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Guide to building a better IT team structure
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Server management pros see the dollars, but not much change
TechTarget's Annual Salary Survey shows mixed feelings among server management pros. While they are generally satisfied with their salaries, they are also anxious to get more work, or new work. Read Now
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What's an IT employee worth?
The biggest expense in the data center is its employees. Managers are focusing more on an admin's skill, competence, and people skills, but less on their paychecks. Read Now
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How to land a cloud admin job
If you're looking for a role as a cloud administrator, you need to exhibit cloud knowledge -- and lots more. Prepare to face these five questions in your interview. Read Now
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Editor's note
The data center is a space of business-critical daily operations. Is it also promoting innovation? Unhappy, unsatisfied or stifled IT employees can't enable business growth.
Training and staying up-to-date on hot IT skills will keep you ahead of the data center curve, whether looking for a new job or innovating in your current role.
To ensure a better work environment, check the IT team structure for missing links in the operation. Are silos oppressing growth? Are employees feeling undervalued? Have you considered other options, like DevOps, to boost productivity?
Here is what you should be looking for in an IT team structure, and some red flags that signal you're about to lose admins.
1How solid is your IT team structure?
Without a proper IT team structure, your data center is likely to lose track of its mission and fall behind technologically. Don't let an unmotivated staff lead to unproductivity. Here are a few way to ensure the data center succeeds, without jeopardizing your job with risky moves.
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Improve IT team structure in 10 steps
You can have the latest and greatest equipment, but without a strong IT team, you might never reach new goals or levels of success. Stay innovative, invest in junior staffers, and follow these other tips. Read Now
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Lose the hierarchy, gain self-directed work teams
Cloud and DevOps in the data center are paving the way for self-directed work teams. This structure motivates staff and boosts collaboration. But it's important to not lose sight of deadlines and responsibilities. Read Now
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How to overhaul your IT operational plan and keep your job
If your end users are unhappy with IT services, it's time to rethink the IT operational plan. To come up with a plan that's more agile and innovative, you might need to start thinking like a cloud provider. Read Now
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IT is the ticket to better business
It's time for IT to take its talents to the board room. If IT and the business collaborate, new opportunities open up for the enterprise. So don't consider the IT team a waste of money -- start getting execs to treat IT as an asset. Read Now
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How to succeed at digital business
Technology is evolving fast, and if you don't jump on board, you will get left behind. These tips from Gartner's Data Center, Infrastructure & Operations Management Conference will help create a digital business without putting anyone at risk. Read Now
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IT complexity rises, businesses vie for control
IT is moving toward managed service providers and cloud computing, but not everyone is ready to relinquish control -- and their servers. Is moving to cloud or managed service lightening business responsibilities? Listen Now
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Tips and tricks for fostering an alternative IT leadership style
Jim Whalen, CIO of Boston Properties Inc., shares tips on how to cultivate a unique IT leadership style that focuses less on technology and more on how you grew up. Read Now
2Surrender silos, develop DevOps
You may be comfortable with silos in your data center, but they are likely stifling productivity and growth. Implementing DevOps will improve your IT team structure through collaboration. It all starts with culture.
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Article
Silos stunt data center development
Now is the time to break down the silo barrier, no matter how used to it you are. Walk away from the silos and towards service providers that focus on helping the business compete in the market. Read Now
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Article
Employ a unified DevOps culture
It's time to get your data center running more smoothly. Implement a communal monitoring system into your unified DevOps team structure to see less stress and negativity around the IT desks. Read Now
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Article
Drama-free DevOps in your data center
Many IT professionals working in traditional environments are looking to get out of silos and into DevOps. You can successfully implement a DevOps team structure in the data center, but don't expect it to be easy. Read Now
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Article
Is DevOps ever a bad thing?
Just because you might have heard a lot about continuous deployment doesn't mean now is the time to implement. Without the right culture and organization in place, you could be looking at a continuous disaster. Read Now
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Article
Take up ITIL service management
Don't let ITIL principles discourage you. ITIL service management is about guiding IT to meet business needs. See how cost savings and alignment with business are encouraging IT organizations consider it. Read Now
3IT team lingo
As you change the IT team structure, adopt the lingo of DevOps and ITIL.
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Definition
Hierarchical corporate structure
A hierarchical corporate culture is an organizational model based on clearly defined corporate levels and structures. A hierarchy is an organizational structure in which items are ranked according to levels of importance. Hierarchies depend upon structure, rules and control to guide business practices and activities. Read Now
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Definition
DevOps
In its most broad meaning, DevOps is an operational philosophy that promotes better communication between development and operations as more elements of operations become programmable. In its most narrow interpretation, DevOps describes the part of an organization’s information technology (IT) team that creates and maintains infrastructure. Read Now
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Definition
ITIL
The ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a framework designed to standardize the selection, planning, delivery and maintenance of IT services within a business. Read Now
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Definition
ITIL v3
ITIL v3 is the third version of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a globally recognized collection of best practices for managing information technology (IT). Read Now
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Definition
Continuous integration
Continuous integration (CI) is a software engineering practice in which frequent, isolated changes are immediately tested and reported on when they are added to a larger code base. Read Now
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Definition
Continuous delivery
Continuous delivery (CD) is a software release approach in which development teams produce and test code in short cycles, usually with a high degree of automation. Read Now