ITOM Academy, the experienced provider of SMAX training courses.
The interview was conducted by Bernd Cyriax (BC) from the "Social Media and Education" project and Wolf-Dietrich Schmook (WDS),
chief developer and trainer at cTc GmbH for ITOM topics (known under the nickname Wodisch).
The
ITOM Academy is a division of
cTc GmbH.
[BC] Wodisch, you have been providing know-how on the subject of "IT Service Management" for years.
[WDS] Yes, I started with the "HP Service Desk" and "Peregrine Service Center" programs.
Then came the "HP Service Manager" (HPSM) with many new important functions.
The integrations, such as with Config Item Management (UCMDB) or Event Management (Operations Bridge),
made HPSM a comprehensive tool, but also a challenge for training.
In addition to the HPSM, you also had to be able to use and understand the integrated products and interpret the data supplied.
Today, with SMAX (Service Management Automation X) from OpenText, we have even simpler automation in IT or enterprise service management.
[BC] Do you use existing material for this?
[WDS] In the past, yes, especially since Service Manager I have developed in-depth and task-specific content,
as well as presenting the integrations and data flow in a way that users can understand.
I developed a comprehensive curriculum for SMAX, which is only available in this breadth and depth from the ITOM Academy.
Our role-specific approach was a key success factor and, from the customer's point of view, the key to success.
I consider the practicable use of the extensive official documentation to be important.
And as soon as the focus is on automation, we already have the relevant courses on offer.
My goal is to sufficiently prepare participants for their everyday tasks.
[BC] Are these topics only offered at the ITOM Academy?
[WDS] All courses with these topics can also be booked through Open Text Education.
[BC] Does a new SMAX user have to attend all of these seminars?
[WDS] No, the scope of training is largely determined by the task at hand.
In the "Summer School 2024" offer, this is separated into decision-makers, developers, administrators and end users.
With this affordable offer, even newcomers can familiarize themselves with the topic quickly and inexpensively.
For project-specific content, please send an email with your contact details to
sales@ITOM-Akademie.de.
[BC] How do I figure what is required?
[WDS] Well, SMAX is already usable "out of the box".
[BC] So can a new SMAX customer get started without any action on their part?
[WDS] Not quite - at least names, responsibilities or access rights must be entered according to the customer's specifications.
Of course, the customer's usual terms can also be entered.
[BC] A service provider can also do that, can't they?
[WDS] In general, yes, but this kind of data changes all the time, even at short notice.
And you don't want to hire a service provider for every (small) change.
With in-house knowledge, customers can react quickly.
[BC] So is a simple basic briefing enough?
[WDS] For some, such as most end users, this is all it takes. If I want more, I need to be able to do more.
With SMAX, for example, you can automate many everyday tasks. With just a few clicks, work is significantly accelerated and simplified.
[BC] I understand! The more I want the tool to be able to do, the more I have to prepare?
[WDS] One highlight of SMAX, for example, is the service catalog.
Services (completion of tasks) can be selected here - even at short notice - which employees can order at the touch of a button.
In the simplest case, such a service can be an order.
However, it is also possible to provide and configure a new VM (virtual machine), which is automatically created (provisioned) and ready for use.
The approval of additional rights is also easy via the service catalog, naturally using a suitable approval chain.
This relieves the burden on IT. The necessary know-how is taught in the "deep dive courses".
The SMAX Training Guide shows various options.
However, it makes sense to have a discussion in which the task is first narrowed down and a customer-specific concept is created on this basis.
[BC] This is where I come in.
Dear interested party, simply inform us about your project and we will create a suitable concept.
Wodisch, I will get back to you shortly to discuss the topic in more detail.
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