Items and how they relate to each other. All Process Managers can be installed using one of three databases: Oracle, IBM DB2 Universal Database™, or Microsoft SQL server.
      3. LDAP Directory Server (optional)

        4. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an application protocol for querying and modifying directory services running over TCP/IP. Because of its basic design, LDAP is often used by other services for authentication, but can be used for other purposes where a set of objects with similar attributes must be organized in a logical and hierarchical manner. Tivoli Directory Server is just one way to implement a Process Manager environment, but Microsoft Active Directory® is also supported. Using LDAP in a Process Manager deployment is optional, but can provide benefits to any organization.
    2. Logical Components

      3. OMPs automate tasks to address application or business service operational management challenges. These products help optimize the performance and availability of your business-critical applications, along with the supporting IT infrastructure. They also help ensure the confidentiality and data integrity of your information assets while protecting and maximizing the utility and availability of your e-business data. OMPs can be implemented quickly to address immediate and specific IT challenges. As you implement a more comprehensive IT Service Management solution, these products can also integrate into the IT Service Management Platform and be used by IT Process Management Products.
      Tivoli's process automation engine provides the platform on which any of the applications, like incident management and problem management, are running. It is the foundation layer of the IBM Service Management process layer. Tivoli's process automation engine was also known by the name Base Services, which you may still find in some menus after installation. Tivoli's process automation engine provides rich tooling for configuring process flows, user interfaces, and process artifacts for the Process Managers implemented on top of it.
      1. Common User Interface

        2. The IBM Tivoli Service Request Manager Common User Interface is the user interface for administering and using the Process Manager applications. It also allows the user, given the appropriate permissions for the user, to use tools to customize the database, workflow, and user interface behavior and style.
        The products are built as a Web-based application suite. All applications can be accessed through a Web browser by entering the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that points to an application server that is running the Process Manager Products. There is no client software to be installed. All users, including administrative users, access the environment through a browser.
        Common Configuration Services
        The following applications are part of the Common Configuration Services:
        -Database Configuration
        -Application Designer
        -Workflow Designer
        -Workflow Administration
      2. Common Data Subsystem

        3. The Common Data Subsystem or Data Layer contains the data space that holds Assets, CIs, process artifacts, and relationships between these objects. These objects are used to register requests, such as service, incident, and problem requests. For this purpose the architecture supports the Tivoli Common Data Model (CDM). The CDM is a consistent, integrated, and logical data model that defines the general characteristics of information stored in the Configuration Management Database. The model specifies how this data is organized to correspond to real-world entities and defines the relationships between the entities. The CDM represents management information in a way that is easy for management applications to use. The CDM is a logical information model that is used to support the sharing of consistent data definitions and the exchange of data between Tivoli management products concerning managed resources and components of a customer's business environment.
      3. Process Workflow Runtime and Services

        4. The Process Workload Runtime and Services layer provides services to automate processes, guide users through these processes, and allow collaboration among different users. There are several applications that are used in the Process Workload Runtime and Services layer, such as Job Plans, Activities, Notifications, Escalations, and Security.
      4. Process Management Products

        5. A Process Manager application is a system for managing the execution of a process. You can think of a process request as a ticket with a written note on it that is forwarded to various people (or entities) to perform various actions that, in the end, result in the objective of the process. IBM provides process manager applications aligned to the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) model for the various Service Management disciplines. IBM has implemented the theoretical ITIL process descriptions in its software in order to allow users of the system to be automatically guided through a process.

Section 5 - Create, Justify, and Deliver Solution Design/Recommendation

  1. Given the advisor's and/or client's knowledge of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), interpret the definition of ITIL processes (based off IBM's PinkVerify Certification plus Service Desk), so that the client realizes the technical and business benefits of implementing ITIL.


    2. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Incident Mgmt
      1. Goal

        2. The first goal of the incident management process is to restore a normal service operation as quickly as possible and to minimize the impact on business operations, thus ensuring that the best possible levels of service quality and availability are maintained. 'Normal service operation' is defined here as service operation within service level agreement (SLA).
      2. Benefit

        3. Maintain IT service level quality, for example:
        - Number of Severity 1 incidents (total and by category)
        - Number of Severity 2 incidents (total and by category)
        - Number of other incidents (total and by category)
        - Number of incidents incorrectly categorized
        - Number of incidents incorrectly escalated
        - Number of incidents bypassing Service Desk
        - Number of incidents not closed/resolved with workarounds
        - Number of incidents resolved before customers notice
        - Number of incidents reopened
        Maintain customer satisfaction, for example:
        - Number of User/Customer surveys sent
        - Number of User/Customer surveys responded to
        - Average User/Customer survey score (total and by question category)
        - Average queue time waiting for Incident response
        Resolving incidents within established service times, for example:
        - Number of incidents logged
        - Number of incidents resolved by Service Desk
        - Number of incidents escalated by Service Desk
        - Average time to restore service from point of first call
        - Average time to restore Severity 1 incidents
        - Average time to restore Severity 2 incidents
    2. Problem Mgmt
      1. Goal

        2. Minimize the adverse impacts of incidents and problems on the business caused by errors in the IT infrastructure and initiate actions to prevent recurrence of incidents related to those errors.
      2. Benefit

        3. Avoid repeated incidents, for example:
        - Number of repeat incidents
        - Number of existing Problems
        - Number of existing Known Errors
        Minimize impact of problems, for example:
        - Average time for diagnosis of Problems
        - Average time for resolution of Known Errors
        - Number of open Problems
        - Number of open Known Errors
        - Number of repeat Problems
        - Number of Major Incident/Problem reviews
    3. Change Mgmt
      1. Goal

        2. Ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes, in order to minimize the impact of Change-related incidents upon service quality, and consequently to improve the the day-to-day operations of the organization.
      2. Benefit

        3. - Better alignment of IT service to business requirements
        - Increased visibility and communication on changes to both business and service support staff
        - Improved risk assessment
        - Reduced adverse impact of changes on the quality of services and on SLAs
        - Improved problem and availability management through the use of valuable management information relating to changes
        - Fewer changes to be backed-out
    4. Configuration Mgmt
      1. Goal

        2. Provide information on the IT infrastructure to all other processes and IT management. Enable control of the infrastructure by monitoring and maintaining information on all the resources needed to deliver services.
      2. Benefit

        3. - Providing accurate information on Configuration Items (CIs) and their documentation
        - Controlling valuable CIs
        - Facilitating adherence to legal obligations
        - Helping with financial and expenditure planning
        - Making software changes visible
        - Contributing to contingency planning
        - Supporting and improving Release management
        - Allowing the organization to perform impact analysis and schedule changes safely and efficiently
        - Providing problem management with data on trends
    5. Release Mgmt
      1. Goal

        2. Implement changes to IT services taking a holistic (people, process, technology) view which considers all aspects of a change including planning, designing, building, testing, training, communications and deployment activities.
      2. Benefit

        3. Producing Operable Solutions, for example:
        - Number of implementations by passing Change Management
        - Number of implementations using non-standard components
        - Number of implementations using non-licensed components
        - Number of implementations non-authorized
        - Number of incidents caused by releases
        - Number of failed Releases
        Controlling Releases Into Production, for example:
        - Number of Releases implemented without a corresponding Request for Change
        - Number of urgent releases
        - Number of releases implemented but not adequately tested
        - Number of releases implemented without operational assurance
        Implementing Releases Into Production On Time, for example:
        - Number of Releases implemented
        - Number of Releases implemented late
    6. Availability Mgmt
      1. Goal

        2. Optimize the capability of the IT infrastructure, services and supporting organization to deliver a cost effective and sustained level of service availability that meets business requirements.
      2. Benefit

        3. Maintaining Availability and Reliability of IT Services, for example:
        - Number of incidents caused by hardware failures
        - Number of incidents caused by maintenance failures
        - Number of incidents caused by resilience failures
        - Number of incidents caused by security failures
        - Number of incidents caused by operational failures
        - Number of incidents caused by application failures
        - Number of incidents caused by data issues/problems
        - Number of incidents caused by lack of support skills
        - Number of incidents caused by customer actions
        Providing Availability Cost Effectively, for example:
        - Percentage of delivery cost per customer related to availability activities
        - Percentage of delivery cost per customer related to resiliency measures implemented
        Proactively Addressing Availability Improvements Where Needed, for example:
        - Number of Service Improvement Initiatives (SIPs) in place
        - Number of SIPs completed on time
        - Number of SIPs not yet staffed/started
    7. Service Level Mgmt
      1. Goal

        2. Plan, coordinate, negotiate, report and manage the quality of IT services at acceptable cost.
      2. Benefit

        3. Meeting Customer Needs and Priorities, for example:
        - Customer satisfaction score/rating
        - Average time to implement SLA requests
        - Number of SLAs in renegotiation
        - Number of SLAs requiring changes (targets not attainable, etc.)
        - Number of SLA issues logged
        Adherence To Service Levels, for example:
        - Number of SLA targets missed
        - Number of SLA targets threatened
        Providing Services Cost Effectively, for example:
        - Current cost per customer for delivery of services
        - Percentage improvement in delivery cost per customer
        Controlling Service Delivery, for example:
        - Number of Operational Level Agreement (OLA) issues logged
        - Number of Underpinning Contract issues logged
        Maintaining Recognized Industry Acceptance For IT Quality, for example:
        - Number of ITs articles/white papers published
        - Percentage IT Operations staff in industry (i.e; itSMF) programs
        - Percentage progress towards industry certification (i.e; ISO9000)
        - Dollars spent on external communications activities
        Maintaining an IT Service Culture, for example:
        - Percentage of IT Operations staff ITIL-aware
        - Number of IT Operations staff ITIL certified
        - Number of IT Operations staff with advanced ITIL certification
        - Number Of Agreed SLAs Not Supported By OLAs/UCs
    8. Service Desk
      1. Goal

        2. Provide a strategic central point of contact for customers and support the Incident Management process by providing an operational single point of contact to manage incidents to resolution.
      2. Benefit

        3. Ensure Long Term Customer Retention and Satisfaction, for example:
        - Percent Of Customers Given Satisfaction Surveys
        - Customer Satisfaction Rating Of Service Desk
        - Percent Of Caller Hold Times Within Service Targets
        - Percent Of Calls Responded To Within Service Targets
        - Number Of Incident Records Not Yet Closed
        - Number Of Calls Abandoned
        Assist In The Identification Of Business Opportunities, for example:
        - Number Of Calls Referred To Sales Organization
        - Dollar Value Of Referred Calls To Sales Organization
        Reduce Support Costs By Efficient Use Of Resources and Technologies, for example:
        - Percent Of Calls Resolved At The Service Desk Without Escalation
        - Staff Turnover Rate
        - Overall Cost Per Call

  2. Given that the client understands the value of adopting ITIL, classify which IBM Service Management product aligns with which ITIL processes, so that the client and advisor can begin to create the solution design.


    3. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Service Desk / Service Request Management / Service Request Fulfilment

      2. -IBM Tivoli Service Request Manager (TSRM)
    2. Service Catalogue Management

      3. -TSRM
    3. Knowledge Management

      4. -TSRM
    4. Event Management

      5. -Tivoli Monitoring
      -Tivoli Enterprise Console
      -Tivoli Netcool OMNIbus
      -Tivoli Network Manager
    5. Access Management

      6. -Tivoli Identity Manager
      -Tivoli Access Manager
    6. Incident Management

      7. -TSRM
      -IBM Tivoli Asset Management for IT (TAMIT)
      -Tivoli Composite Application Manager for Response Time Tracking
      -Tivoli Composite Application Manager for SOA
      -Tivoli Enterprise Console
      -Tivoli Monitoring
      -Tivoli Netcool OMNIbus
      -Tivoli OMEGAMON XE and DE
    7. Problem Management

      8. -TSRM
      - Tivoli Composite Application Manager for Response Time Tracking
      -Tivoli Composite Application Manager for WebSphere
      -Tivoli Data Warehouse
      -Tivoli Decision Support for z/OS
      -Tivoli Enterprise Console
      -Tivoli Monitoring
      -Tivoli Netcool OMNIbus
      -Tivoli Network Manager
      -Tivoli OMEGAMON XE and DE
    8. Change Management

      9. - Tivoli Business Service Manager
      -IBM Tivoli Change and Configuration Management Database (CCMDB)
      -TSRM
    9. Service Asset and Configuration Management

      10. -CCMDB
      -Tivoli Configuration Manager
      -Tivoli NetView
      -Tivoli Network Manager
    10. Release and Deploy Management

      11. -Tivoli Release Management Process Manager
      -Tivoli Composite Application Manager for WebSphere
      -Tivoli Configuration Manager
      -Tivoli Provisioning Manager
    11. Availability Management

      12. -Tivoli Business Service Manager
      -Tivoli Data Warehouse
      -Tivoli Enterprise Console
      -Tivoli Monitoring
      -Tivoli Netcool OMNIbus
      -Tivoli Service Level Advisor
      -Tivoli Capacity Management Process Manager
      -Tivoli Storage Process Manager
      -Tivoli Availability Management Process Manager
    12. Service Level Management

      13. -Tivoli Service Level Advisor
      -Tivoli Composite Application Manager for Response Time Tracking
    13. Supplier Management

      14. -TAMIT
    14. Capacity Management

      15. -Tivoli Capacity Management Process Manager
    15. Financial Management

      16. -TAMIT
    16. Risk Management

      17. -TAMIT
      -Tivoli Business Continuity Process Manager

  3. Given the need to summarize the value of the entire Tivoli portfolio, deliver a presentation that focuses on the three areas of Visibility, Control, and Automation, so that the customer understands IBM's approach to service management.


    4. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. What is IBM Service Management and what does it address?
      1. IBM Service Management provides the integrated visibility, control, and automation across business and technology assets needed to achieve business objectives.
      2. It will help bring IT and business together, to meet business priorities, improve efficiency and effectiveness, clarify prioritizations, enable better governance, and mitigate risk.
    2. Why should companies adopt a service management strategy?
      1. Gain increased insight to help minimize risk and deliver more predictable business results, for example:

        2. -I need insight to know if my IT projects are aligned with business objectives (both dev and operational projects).
        -I need insight into my development projects to know if they are behind or ahead of schedule.
        -I need insight into my business services to know if they are exceeding thresholds or if I am meeting my SLAs.
      2. Improve productivity leveraging best practices for software and service delivery, including understanding:

        3. -How effective are my processes today?
        -Where should I make improvements?
      3. Manage with confidence across new generation architectures, some examples include:

        4. -How can I bring in new generation technologies quickly as well as cost effectively?
        -Optimize service development on new generation architectures, like SOA.
        -How can I best leverage virtualization to help optimize workloads across the infrastructure?
      4. Deliver capabilities rapidly and reliably while managing change, some concerns here include:

        5. -How can I accelerate the software build process to speed service delivery?
        -Can I assess the potential impact of new changes?
        -How can I quickly assess problems caused by changes to my service environment?
      5. Improve and better manage quality, including:

        6. -How can I deliver high-quality software to meet business requirements?
        -How can I avert service quality problems? Can I leverage automation as a part of this process?
        -How can I quickly get to the root cause of problems?
      6. Delivering high-quality and cost-effective services is challenging. Reasons include:

        7. -Growing complexity; inflexible and silo's enterprises
        -Rapid, constant change
        -Rising costs
        -Tougher compliance
        -Widening gaps between operational and development spend
        -Insufficient and untimely access to accurate and critical data
    3. What is Visibility and what does it address?
      1. Challenge: Business and operational audiences lack the visibility needed to directly support and deliver against business objectives.

        2. -What is happening in your business and supporting infrastructure?
      2. Solution: Targeted real-time dashboards - Business, Compliance, and Operational dashboards leverage existing assets and provide the real-time visibility needed to manage against business objectives.
      3. Examples of Tivoli products: Tivoli Business Systems Manager
    4. What is Control and what does it address?
      1. Challenge: Poor control increases capital expenditures, operational expenditures, and risk impacting growth and innovation.

        2. -How do you control your assets to maximize business value?
      2. Solution: Integrated Asset Control - Helps recover assets and implement effective access control and change management processes across business and technology investments–maximizing ROI, minimizing service problems and improving security.
      3. Example of Tivoli products: Tivoli Asset Manager for IT, Maximo Asset Manager, Tivoli Identity Manager, Change and Configuration Management Database
    5. What is Automation and what does it address?
      1. Challenge: The operational processes that directly support delivery of revenue generating business services and processes are not automated or integrated.

        2. -How do you build agility and resilience into your operations?
      2. Solution: ‘Operational' Automation - Automates and integrates the operational processes and tools that directly support the delivery of critical business services and processes -to help maximize productivity and reduce new labor expense, while improving service assurance.
      3. Example of Tivoli products: IBM Tivoli Monitoring, Tivoli Process Managers

  4. Given the need to identify the Tivoli Solution that will meet customer requirements, define the software solutions provided by IBM Tivoli suite and the ability to map the solution to the customer's requirement, so that a proper solution can be identified for the customer.


    5. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Have an understanding of the major business processes that Tivoli Software Solutions focus upon.

      2. Following are the Business areas IBM Tivoli Software is focusing on:
      - Asset Management
      - Service Management
      - Business Application Management
      - IT Mainframe Management
      - IT Operational Management
      - Orchestration and Provisioning Management
      - Process Management Products
      - Security Management
      - Server, Network and Device Management
      - Service Management Platform
      - Service Management for Service Providers
      - Data Storage Management Solutions
      - Management Solutions for Growing Mid-Market Businesses
    2. Have an understanding of IT service management areas namely what exactly ITSM implies and how such processes can be automated through software solutions. Ability to explain following processes that are part of IT service Management:

      3. - Incident Management
      - Problem Management
      - Release Management
      - Change Management
      - Configuration Management
    3. Have an understanding of various important products (such as IBM Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager, TAMIT, SRM, TPM, etc.) available in Tivoli Suite that address the above mentioned business processes and to have an understanding of Key features and functionalities of each such product.
    4. Have an understanding of the client's requirement related to above mentioned business processes and the ability to map it with product family.
    5. Have an understanding of the SWOT analysis of the products in the Tivoli Suite.

      6. The ability to understand the key features and limitations of various products and certain examples of successful or failed implementation scenarios of the above mentioned products.

  5. Given that the customer accepts the IBM Solution, describe the product support life cycle of the proposed IBM products and services so that the customer understands how the solution will be supported into the future.


    6. With emphasis on performing the following tasks:
    1. Describe the standard IBM Support lifecycle policy.
      1. Provide a minimum of three years of product technical support beginning at the planned availability date of the version/release of the product.
      2. Ensure support is available for all IBM components of a product or until the product or bundle is withdrawn from support. In addition, all components of a bundle have a common End of Service date.
      3. Publish a notice of support discontinuance ("End of Service") for a product at least 12 months before the effective date.
      4. Align the effective date of support discontinuance ("End of Service") to occur on common dates either in the months of April or September.
      5. Make product support extensions available, where possible, that are designed to allow migration to the current release to be completed. For additional information, product technical support extensions beyond the three-year minimum period are available.
    2. Describe the enhanced IBM Support lifecycle policy.
      1. Provide a minimum of five years of product technical support beginning at the planned availability date of the version/release of the product.
      2. Ensure support is available for all IBM components of a product or until the product or bundle is withdrawn from support. In addition, all components of a bundle have a common End of Service date.
      3. Publish a notice of support discontinuance ("End of Service") for a product at least 12 months before the effective date.
      4. Align the effective date of support discontinuance ("End of Service") to occur on common dates either in the months of April or September.
      5. Make support extensions available, for an additional fee, for a minimum period of three years following the product's effective support discontinuance date. Support extensions are designed to allow migration to the current release to be successfully completed.
      6. Apply to selected IPLA licensed software.
    3. Describe how these impact the proposed solution products and services.
      1. The customer can realize the full value of your IBM middleware software products, maximizing your software support investment and controlling their upgrade strategy.
      2. By maintaining a current Software Maintenance, Subscription and Support, or SupportLine agreements, customers receive the maximum value of their software products and can take full advantage of technology enhancements on their business schedule and requirements.

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