Availability Management Level 4 Role

This sub-discipline is about the competencies required to manage the availability of inter-operating IT/technology systems, services and assets supporting an organisation, both during current operation, and in support of future needs and demands. 

 

Availability management is concerned with ensuring the reliability, maintainability, serviceability, resilience and security of individual IT/technology systems, services and assets and the effectiveness of their combined operation. It consists of both proactive and reactive management of availability. Availability targets are normally contained within Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and actual achievement against these forms an integral part of service reviews. 

 

Proactive management of the availability of IT/technology systems, services and assets supports service level requirements and ensure that potential issues can be dealt with before they interrupt availability. Thus, availability management activities may initiate changes to the IT/technology infrastructure to increase its stability and tolerance to faults. This is distinct from the definition of service level agreements, which sets the standards to be achieved and the retrospective review of IT/technology performance against these standards. 

 

Reactive management availability involves responding to incidents, problems and other events which may result in the unavailability of IT/technology systems, services and assets. 

 

Note: For each role it is necessary to subsume the knowledge and understanding statements from the role immediately below. 

Maintain, monitor and report availability management activities, as directed 

 

P1 Critically analyse and accurately document the actual availability of IT/technology systems, services and assets against targets and other metrics, reporting findings to sponsors, stakeholders and other individuals as directed 

P2 Correctly identify which IT/technology systems, services, assets, products and components may be unavailable, and why this may be the case, as directed 

P3 Correctly identify which IT/technology systems, services, assets, products and components need to be available to underpin the provision of an end to end service for a customer

P4 Report in a concise and timely manner, the availability plan(s) to relevant people 

P5 Report actual availability against agreed plan and, if required, implement action(s) to maintain alignment 

P6 Assist others with the presentation of the availability plan, availability targets and other metrics, to a range of individuals, under direction 

 

Gather and document relevant information for the effective monitoring of systems and services availability 

 

P7 Correctly identify and report what are the availability targets that apply to IT/technology systems, services assets, products and components, as directed 

P8 Verify where appropriate, the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of all information relating to the impact on availability arising from incidents, problems and other events, as directed

P9 Source all relevant information in order to accurately document and effectively implement and maintain the availability plan(s) and targets, 

 

Assist in identifying future requirements and potential improvements to the availability of systems and services 

 

P10 Correctly identify, critically analyse and apply all relevant information relating to the availability needs of new/enhanced IT/technology systems services and assets, so that the implications may be identified, as directed 

P11 Accurately document all future requirements for IT/technology availability, under direction 

P12 Liaise effectively with all relevant individuals and groups who can take action to improve the availability of IT/technology systems, services and assets

P13 Correctly identify and effectively manage the planning and implementation of potential improvements to IT/technology systems, services and assets as directed

You need to know and understand: 

 

Maintain, monitor and report availability management activities, as directed 

 

K1 With respect to IT/technology systems, services, assets, products and components identify and select:

K1.1 which need to be available to underpin the provision of an end to end service for a customer 

K1.2 which may be unavailable 

K1.3 why may be unavailable 

K1.4 what are the availability targets

K2 Use and apply: K2.1 standards relating to availability management activities 

K2.2 internal and external sources of expertise to support availability management

K2.3 the procedures, tools and techniques to monitor the quality and effectiveness of availability management activities and their deliverables activities 

K3 Use and apply all relevant information: 

K3.1 relating to the availability targets for IT/technology systems, services and assets 

K3.2 relating to availability that is contained in service level requirements 

K3.3 relating to incidents, problems and other events that may impact the availability of IT/technology systems, services and assets

K3.4 from monitoring the availability of IT/technology systems, services and assets 

K3.5 to support the reporting of availability against targets and/or metrics 

K3.6 to support the identification of availability improvements 

K4 Implement and maintain availability targets and the availability plan(s) 

K5 Report: 

K5.1 the availability of IT/technology systems, services and assets against targets and other metrics 

K5.2 the alignment of IT/technology systems, services and assets with service targets and service levels

K5.3 the availability plan(s) to relevant people 

K6 Manage relationships with individuals and groups involved in a range of related service delivery and operations activities 

K7 Analyse and interpret the actual availability of IT/technology systems, services and assets against targets and other metrics 

 

K8 Provide metrics and management information from availability management activities to a range of other related service delivery and operations activities

K9 What is meant by an availability plan 

K10 What is the range of issues associated with availability management activities and their deliverables and what legislation, regulations and external standards may apply 

K11 What are the implications of current internal and external factors on availability management activities and their deliverables 

K12 Why the alignment of availability management activities and their deliverables with any relevant legislation, regulations and external standards needs to be monitored 

K13 Who is responsible for the availability of all the individual systems, services, assets, products and components that constitute a service 

K14 Who may be impacted by any particular incident, problem or event that results in the unavailability of individual systems, services, assets, products and components or the end to end service they constitute 

K15 The importance of: 

K15.1 ensuring confidentiality, integrity and security during availability management activities and ensuring that sensitive business information is not disclosed inappropriately 

K15.2 and relevance of, availability management activities on the full life cycle of information within an organisation 

K15.3 metrics to measure the performance of availability management activities 

K15.4 availability management activities being informed and directed by the business requirements and customer needs

K16 The need for monitoring of the: 

K16.1 quality and effectiveness of availability management activities

K16.2 alignment of availability management activities and their deliverables with business needs, service operation objectives and service strategy 

K17 The procedures, tools and techniques that can be used to monitor the: 

K17.1 alignment of availability management activities and their deliverables with business needs, service operation objectives and service strategy 

K17.2 quality and effectiveness of availability management activities and their deliverables 

K18 The fact that: 

K18.1 availability management activities are part of wider, integrated, service design, delivery and operation activities

K18.2 availability management can support the resolution of IT/technology problems that occur 

K18.3  the impact of any relevant legislation, regulations and external standards needs to be reflected in availability management activities and their deliverable

K18.4 the impact of some or all of an organisation’s IT/technology systems, services and assets being provided and/or hosted by/through external providers needs to be considered during availability management activities 

K18.5 service level management activities need to be informed by information provided by availability management activities 

 

Gather and document relevant information for the effective monitoring of systems and services availability 

 

K19 Identify and select what information needs to be gathered in order to measure the current availability and plan the future availability of any IT/technology systems, services, assets, products and components 

K20 Source, gather and collate information: 

K20.1 to support the identification of availability improvements and/or preventative actions 

K20.2 required for the availability plan(s) 

K21 Verify where appropriate, the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of any information relating to the impact on availability arising from incidents, problems and other events 

K22 Record and store: 

K22.1 the procedures, tools and techniques to monitor the quality and effectiveness of availability management activities and their deliverables 

K22.2 the procedures, tools, techniques and plans to monitor the alignment of availability management activities and their deliverables with any relevant legislation, regulations and external standards 

K22.3 the metrics to be used to measure the performance of availability management 

K22.4 the results from monitoring the availability of IT/technology services

K22.5 the results from monitoring the quality and effectiveness of availability management activities and their deliverables

K22.6 lessons learned from previous availability management activities 

K22.7 the availability plan(s) 

K23 The importance of verifying the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of information used during availability management activities