Real IRM launches IT4IT™ training programme

Enterprise Architecture specialist Real IRM has launched a two-day training programme – aimed at certifying individuals in The Open Group IT4IT™ Reference Architecture standard.
 
This coincides with The Open Group conference in London this week which saw the official launch of the IT4IT™ certification. Real IRM is immediately bringing the certification to South African shores to add to their existing portfolio of international certification programmes from The Open Group – which includes TOGAF® and ArchiMate®.
 
Real IRM’s CEO, Stuart Macgregor, notes that “Individuals skilled in IT4IT™ will form a crucial link, connecting IT with Business and guiding their organisation on its journey to digital transformation.”
 
“The rapid growth in new styles of technology – like Big Data, Cloud, and IT consumerisation – requires us to better manage the 'business of IT,” he adds.

High expectations

From late-2015 to the present day, IT4IT™ has been the most talked-about standard to emerge from The Open Group.
 
The standard has already been adopted by a number of leading global firms that were integrally involved in its development, including the likes of Accenture and Shell, among many others.
 
Gartner notes that: “The insights that IT4IT promises to deliver will enable opportunities for cost reduction to be identified, freeing up budget for innovation. Gartner estimates that for a $1 billion per annum IT function, this benefit could be 5%-20% of total budget”.

Relationship to other frameworks and standards

The IT4IT™ Reference Architecture is essentially a value chain-based operating model for managing the business of IT. It places practical emphasis on defining an organisation’s IT value chain – enabling services to be systematically tracked across the service life cycle.
 
The IT4IT™ Reference Architecture is not a replacement to existing frameworks and standards, such as ITIL and TOGAF (which generally place an emphasis on process). It is designed to work in harmony with existing frameworks, focusing instead on the data needed to manage a service through its lifecycle.
 
IT4IT™ Reference Architecture can also be used with an organisation’s existing development and delivery model - supporting approaches such as Agile, Waterfall, Rapid Application Delivery, Lean Kanban, and even fully elaborated IT service management process models.
 
For individuals aiming to become certified in a range of EA standards, the IT4IT™ Reference Architecture adds another dimension. It augments one’s qualifications such as ITIL and TOGAF®, by providing a lifecycle / value chain view (as opposed to process-only views).
 
The IT4IT™ certification programme is aimed at architects and other IT professionals responsible for delivering IT services, business transformation, or instrumenting the IT management landscape. It empowers individuals with a basic understanding of the IT Value Chain and IT4IT™ Reference Architecture.
 
For more information on the two-day programme, click here.