Support and Maintenance Remote Access Consultancy Programme

Many large organisations that run complex IT networks recognise the economic benefits of outsourcing support and maintenance. Partner organisations can provide up to date specialist skills on a 24*7 basis for either a selection of key components, or the network as a whole. To faciltate outsourcing the host organisation must allow third party access to platforms and systems which are sensitive either through the operational role they fulfill or data they hold. Requiring third party staff to be onsite to perform these operations is costly and for the most part unnecessary given that the majority of tasks can be performed remotely.

Compliance regiemes such as Sarbannes-Oxley and the imminent PCI, mean that organisations must be able to demonstrate strong controls over external, third party, remote access. The situation in many large organisations is further complicated by the wide range of platforms and systems that have been inherited over the years. These need to be brought under a common remote access management umbrella.

The solution is a combination of:

Centralised Administration

 Rather than manage access in a fragmented manner across mulitple silos, a common management view is required. Existing controls and services need to be incoporated into the voiew, and new ones added as required. Administrators can view and control in real time what external organisations have access to what internal IT platforms and systems.

Access Control Points

 Support and maintenance is performed using a range of IT protocols. These must be supported, controlled and administered in a consistent manner. In some cases access may have to be provided on a sponsored, time limited, basis.

Business Processes

 Technology can only be successfully deployed and operated within the context of a supporting business process framework. This may leverage existing processes, and provide new ones were required.

InMezzo has extensive expertise in resolving these issues, combined with comprehensive skills and real world experience in the design of access infrastructures and accompanying business process frameworks. In addition, InMezzo’s and our partner organisations’ products, provide a sound base for the rapid implementation of practical technical support and maintenance remote access solutions. InMezzo often partners with data cleansing and migration, integration, and provisioning suppliers to provide the complete solution.

Approach

Our role starts by identifying the key business objectives, management requirements and associated metrics for support and maintenance remote access. These are mapped into the InMezzo remote access framework, establishing the high level principles, requirements and acceptance criteria for the final solution.

InMezzo’s methodology adopts a four phase approach to the delivery of business collaboration solutions:

1.Support and Maintenance Remote Access Requirement Analysis

2.Business Case Development

3.Solution Design

4.Solution Implementation, Test and Deployment

This approach ensures the delivery of pragmatic, cost effective support and maintenance remote access solutions.

Building the Solution

Our expertise is aimed at preparing your organisation for leveraging the benefits of outsourcing support and maintenance through a four stage process:

Support and Maintenance Remote Access Requirement Analysis

Identify key business objectives and gathering associated business and technical requirements. Carrying out detailed analysis of the requirements to identify key business and technical components which are then articulated in a business architectural specification (often called functionality specification).

At this stage, an audit of current support and maintenance remote access policy, process and technical capabilities is carried out to identify capability gaps and barriers to execution.

This phase concludes with a brief report and management presentation, which has considerable value in itself, even if business circumstances prevent its implementation. The duration of this phase can vary depending on the scope and scale of the organisation and its objectives. InMezzo recommends that this phase should be strictly time limited to prevent over analysis.

Business Case for Action

This provides an overview of the proposed solution, and outlines the policy, process, and IT workpackages that will need to be executed in order to deliver it. Risks and issues are identified and mitigating actions described. An overall project plan is provided, detailing roles and responsibilities.

In addition to detailing IT packages, the plan will cover business readiness activities and workpackages. These are designed to ensure that the organisation can take full advantage of the solution once implemented.

Design the Solution

InMezzo in conjunction with identified individuals within the client’s organisation, will developed a detailed design specification for the solution. This will examine the different options identified for workpackages and provide a rationale for the design decisions made. In many cases it will determine whether or not controls are best implemented through process or technological means.

An integral part of the design is the development of detailed use cases covering key elements of functionality. These will form the basis of the test and acceptance specification for the overall solution.

The output of this workpackage is:

 Solution ArchitectureSupport and Maintenance Remote Access Policy Framework SpecificationSupport and Maintenance Remote Access Process Framework SpecificationTechnical Design SpecificationRemote Access Test SpecificationRemote Access User Acceptance Test Specification

Remote Access Solution Implementation, Test and Deployment

If required InMezzo will provide technical design and development engineers, process designers, and project management staff to execute or support the solution implementation, test and deployment phases of the project. An initial conceptual model may be built to show the working system, before embarking on development, test and final deployment.

Conclusion

InMezzo’s extensive expertise and experience in remote access solutuons combined with InMezzo’s and partner business products provide a comprehensive delivery capability. This coupled with a customer and delivery focused culture, provides a high level of assurance of success and timely returns.

Policy & Identity Management Solutions