1. Info-Tech Research Group1 Info-Tech Research Group, Inc. Is a global leader in providing IT research and advice. Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns. © 1997-2013 Info-Tech Research Group Inc. Deploy Changes More Rapidly by Going Agile Accelerate the pace of change, without losing control. Info-Tech's products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns.© 1997 - 2013 Info-Tech Research Group

2. Info-Tech Research Group2 You can have fast, frequent deployments and also maintain stability by creating collaborative teams and streamlined operational processes. Introduction Understand how applying Agile principles to Infrastructure change allows you to deploy new and enhanced functionality quickly and safely. Transform company culture to embrace frequent change as the new norm. Establish collaborative teams of experts who handle changes easily and successfully. Streamline change and release processes so that changes can be deployed more rapidly. This Research Is Designed For:This Research Will Help You: CIOs who want to be responsive to change, but also ensure reliability and availability of computing services. Infrastructure managers who are challenged by frequent change requests and want to respond more quickly to the Business. Change and Release managers who are tasked with executing rigorous, yet agile service management processes.

3. Info-Tech Research Group3 Executive Summary Achieve a Faster Time to Market by Going Agile Establish Collaborative Teams and Engage with the Business Create an Action Plan for Increasing your Agility You can deploy new functionality that drives the business forward – and you can do it rapidly, while still maintaining the reliability and availability of your critical services and applications. One size does not fit all, so different tiers of service can provide varying levels of agility, depending on the nature of the business. Agile teams embrace change and constantly strive to achieve a level of collaboration that allows them to evaluate and deploy changes quickly and successfully. In an Agile organization, IT engages with the Business by establishing open lines of communication and by customizing service levels to meet business objectives and priorities. Streamline and Optimize Change and Deployment Protocols Agile processes are designed to be quick and nimble when evaluating and deploying change. Change controls are rigorous, but streamlined. Compliance standards are met, but do not impede progress. Automation is key for all processes – change evaluation and assessment, testing, and release build and deployment. Use Info-Tech’s Agility Assessment Tools to determine where you are in terms of agility right now. Assess and document what’s missing to get you where you want to be. Create a customized Action Plan, based on your specific requirements. Complete the Action Plan in sprints or phases, based on your priorities and resources.

4. Info-Tech Research Group4 How to use this blueprint We recommend that you supplement the Best Practices Blueprint with a Guided Implementation. For most Info-Tech members, these Guided Implementations are included in your membership plan.* Our expert analysts will provide telephone assistance to you and your team at key project milestones to review your materials, answer your questions, and explain our methodology. Info-Tech Research Group’s expert analysts will come onsite to help you work through our project methodology in a 2-5 day project accelerator workshop. We take you through every phase of the project and ensure that you have a road map in place to complete your project successfully. In some cases, we can even complete the project while we are onsite. Do-It-Yourself Implementation Use this Best Practice Blueprint to help you complete your project. The slides in this Blueprint will walk you step-by-step through every phase of your project with supporting tools and templates ready for you to use. Project Accelerator Workshop You can also use this Best Practice Blueprint to facilitate your own project accelerator workshop within your organization using the workshop slides and facilitation instructions provided in the Appendix. Book your workshop now by emailing: WorkshopBooking@InfoTech.com WorkshopBooking@InfoTech.com Best Practice Blueprint Free Guided ImplementationOnsiteWorkshops * Gold and Silver level subscribers only Or calling: 1-888-670-8889 Ext. 3001 There are multiple ways you can use this Info-Tech Best Practice Blueprint in your organization. Choose the option that best fits your needs:

5. Info-Tech Research Group5 Book a free guided implementation today! Info-Tech is just a phone call away and can assist you with your project. Our expert Analysts can guide you to successful project completion. For most members, this service is available at no additional cost.* Here’s how it works: 1. Enroll in a Guided Implementation for your project Send an email to GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com Or call 1-888-670-8889 and ask for the Guided Implementation CoordinatorGuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com 2. Book your analyst meetings Once you are enrolled in a Guided Implementation, our analysts will reach out to book a series of milestone-related telephone meetings with you and your team. 3. Get advice from a subject matter expert At each Guided Implementation point, our Consulting Analyst will review your completed deliverables with you, answer any of your questions, and work with you to plan out your next phase. * Gold and Silver level subscribers only This symbol signifies when you’ve reached a Guided Implementation point in your project.

6. Info-Tech Research Group6 When we introduce new Blueprints, we offer workshops to our members at no charge for a short beta testing period. Please check the Workshop section of our website for a list of free beta workshops. Book a workshop today! An Info-Tech project accelerator workshop will help you to engage your stakeholders, gather important data, make key decisions, and generate a customized project road map. Here’s how it works: 1. Enroll in a 2-5 day workshop for your project Send an email to workshopbooking@infotech.com or call 1-888-670-8889 Ext. 3001. Your account manager will contact you and quote you the cost of a workshop.workshopbooking@infotech.com 2. Book your workshop A Workshop Coordinator will contact you to book a workshop planning call with one of our Facilitators and arrange dates for your workshop. We can hold the workshop in Info-Tech’s world-class facility in Toronto or at your location. 3. Plan your workshop A Workshop Facilitator will contact you to go over the workshop outline and choose the contents that are appropriate to your situation. 4. Participate in your workshop Our experienced Workshop Facilitators will take your project team through your tailored slides and exercises and will summarize all the workshop outputs into a final report. Free Beta Workshops

7. Info-Tech Research Group7 Guided Implementation Points in the Agile Infrastructure project Section 1: Do you have a problem that Agile can fix? Use Info-Tech’s Agile Fit Assessment Tool to assess how an Agile approach might help your organization.Agile Fit Assessment Tool Section 2: Assess your current state – People Use Info-Tech’s Agile People Assessment Tool to determine how agile you are with respect to Company Culture, Team Collaboration, and Customer Engagement.Agile People Assessment Tool Section 3: Assess your current state - Processes Use Info-Tech’s Agile Process Assessment Tool to determine how agile you are with respect to Change and Release management, Compliance processes, Testing, and Automation.Agile Process Assessment Tool Section 4: Create an Action Plan for going Agile Use Info-Tech’s Agile Project Prioritization Tool to determine how to execute your Agile action plan, based on your current environment and priorities.Agile Project Prioritization Tool To enroll, send an email to GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com or call 1-888-670-8889 and ask for the Guided Implementation Coordinator.GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com This symbol signifies when you’ve reached a Guided Implementation point in your project. Book a Guided Implementation Today: Info-Tech is just a phone call away and can assist you with your project. Our expert Analysts can guide you to successful project completion. Here are the suggested Guided Implementation points in the Agile Infrastructure project:

8. Info-Tech Research Group8 What’s in this Section: Sections: Apply Agile Philosophy to Infrastructure Change Facilitate Agile Through Collaboration and Engagement Make your Processes Agile Implement An Agile Action Plan Adapting Agile will allow IT to provide new and enhanced functionality more quickly and frequently, and free up resources for strategic projects. Agile is achieved through executive commitment, team collaboration, right-sized controls and testing, and automation. A one-sized Agile approach does not work for all organizations, but a tailored approach should benefit organizations of all size and type. Info-Tech’s Agile Fit Assessment Tool will assess whether an Agile Approach matches your organization’s needs.

9. Info-Tech Research Group9 Adapt Agile Software Delivery to Infrastructure Change Agile philosophy promotes frequent delivery of working software and a culture of responding to change. Adapted to Infrastructure change, this means that IT should be able to respond to the Business in a nimble way and deploy changes quickly and efficiently. The frequency of change should also be increased, so that business value can be derived from newer technologies as they become available. At the same time, all changes must be subject to control processes that ensure the stability and reliability of computing services and critical business applications. More frequent releases can actually result in less risk to the infrastructure, since smaller updates are easier to test and rollback if required. Agile processes allow you to deploy changes more quickly and more frequently. Working software over comprehensive documentation Responding to change over following a plan

10. Info-Tech Research Group10 Adapt Agile customer and team collaboration to infrastructure change Agile philosophy promotes close collaboration with customers and daily interactions with team members. Adapted to infrastructure change, this means that IT needs to work closely with the Business to ensure that proposed changes are understood and prioritized. Team members need to work together to evaluate changes and assess their impact on all components of the Infrastructure. Agile teams ensure that the right people are working on the right tasks at the right time. The most common reason for failed changes is a lack of collaboration between technical teams. Agile teams are able to respond to change more successfully by keeping lines of communication open at all times. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Individuals and Interactions over processes and tools

11. Info-Tech Research Group11 Keep up with the competition while maintaining a stable infrastructure Achieve a faster time to market The most compelling reason to “go agile” is to provide the Business with new and enhanced functionality more quickly. If implemented effectively, you should see a faster time to market for infrastructure releases. Most businesses operate in a highly competitive marketplace. The Business needs to embrace innovation or get left behind. Agile helps IT accommodate business requests and adopt the latest technologies as quickly as possible. IT needs to ensure a stable infrastructure by adhering to formal processes and controls when deploying changes. Infrastructure Pain Points Source: Info-Tech Research Group; N=80 Organizations rank speed of deployment as a significant weak point in IT infrastructure delivery. Agile is an effective solution to address this problem.

12. Info-Tech Research Group12 Info-Tech Research Group Helps IT Professionals To: Sign up for free trial membership to get practical solutions for your IT challenges www.infotech.com Quickly get up to speed with new technologies Make the right technology purchasing decisions – fast Deliver critical IT projects, on time and within budget Manage business expectations Justify IT spending and prove the value of IT Train IT staff and effectively manage an IT department “Info-Tech helps me to be proactive instead of reactive – a cardinal rule in a stable and leading edge IT environment. - ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co., LP Toll Free: 1-888-670-8889