Managing Change from the Top: Using Fact-Based Enforcement to Support Change Management Policies

Abstract

No doubt about it, change is an ever-present fact of life in the dynamic environment of an IT data center. But how change is managed, and how change management is enforced, can make the difference between how efficiently an IT organization handles security, system availability, costs, and efficiency—or, how it does not. Unfortunately, change can be an organization's worst enemy if not controlled. Unauthorized and undocumented change results in serious threats to operational stability, security, and compliance posture. But change, when managed clearly and consistently, can also accelerate an organization's performance—that is, if strong change management processes and policies are enforced.