Q&A: Why A Consultant Should Consider An IT Reference Catalog
Ken Hunter is head of Hunter Communications, LLC, which provides professional consulting services to support government contractors and federal agencies in the areas of business transformation and modernization.
An IT consultant uses BDNA’s Technopedia catalog to help government customers manage their disparate IT systems.
Describe how you use Technopedia for your business?
Hunter Communications LLC (HCLLC) has implemented Technopedia at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). HCLLC provides on-going consulting services to both DHS and the SEC in the areas of enterprise architecture and IT asset management. At DHS, a primary use case for Technopedia is within the Enterprise Architecture Standards Management Program. In particular, Technopedia supports IT Governance processes by associating manufacturer-provided life cycle metrics with investment decision-making criteria. At the SEC, a prominent community of interest has been acquisitions and procurement. Technopedia directly supports the SEC’s portfolio management activities in the areas of licensing, support and maintenance.
What is the business challenge/pain point Technopedia addresses for you and/or your customer?
Technopedia addresses two challenges: (a) Reconciling deployed infrastructure with a common, credible, naming convention that is organized by a useful taxonomy; and, (b) Providing comparative, detailed, lifecycle metrics that illuminate ambiguities in the product marketing milieu.
Do you have any specific examples/anecdotes showing how Technopedia has benefitted you and/or one of your customers?
The SEC discovered a blind spot wherein the organization was buying support for an obsolete/unsupported Microsoft product while not contemplating attendant security vulnerabilities or upgrade/replacements. A manufacturer roadmap report derived from Technopedia confirmed this and prompted a call to action.
Which types of resellers and end users is this service the best fit for? Explain.
- Resellers – firms specializing in Configuration Management Databases (CMDBs) and/or IT Portfolio Management
- Users – IT Governance, IT Security, Enterprise Architecture
Are there additional uses for Technopedia you’re considering taking advantage of in the future? Explain.
HCLLC has an interest in assimilating Technopedia within multiple enterprise architecture software environments.