In our article Choosing Resilience Over Reliability, we discussed the difference between “imagined systems” and “found systems.” The former are built for reliability, with backups and failover systems in-place; the assumption is that things will work as they are supposed to.
The latter are designed for resilience with the ability to recover quickly from failures, to recognize and respond to abnormal situations, and be able to quickly adapt to change – that is, to expect the unexpected.
A core premise of resilient IT systems is that unknown events will inevitably happen, so a significant effort is put into proactive maintenance such as perpetual monitoring and analytical reviews during operations. Maintenance is a constantly running process and not a scheduled event. This ITSM-friendly approach creates systems that are highly adaptive and flexible enough to recognize issues and change, as needed.
This adaptive/resilient philosophy results in IT processes that thrive on change and being adaptable. The goal is to use data being produced by the system to drive continuous improvement. Highly specific systems, with limited capability to adapt, do not do well in this approach and tend towards early failure or obsolescence.
Resilient Solutions from Crow Canyon
As solution developers, we at Crow Canyon seek to provide software that enables a proactive, resilient approach. Our SharePoint-integrated solutions are closely aligned with ITIL best practices. Our applications are designed to help your teams identify issues and restore normal operations as quickly as possible. They provide your teams with the communications tools they need to effectively engage with your employees or customers for precise and timely recovery from incidents.
All of our solutions include robust reporting and analytics capabilities that facilitate continual service improvement. Our reporting and analytics functionality tracks and records all data-points as they pass through configurable workflows. Comprehensive filters enable you to view data that is relevant to your specific business needs, with dashboard results being visually conveyed via charts and graphs. This approach provides invaluable feedback when implementing ITIL-based Continual Service Improvement initiatives.
Conclusion
Whether in IT, Facilities, Customer Service, or other business processes, implementing adaptive solutions produces results that can hold up to the demands of everyday use and also to the constantly evolving technology environment. Businesses and organizations need systems that can evolve and adapt as needed, while proving resilient in the face of failures and other stresses. Be sure to consider this when looking to replace a solution or bring on a new one.
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Crow Canyon Software delivers the power of a connected, digital workplace to your organization, helping you be more successful and competitive. We provide the tools that allow you to gain the maximum benefit from SharePoint and Office 365, Microsoft’s premier collaboration platforms.
Want to learn about how our business productivity applications for SharePoint and Office 365 can power up your organization? Give us a call at 1-925-478-3110 or contact us by e-mail at sales@crowcanyon.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
