Service operation

The provision of specialist expertise to facilitate and execute the installation and maintenance of system software such as operating systems, data management products, office automation products and other utility software.

The planning, design and management of the capability, functionality and sustainability of service components (including hardware, software, network resources and software/infrastructure as a Service) to meet current and forecast needs in a cost-efficient manner aligned to the business. The modelling of both long-term changes and short-term variations in the level of capacity required to execute the service. The deployment of techniques to control the demand and add/reduce capacity in a cost effective, timely manner to meet changes in demand.

The provision of operational security management and administrative services. Typically includes the authorisation and monitoring of access to IT facilities or infrastructure, the investigation of unauthorised access and compliance with relevant legislation.

The assessment of organisational vulnerabilities through the design and execution of penetration tests that demonstrate how an adversary can either subvert the organisation's security goals or achieve specific adversarial objectives. Penetration testing may be a stand-alone activity or an aspect of acceptance testing prior to an approval to operate. The identification of deeper insights into the business risks of various vulnerabilities.

The deployment, integration, calibration, tuning and maintenance of radio frequency (RF) and analogue elements of IT systems.

The provision of application maintenance and support services, either directly to users of the systems or to service delivery functions. Support typically includes investigation and resolution of issues and may also include performance monitoring. Issues may be resolved by providing advice or training to users, by devising corrections (permanent or temporary) for faults, making general or site-specific modifications, updating documentation, manipulating data, or defining enhancements Support often involves close collaboration with the system's developers and/or with colleagues specialising in different areas, such as Database administration or Network support.

The operation and control of the IT infrastructure (comprising physical or virtual hardware, software, network services and data storage) either on-premises or provisioned as cloud services) that is required to deliver and support the information systems needs of a business. Includes preparation for new or changed services, operation of the change process, the maintenance of regulatory, legal and professional standards, the building and management of systems and components in virtualised and cloud computing environments and the monitoring of performance of systems and services in relation to their contribution to business performance, their security and their sustainability. The application of infrastructure management tools to automate the provisioning, testing, deployment and monitoring of infrastructure components.

The installation, configuration, upgrade, administration, monitoring and maintenance of databases. Providing support for operational databases in production use and for internal or interim purposes such as iterative developments and testing. Improving the performance of databases and the tools and processes for database administration (including automation).

The planning, implementation, configuration and tuning of storage hardware and software covering online, offline, remote and offsite data storage (backup, archiving and recovery) and ensuring compliance with regulatory and security requirements.

The provision of network maintenance and support services. Support may be provided both to users of the systems and to service delivery functions. Support typically takes the form of investigating and resolving problems and providing information about the systems. It may also include monitoring their performance. Problems may be resolved by providing advice or training to users about the network's functionality, correct operation or constraints, by devising work-arounds, correcting faults, or making general or site-specific modifications.

The resolution (both reactive and proactive) of problems throughout the information system lifecycle, including classification, prioritisation and initiation of action, documentation of root causes and implementation of remedies to prevent future incidents.

The processing and coordination of appropriate and timely responses to incident reports, including channelling requests for help to appropriate functions for resolution, monitoring resolution activity, and keeping clients appraised of progress towards service restoration.

The planning, control and management of all the facilities which, collectively, make up the IT estate. This involves provision and management of the physical environment, including space and power allocation, and environmental monitoring to provide statistics on energy usage. Encompasses physical access control, and adherence to all mandatory policies and regulations concerning health and safety at work.