balajigyb

[balajigyb]

Automation Best Practices in IT Services

To sum it up, I would say, Automation is the only way to go as we move forward almost in every field today, including IT Operations. But, since the Best BPM software Practices are going to be long-term, we need to seriously focus on a framework now, should choose the use cases or business processes judiciously to start with, and should have a structured project-like approach to make Automation a real success story.

Process Automation has been the Buzz word in today’s business. Every business is desperately looking to adopt digitalization and automation, trying to create magic through automation and reap the benefits in terms of cost optimization, efficiency, and quality. But unfortunately, the outcomes have never been the same for all the organizations.

Especially in IT services, while some organizations made it in the right direction, mostly are grappling with high-level visions, with little or no framework to follow for the Digital Process Automation approach on the ground. Automation in IT operations has been relatively new, and the technologies are evolving. The market has been flooded with a plethora of Automation tools, all promising magical transformations and vouching for AIOps with AI and ML being the key technology drivers, but one major principle is almost overlooked by organizations a Tool is only a Tool, without an Automation Strategy, without an Automation Framework, even the best of the Automation Tools will not bring out the desired results for the organization.

Here I would like to talk about the basic framework that is needed in an organization for a successful Automation journey in Managed Services.

It is believed that any organization going for Automation must have an Automation Strategy which should be based on the foundation of the following six pillars:

Process Excellence, which means the business processes are efficient, effective,, The initial business processes or operational tasks were chosen for automation must and undergo regular improvement; One of the primary criteria for automation is process standardization. Any process which is not standard cannot be automated. This effectively means that before even we think of automating any process, the processes need to be addressing all possible scenarios holistically.

Automation Governance, which means that there is continuous monitoring of the systems under automation. The effectiveness must be measured and the failures in automation must be identified and managed, including methods of re-engineering the automation processes. Without focused automation governance, the efforts and timelines of automation projects may completely lose track.

Data Governance, which includes data management policies, access, and usage decision rights, and securing the data resources; I would like to highlight that, this pillar is one of the critical building blocks for automation. Since the automation solutions need data inputs from various data sources, the data formats and security access approvals become major bottlenecks for Digital Process Automation programs. One important point which is mostly overlooked is that the Data requirements for automation normally cut across many functions and risk assessment and mitigation for such data becomes very critical for Data Governance. As a framework, it’s recommended that the Data Governance team must be aligned with Automation projects right from the project initiation stage.

Automation Applications Governance, which is about detailed study and evaluation of various Automation Applications or tools before selection of the right fitting tools for the right jobs.

Definitive Configuration Documentation or maintaining detailed documentation for Automation deployment at every stage with proper data source and integration details.

Technical Skill Building which includes hiring and training the Automation Technology professionals in the outsourced or insourced models for automation setup configurations and regular support for the technology.

While these pillars form the framework of Automation BPM tools Practice, I would also like to talk about the steps that should be taken for starting any automation project, it’s especially in IT Operations. Here I would like to address a scenario in which the organization is a first time approaching IT operation automation.

Step 1: Choose the Processes to be automated or areas to be covered

One of the major reasons for Business Process Automation project failure is not being clear about ‘what to automate’. Few important things to consider:

Are the processes considered repetitive?

What is the total workload i.e. how many such instances come up in a day and is it a significant manual effort?

Initial automation processes should not have complex expectations, i.e. the automation should not be expected to cover Non-deterministic tasks, it should not be expected to be continuously adapting & self-learning, and should not be expected to handle unstructured data. All these complex BPM software expectations should be addressed in the second phase of automation.

It is important that the initial business processes or operational tasks were chosen for automation should have a significant impact to showcase. Identifying strong use cases at the very beginning is an important step in your digital journey.

Step 2: Identify and involve all the stakeholders

Automation is a relatively new order for any organization. So, stakeholders for the success of this project must be well thought about as there may not be any precedence of automation team formation. In general, one must consider the following set of people’s participation in the team:

Subject Matter Experts for the functions which are to be automated. From an It Operations perspective, these may be SMEs of various technologies on which tasks will be automated.

Process Experts, who can validate the standardized processes and can guide the automation team in terms of process requirements, dependency understandings, and evidence creations.

Core Automation Team comprising of Automation Platform Developers, Data Analysts, and other technology resources (this can be outsourced as well).

IT & Information Security Team for guiding and making the resources available for automation platform to interface with various systems or applications.

IT Operations Team or Business Users who can do UAT and can give valuable inputs from users’ perspectives to improve the automation solutions.

Step 3: Execution of the Automation Project

Once the Business Processes or the Use Cases for automation are identified, the right set of people are identified for the automation project, the next and most important step comes in, which is the actual Project Execution for Automation. 

In many organizations, we find that there is no separate focus team or project for automation. Business Process Management is treated as just another activity or assignment for some of the executives. This approach mostly heads for failure. The best-recommended way is to approach it as a project. The Automation Project should start with a definitive plan, should have an agreed charter from management, and should have broad phases defined like:

Automation Plan & Design Phase

Implementation Phase

Testing & Correction Phase

Roll Out Phase

[balajigyb]

Why is it the Platform of Choice for our customers?

With remote work being the new trend, Organizations are in need to provide an ecosystem that will support employees to work efficiently and also keep them informed on the latest Org. updates. Employees should be able to get their requests (eg: Business travel requests, petty cash claims, etc) with internal departments fulfilled at the ease of their work location. This also provides the org. an opportunity to streamline internal processes and measure the performance of departments/employees. Does your Organization have an online collaboration platform for internal communications? Do you collaborate on documents with your colleagues across the organization in a seamless way?Were u able to quickly find information or knowledge within your org.?Do you have a unified system for all of your internal requests? Do you have visibility on the performance of your departments? Do you know Microsoft SharePoint can act as one unified platform to address all of the above questions and is been designed with several in-built features that can benefit the employees? As per Microsoft, more than 200,000 organizations and 190 million people have the best SharePoint company for +intranets, team sites, and content management. SharePoint portal is available as part of your O365 / M365 packages, thus making it a cost-effective solution and increasing the adoption of your available platforms. As it is available as a SAAS platform, the organization doesn’t have to worry about provisioning and managing servers, storage, etc., required to operate the platform. 

The functional features of SharePoint are unlimited, thus we are highlighting only the key features! Content Management – Manage all your content in one place. Publish organization updates, events, post pictures, etc., at ease. Document Management – Maintain a centralized document library, share securely with other users, collaborate in real-time. Security – Manage who can have access to your portal & documents, leverage Azure information protection, and rights management to classify documents. Workflows & Automation – Have workflow and approvals for contents posted in the intranet portal, documents. Define workflow with KPI & SLA for all internal processes, have the right approval mechanism in place with digital signatures. Anywhere, Anytime – Access the platform from anywhere through any device. 

Microsoft SharePoint Partner

with add-on capabilities of other solutions as part of O365/M365 packages, such as Power automate, Power Apps, Power BI, Teams, One-drive, Email, etc., making it a Platform of choice for our customers. At Intertec, we have over a decade of experience in implementing all-possible solutions on SharePoint technology for 50+ customers. We have delivered Portals, DMS, Paperless office / Process automation, On-prem to online migration, Tenant to Tenant migration projects, etc., with our highly qualified functional & technical consultants. Register today for a free consultant on

SharePoint development

and know more about how we can work together.

[balajigyb]

Top 10 to Try – Best Iron-rich foods for Toddlers & Kids

Have an infant or youngster in your own home? Is it time to start feeding your little smooth infant with strong food?  Are you involved approximately how to get your infant/youngster to devour healthy ensuring crucial nutrition they need to develop? Stop annoying, we've got your return. Pediatricians at Quick MD Pediatric medical institution help to set your thoughts comfortable via recommending the right nutrients plans for your infants.

From prenatal visits to vaccinations and annual physicals for adults, Quick MD care affords the best pediatric services in  Mckinney, Texas. Our friendly & expert pediatric team of workers provides tremendous but less costly fitness and proper baby care so your children can grow into healthy adults.

Feeding nutritious meals to your infants may be a warfare that every parent may want to relate to. A developing baby needs to get critical nutrients from the meals. However, infants are at the onset of their personal alternatives & meals picks. Often, they exhibit picky and fussy eating behaviors.    

It looks a bit greater white and bland. Kids are picky approximately what they prefer to put in their mouths. They have numerous logic to reject top meals: I don’t like inexperienced, the smell of pumpkin gained’t work for me.    

Caregivers need to take note of children’s nutrition due to the fact it's far critical for their bodily and mental development, however also because a lack of essential nutrients can cause many problems that abate their improvement. One such critical nutrient that we can cowl is iron. Iron is one of the factors that assist the body produce hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is needed via the body to move oxygen among cells.    

The variety of meals is beginning to slender, and a few favorites with nutrient deficiencies are rising.

One of the maximum common nutrient deficiencies in youth is iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency (Anemia)  isn't uncommon in youngsters and has a negative have an effect on their neurodevelopment and behavior. Iron deficiency can cause anemia. An aggregate of picky consumption and a lack of parental cognizance can lead to many younger children stricken by this nutrient deficiency.    

In this publish, permit’s speak approximately iron-wealthy food for infants with a specific emphasis on choosy eaters. We will take a look at some of the excellent-recognized foods, which are proper assets of iron, and the way the combination of those foods can help save you the occurrence of anemia in young children.

Iron Deficiency/ Anemia  

Iron in pink blood cells facilitates to move of oxygen and shipping it to distinct elements of the frame. People who get iron deficiency don’t get enough iron in their weight-reduction plan. Red blood cells inside the body contain iron in their hemoglobin, the protein that contains oxygen from body tissue to the lungs. Iron offers hemoglobin the energy to hold oxygen via the blood so that it receives to wherein it belongs.  

This situation is referred to as anemia. Anemia takes place whilst much less oxygen enters the cells and tissues, which affects the way the body functions. This way that the frame can not produce hemoglobin, because of this that it produces fewer purple blood cells.    

Iron performs a vital role in muscle characteristics, energy production, and brain improvement. As an end result, kids with iron deficiency may also have mastering and behavioral troubles.

Iron Deficiency Signs in Toddlers:

Pale skin

The low urge for food

Dizziness

Frequently falling sick, catching a chilly.

Increased heartbeat

What is considered ordinary iron ranges in children?

7 to one year—11 mg consistent with day

1-three years———– 7 mg according to day

four-eight years————10 mg consistent with day

 10-Best Iron Rich Foods for Toddlers & Kids.

In newborns, iron saved in their bodies is sufficient for the primary four months. Newborn infants can consume iron from breast milk and the system.

Vegans, vegetarians, and fussy kids need to consume greater iron than encouraged. Iron is to be had in two paperwork: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is absorbed with the aid of our frame. Animals and meat contain heme, even as heme-free iron comes from plant-primarily based foods. Foods including lean meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy products incorporate each.

Now that you have looked at the reasons and the excitement surrounding our iron additives without tons of fuss, allow us to introduce you to the iron-wealthy foods that you can comprise into your infant’s nutrients.

Meat and Seafood are appropriate assets of Iron

Chicken and turkey breasts include iron. Even lamb chops can paintings. Seafood together with oysters and canned tuna, which are one of the major assets of omega-3, also are good sources of iron.

You can also attempt to make your dish creamier using the use of avocado as opposed to milk. Children generally tend to reject meat, so that they tempt them with chook nuggets, spaghetti, or meatballs. You also can reduce the beef into funny shapes.

Dried Fruits

Dried fruits are something that kids love, Raisins are frequently preferred by children and raisins can beat constipation too. You could also experiment with other options such as purple tart cherries, dried apricot, and diced watermelons    

Fortified Cereals and Oatmeal

Many dried breakfast bowls filled with cereals for children are fortified with iron up to one hundred% of the daily requirement. To make oatmeal greater thrilling, upload raisins and a pinch of cinnamon. Avoid a day-by-day part of them because they're high in sugar and sodium.

Beans & Lentils

Protein is just not the reason why one ought to encompass chickpeas, kidney beans, soybeans, lentils, or different pulsed beans on your food regimen. Peanut butter is wealthy in iron and may be used as a variety or served to kids. Peanut butter incorporates 0.Fifty-six mg iron per tablespoon.

White beans are top when it comes to iron, supplying 8 mg in line with serving. Serve with rice or in a sandwich. However, this quantity may additionally vary relying on the brand. The iron in those figures will vary through a logo.

Greens are the Best Source of Iron

Vegans, vegetarians, and fussy kids devour greater iron than encouraged. Spinach, kale, and broccoli are all vegetables, whether or not for youngsters or adults. Cut your vegetables on your kids’ favorite dishes. Transform your kids’ smoothie into an extra nutritious blend of veggies in your children’s smoothie.

Dark Chocolate

The fan base for this dark chocolate is huge. Rich in antioxidants, most adults could include it in their eating regimen, however, babies regularly reject it because of its bitter flavor. It carries 7 mg of iron in a serving of three ounces.

Try adding shredded nuts along with pistachios or cashew nuts to big dishes that you cook dinner for your baby. You can soften the darkish chocolate and blend it with peanut butter for a scrumptious flavor. Dark chocolate is one of the nice iron-wealthy foods for your youngsters.

Nuts & Seeds

Nuts & seeds are not the simplest rich in iron however healthy fats, protein, zinc, and other vital minerals too.

Certain seeds inclusive of pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds also are healthy. They are not the most effective nutritious however additionally add flavor to the food.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are mainly wealthy in vitamin C. Tip: The absorption of nutrition C into the iron-wealthy food plan is a notable way to ensure that iron is absorbed by the frame. Another extremely good source of ferrous foods is to serve your kids complete nuts, like entire raisins, because they are terrific for suffocating problems. Eggs are rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and iron and are bold.

So the next time you bake a pleasing potato for your pricey youngsters, do not forget to maintain their skin. The use of potato peels contains extra iron and vitamin C.

Eggs

Eggs are an outstanding source of protein, vitamins, and minerals consisting of iron and eggs are audacious. You can serve them like boiled, or as scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, or fried egg sandwiches.

Mushrooms

Certain mushrooms together with oyster mushrooms are wealthy in iron. Think of your child’s well-being via getting ready healthy meals, encouraging them to eat them.

Are your toddlers or kids getting sufficient iron? Or in case you think your little one is iron-poor, consult a doctor or pediatrician for iron supplementation and personalized diet plans that help your kids’ overall improvement.

The pediatricians at Quick MD Care are right here to assist dad and mom expand nutrition plans which are pleasant for his or her youngsters. Our group of pediatric medical doctors provide prenatal visits for professional understanding, information and may coordinate diets for not unusual & complex medical situations, our proper baby-care services help you create healthful conduct for your kids that closing an entire life.

[balajigyb]

About the Author:

Saumen Ghosh

specializes in Managed Services Pre-Sales and Solution designing with an overall Managed Services Experience of more than 15 years. Presently he is leading Managed Services Pre-Sales function for Intertec and has profound experience in both Managed Services Design & Delivery with domain expertise in ITIL Processes, Tools, and Automation.

The Changing Landscape of Managed Services

 The landscape of Managed Services is fast changing. A decade back, Managed Services would typically translate to manpower services bound with various skills, scope, SLA, and at times physical availability. The Skill requirements for the Managed Services Delivery were limited. Infrastructure typically meant on-premise hardware maintenance, network meant physical network with multiple OEM specific configurations, troubleshooting skills, and telecom support meant again OEM specific hardware and associated software maintenance skills.

Co-Existence with Cloud

Today with the fast advent of the cloud, almost every customer environment is transforming into a hybrid one. Data consistency across private-public networks is a new paradigm. Even cloud environments are multiple today. With multiple options available in IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS, every business today is opting for the best suitable cloud option. What is not apparent is that, with each such venture, the operation skill set requirements keep expanding.

Technical Transformation Journey

Today, MSP does not only have to manage the On-Prem Infra but also have to ensure that every cloud platform for Infra, Platform or Software is well maintained and synchronous. With Software-defined Network and Security, with omni channel accessibility for every application, with integration requirements and possibilities springing up every now and then, even Managed Services Operations team today must address Technical Transformations as a continuous function rather than a one-time Transition activity of earlier days.

People Skills or Organization Skills

With newer technologies coming up every other day, the older approach of fully in-house IT Operations team’s skill set is also being challenged. Unlike, earlier days, now even MSP cannot keep all necessary skills onsite and the availability of a shared pool of skills from remote delivery center becomes imperative. Gradually the perception of skill is getting changed, rather than expecting few identified resources having the mastery of skills, now the expectation is that the MSP will get the relevant skill available for support irrespective of the skills of the operations team involved.

The expectation of ‘Always On’

With the Pandemic situation forcing the bulk of the employees of any organization to work of home, the Service availability gambit has changed drastically. Now every user is expected to have the same level of service 24x7 across all locations, be it office or be it home. This has again raised the Managed Services expectations across the globe and obviously, it will never go back to the old standards.

Adoption of Remote Support Model

One of the few good practices which have however set in during these Pandemic times is that people have gleefully agreed to remote IT support. For years, remote support acceptability had been a challenge in many parts of the world, but in post Pandemic ages, I believe it will cease to be a taboo. On a long-term effect, this trend will definitely push for a more matured remote-operated Managed Services model, bringing true value to Managed Services.

Consolidation of Other Services

Organizations are fast realizing that its always good to have one single point for users for all possible IT operation needs and its good to have all operations, be it Business Applications, Data Center facility Management, or board Room Audio -Video support, UPS Management or even cabling support aligned to one Operations Team. Although there are merits and demerits to this approach, today many organizations are looking at the holistic accountability of IT Operations as one of the key drivers for improvement and MSPs are also fast adapting to this change.

Automation is the name of the game

Cost optimization through enhanced efficiency has always remained the biggest expectation from Managed Services. But if we look back over the last decade and a half, the focus mostly hovered around operation expertise. Ultimately it boiled down to process optimization, cross-skilling, upskilling, incident elimination, Knowledge base, training, and the likes. With the development of true automation for managed services in UAE platforms now, the perception about IT Operations is fast changing. We are all looking into executing operations in a truly automated way, the Bot way. Be it Workplace management, or Service Desk, Data Center Operations, or User interface, everywhere now there is a possibility of true automation and thereby a true Cost optimization. This drive will eventually unsettle all age-old Managed Services Operations norms and in the coming years, we will see the ever-changing face of Managed Services through Automation.

     Change is the only constant as we all say and believe. With time Managed Services Practices have traveled a long way. With these recent changes in Managed Services trends, definitely Managed Services Providers will have to grow to a value delivery position for their customers. It will for sure not be a run-in-the-mill game of regular operations. The MSP must continue to build on Technology Practice, Automation practice along with core Processes & People practices. Technical Expertise of the organization, Experience of Managed Services nuances, customer centricity, and above all strong drive for innovation will make the right MSP successful in this evolving market.