The IT Skeptic's past podcasts from long ago

Service Management for Chartered Accountants

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:12:23 +0000

4.41 MB

Recorded for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia and published in Chartered Accountants Business in Focus monthly audio magazine for April 2012.

The IT Skeptic presents on Owning ITIL

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:23:47 +0000

40:52 minutes (8 MB)

Here is a presentation given to the New Zealand Computer Society on 25th June 2009, on the topic of "Owning ITIL". it covers why ITIL is pretty much always a project, what to watch out for in ITIL projects (ITIL the Cult, ITIl the fad, CMDB can't be done...), what to expect from ITIL.

CMDB a skeptical view

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:07:03 +0000

15:59 minutes (6.41 MB)

This is a podcast summarising all the IT Skeptic's arguments about and against the concept of CMDB. You can find out more about this on the IT Skeptic website's CMDB thread, or in the IT Skeptic's new book The IT Skeptic Looks at CMDB

Review ITILV3 Service Strategy - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:23:55 +0000

10:18 minutes (4.14 MB)

A podcast of the original article [updated: fixed the sound quality]

The first of the five books in the ITIL Version 3 core suite, Service Strategy is ITIL’s bid for credibility outside the back-room. Well actually, much of Version 3 is a cry for acceptance at higher levels in the organisation (or a power grab for more of the business depending on your perspective). But Service Strategy leads the charge, making an effective case for delivery of IT as a service, and for a strategic, analytical and theoretical approach to such delivery.

Not Review Cult of the Amateur - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:45:47 +0000

7:19 minutes (2.94 MB)

A podcast of the original post. [Updated: fixed the sound quality].

ITIL V3 Live is still coming - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:46:26 +0000

5:31 minutes (2.22 MB)

A podcast of the orginal post ITIL V3 Live is ... still coming, and VERY expensive

I see the long-awaited "ITIL portal" is showing off. It will go live on 10th November.

ITIL snake oil - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:35:10 +0000

7:55 minutes (3.18 MB)

A podcast of the original article

Once upon a time IT Service Management was a movement dedicated to improving the levels of service delivered by IT. And ITIL was a body of knowledge put together by the government as a public service and released into the public domain. The books weren't free simply because costs had to be covered.

Now it is turning into just another snake oil peddled by shiny suits.

Project Mgmt in ITIL V3 - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:37:42 +0000

10:48 minutes (4.34 MB)

A podcast of the original article Why is Project Management almost invisible in ITIL V3?

PM is the engine that moves much stuff (hopefully just about everything) from Development to Production, which is pretty important now that ITIL has muscled into Application Management. PM should interlock with Change Management and Testing. PM should provide most of the Early Life Support. Release and Deployment shouldn't move without PM: if it is big enough to be a release it should be a project. And so on.

What do all the sites without a CMDB do? - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:02:25 +0000

10:27 minutes (4.2 MB)

A podcast of the orginal post What do all the sites without a CMDB do?

There are some fundamental fallacies behind the arguments for CMDB and a recent article encapsulated a number of them. Why do we keep getting told a CMDB is essential when almost nobody has one?

ITIL experts are elsewhere - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 09:32:49 +0000

5:20 minutes (2.15 MB)

A podcast of the origninal post Give up on ITIL V3 training and certification - it is not going to change
Yet another unhappy camper prompted me to hammer on the cold stone walls of Castle ITIL once again, right over the blood-stains of last time I tried. But I won't. I give up. ITIL training and certification isn't going to change. It has been taken over by the money engine and is lost. The real experts are elsewhere.

COBIT rivals ITIL - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:24:10 +0000

8:07 minutes (3.26 MB)

A podcast of the original blog post

The IT Skeptic believes that COBIT has matured to the point where the supporting books constitute a body of knowledge (BOK) that is coming close to a credible alternative to ITIL

BMC's own CMDB figures - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:17:15 +0000

9:32 minutes (3.83 MB)

A podcast of the original post a back-of-an-envelope re-analysis of Forrester and BMC's own CMDB research

Several readers argue well that ROI is not the right measure for a CMDB, but nevertheless management want to know what they get for their money, and BMC's own research suggests "not much".

Crap Factoid: CMDB saves $1M - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:59:39 +0000

7:22 minutes (2.96 MB)

A podcast of the original blog post Crap Factoid Alert: CMDB savings of more than $1 million per year .

This is a CATEGORY 1 Crap Factoid alert from Chokey the Chimp at the IT Skeptic's Crap Factoid Warning Service. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Be on EXTREME danger alert for CF "CMDB savings of more than $1 million per year". BMC and Forrester are shovelling it.

who is Julie Linden - the IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:59:42 +0000

7:18 minutes (2.94 MB)

A podcast of the original article itSMFUSA declares who it thinks was Julie Linden
So itSMFUSA believes James Prunty is Julie Linden. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this suit as I would love to know the truth of this. Whether a lawsuit will ever reveal the truth is another question.

ITIL V3: where's the portal? - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:28:20 +0000

3:58 minutes (1.6 MB)

A podcast of the original postITIL V3: where's the portal?
Long ago in a time far away, OGC promised an ITIL Live™ Portal to augment the impending new ITIL V3. "It's coming..."

Review: Foundations of ITSM - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:39:09 +0000

7:06 minutes (2.86 MB)

A podcast of the original article An IT Skeptic book review: Foundations of ITSM based on ITIL V3

Can the five core ITIL V3 books be compressed into one without significant loss of content? Yes it would seem so

Big Uncle - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:44:30 +0000

27:58 minutes (8 MB)

An extra-long 28-minute podcast of the series of posts on Big Uncle

Big Uncle is a name for the concept of “benevolent security”. Privacy is a dated concept, disappearing fast. People get all tied in a knot over this, but the consequences are only as bad as we let them be. Like any technology, there will be evil applications and there will be good ones. There are upsides which the IT Skeptic investigates.

The people who govern ITIL qualifications - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 10:01:21 +0000

4:56 minutes (1.99 MB)

A podcast of the original post The people who determine the future of ITIL training, qualifications and certification
Now that OGC have outsourced ITIL certification and trainer accreditation to APMG, a private for-profit company, let us look at the people who influence the shape of ITIL V3's slowly emerging qualifications system.

Controlling Application Development - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:44:46 +0000

7:38 minutes (3.07 MB)

A podcast of the original post
How does IT Operations get control of "the other half"? How do we stop them chucking dead cats over the wall for us to own? It is pretty straightforward.

Happy Birthday ITIL - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:31:49 +0000

4:11 minutes (1.69 MB)

A podcast of the original post

OGC is celebrating the first year of ITIL V3. What do we have to show after a year? I'm underwhelmed.

IT analysts produce crap factoids - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:05:48 +0000

14:03 minutes (5.64 MB)

This is a podcast of the original article IT analysts produce crap - what to look for in analyst "research"

passing multi choice exams - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:04:21 +0000

5:59 minutes (2.41 MB)

A podcast of the original blog postITIL Certification: a technique for passing multiple-choice exams

Multiple-choice exams test how well someone can do multiple-choice exams. Depending on how well written the qustions are, they might also test some understanding of the topic ... or not. With good technique you can get a pretty good score with limited knowledge

ITIL 3 how best to buy it - The IT skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:59:28 +0000

7:29 minutes (3.01 MB)

There are three ways to buy ITIL Version 3: books, PDFs or online subscription. Which is best?

A podcast of the original blog post: Which is the best way to buy ITIL version 3: as books, PDFs or online subscription? The IT Skeptic makes a choice.

itSMF and ISACA - like chalk and cheese - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:31:40 +0000

5:36 minutes (2.26 MB)

A podcast of the original post itSMF and ISACA: like chalk and cheese.

If you missed this month's edition of the Skeptical Informer, you missed some scuttlebutt about why the itSMF International website has hastily gone off the air. The circus continues - all part of an endless litany of mis-management, spats, dodgy deals and mis-governance through 2007.

By way of contrast, it is interesting to reflect that in the past two months ISACA has, for me personally as a member, done the following:

IT Skeptic Awards 2007 - IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:16:37 +0000

14:21 minutes (5.76 MB)

A podcast of the original article

The IT Skeptic is pleased to announce our annual New Year's awards, inaugurated last year. These awards are presented to deserving figures and organisations in the IT industry in general and the ITSM industry in particular.

ITIL is the hitchhiker's guide - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:55:45 +0000

5:29 minutes (2.21 MB)

A podcast of the original article ITIL is the hitchhiker's guide, COBIT is the encyclopaedia
As the IT Skeptic digs (happily) deeper into COBIT, I ponder the difference between COBIT and ITIL. In my simple layman's mind, ITIL is the hitchhiker's guide, COBIT is the encyclopaedia, rather like the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the Encyclopedia Galactica.

Trial ITIL vs. placebo - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:02:44 +0000

5:05 minutes (4.65 MB)

A podcast of the original article

I would like to trial ITIL versus a placebo.

Instead of using ITIL as the framework or guidance for process improvement in IT production, I would use a placebo body of knowledge.

The biggest hole in ITIL - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:37:34 +0000

2:41 minutes (2.46 MB)

This is a podcast of the original article ITIL's biggest hole: where is the meta-lifecycle?

ITIL3 now describes the lifecycle of a service, and does an excellent job of it. But where is the guidance on how to implement the ITIL process machinery to manage that service through its lifecycle? Where is the lifecycle of the lifecycle, as it were - the meta-lifecycle?

IT ops can learn from Lean - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:20:33 +0000

3:43 minutes (3.41 MB)

Keep an eye on Lean. It is the next big thing (fad or real change?). I always watch what is coming across from manufacturing to IT because - in the service management area at least - that is the trend: manufacturing teaches us.

ITIL Version 2.5, Hybrids? - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 09:43:14 +0000

2:49 minutes (2.59 MB)

A podcast of the original article ITIL Version 2.5: Will we see hybrids?

ITIL Version 3 tells us how to run, whilst ITIL version 2 tells us how to walk. Many sites are only ready to learn to walk, so what then to do about the good ideas introduced in Version 3? Do we add a little 3 to the mix? or will that only cause confusion?

10 reasons NOT to do CMDB - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:21:32 +0000

9:39 minutes (8 MB)

This is a podcast of the original article.

OK I'll bite. One of the nice folk at Evergreen, Jill Landers, posted "Top 10 reasons to implement a CMDB". I'll do the right thing and not quote it in full here so you need to go read that first. Then you can enjoy my "Top 10 reasons NOT to implement CMDB"

The Sheep from the Goats - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:07:55 +0000

5:36 minutes (5.13 MB)

ITIL Version 3 makes a big ask of the ITSM industry. It will be fascinating to watch how it shakes out. The scope of ITIL is an order of magnitude wider now: how many individuals and organisations will have the knowledge and skills to step up to the new requirements?

BOKKED: ITIL error database - The ITSkeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 10:06:52 +0000

5:32 minutes (5.06 MB)

A podcast of the original articles Announcing the IT Skeptic's BOKKED: the Body of Knowledge Known Error Database, for ITIL et al and Where to officially report ITIL book errors: "behind a locked door marked BEWARE OF THE LEOPARD"

Financial transparency at itSM - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:40:14 +0000

13:11 minutes (8 MB)

A podcast of the original articles Financial transparency of the itSMF: let's have some and itSMF global members/sponsors: dropping your pants is not a good business model

The IT Skeptic estimates itSMF International, the "not-for-profit" governing body separate from the 40+ local chapters but owned by the members, turns over somewhere approaching a million dollars annually. They do this without any public reporting of their finances, as far as I can tell.

ITIL damage by vendors? - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Wed, 23 May 2007 10:43:48 +0000

9:39 minutes (8 MB)

A podcast of the original article How badly is ITIL damaged by vendor influence? What needs fixing?

The king's method of writing a new decree: how OGC does ITIL V3 - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:29:45 +0000

4:05 minutes (1.64 MB)

This is a podcast of the original article The king's method of writing a new decree: how OGC does ITIL V3

Sharon Taylor's 5 ITIL Myths - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sat, 12 May 2007 09:40:18 +0000

7:34 minutes (3.03 MB)

A podcast of the original article Sharon Taylor's five common myths about ITIL Version 3.

The way OGC and APMG stand back without any response is completely unacceptable - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Wed, 02 May 2007 09:58:50 +0000

8:35 minutes (3.44 MB)

A podcast of the original articles The way OGC and APMG stand back without any response is completely unacceptable and read more

Don't fall for the CMDB demo - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:39:28 +0000

6:23 minutes (2.57 MB)

A podcast of the original article Don't fall for the demo: an asset database with bells and whistles is not a CMDB

Book review:"ITSM From Hell" - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 09:48:44 +0000

7:43 minutes (3.1 MB)

A podcast of the original article: Book Review - "IT Service Management from Hell! Based on Not-ITIL®".

A Review of "IT Service Management from Hell! Based on Not-ITIL®" by Brian Johnson and Paul Wilkinson, editor Annelise Savill

IT Service Management from Hell is a silly book. And along the way it makes some serious points. A balanced view of anything is far healthier than blind obedience. Give this book to your staff to lighten the mood and stimulate discussion around ITIL.

Today’s shock joint announcement from Microsoft and IBM throws ITIL Refresh into doubt - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 02:08:21 +0000

7:56 minutes (3.19 MB)

A podcast of the original article. In preparation for the release of Microsoft Service Manager (previously known as “Service Desk”), Microsoft made a surprise joint announcement today with IBM.

Are Microsoft patenting CMDB? - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:05:08 +0000

7:06 minutes (2.85 MB)

A recent patent application appears to indicate that Microsoft is applying to patent CMDB. This issue is not attracting the outrage that it ought to.

advice for purchasers of ITIL - the IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 23:28:59 +0000

14:10 minutes (5.68 MB)

A podcast of the original article "Should you do ITIL certification training with ITIL version 3 looming?"

Poll for users of the IT Skeptic's podcasts

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:45:07 +0000

1:01 minutes (420.38 KB)

Please go to the IT Skeptic's poll to vote - help improve these podcasts.

When you don't run IT - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:29:08 +0000

4:54 minutes (1.97 MB)

This is a podcast of the original article: "When you don't run IT as a business, the inevitable results: bad business decisions".

The key to living without CMDB - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 08:53:36 +0000

4:36 minutes (4.21 MB)

A podcast of the original article: The key to living without CMDB is process maturity level

Yes you can do without CMDB, so long as you are aiming at not too high a maturity level, say 3. The trick is to remember that you don't adopt a process, you improve it. If we aspire to a moderate level of maturity, then yes we can do without a CMDB. Plenty of people do.

CMDB can't be done, no-how - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 08:52:25 +0000

9:14 minutes (8 MB)

A podcast of the original article ITIL's CMDB can't be done, no-how

Continuing our discussion of CMDB, let me reinforce two points: ITIL's CMDB can't be done, no-howLet me reinforce two points please: (1) CMDB can't be done because of the data and regardless of the implementation and (2) I'm talking about CMDB as specified by the ITIL books, not any old database. It can't be done."

Beware analyst white papers - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 09:33:11 +0000

9:48 minutes (8 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: The software analyst industry needs a code of practice.

In my country, the broadcast industry and the advertising industry both adhere to a voluntary code of practice to police the more extreme behaviours of their members.

Living without CMDB - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 09:52:59 +0000

11:19 minutes (8 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: Living without CMDB
CMDB is positioned as the key underpinning foundation to ITIL:

Is ITIL dead in the water? - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:23:51 +0000

4:10 minutes (3.82 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: Is ITIL Dead in the Water?
In five years time most organisations will consider ISO/IEC 20000 certification as a normal part of operating: a minimum benchmark. The horse has bolted with ISO/IEC 20000: the world sees it as “the ITIL standard” but OGC and itSMF have zero control of it.

IT Skeptic Awards 2006 - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 11:32:38 +0000

8:43 minutes (7.98 MB)

This is a podcast of the original blog entry by the IT Skeptic.

The IT Skeptic is pleased to announce our first annual awards, presented to deserving figures and organisations in the IT industry in general and the ITSM industry in particular.

CMDB inappropriate for ITIL - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:01:50 +0000

6:24 minutes (5.86 MB)

This is a podcast of the original blog post by the IT Skeptic

...the kind of platitudinous claptrap peddled by vendors and their analyst sycophants to lull people into adopting their lunatic ideas (and buying their products and consulting). Make it sound easy, obvious and do-able....They see CMDB is too hard, so they are trying to come up with methodological approaches that will lessen the problem, by breaking off bits and calling that a good-enough CMDB. But they are addressing the symptom not the problem.

CMDB can't be done - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 07:04:21 +0000

16:53 minutes (8 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: ITIL’s dead elephant: CMDB can't be done
CMDB can’t be done. Not as ITIL defines it. At least not with a justifiable return on the investment of doing it - it is such an enormous undertaking that any organisation attempting it is going to burn money on an irresponsible scale. The truth about CMDB is no secret. It is a “dead elephant”: a great putrescence in the corner of the room that everyone studiously ignores, stepping around it and ignoring the stench, because life will be so much simpler if they do not acknowledge the obvious.

Debasement of IT terms

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 09:52:24 +0000

9:07 minutes (8 MB)

This is a podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: "Debasement of concepts by IT vendors and analysts" by the IT Skeptic.

The persistent erosion of meaning in IT terminology is a damaging practice endemic across vendors and analysts. When a concept gains some currency and everyone wants it, suddenly all the vendors have got it - often by re-labelling a feature of their existing product. And the analysts keep confusing the definition so no-one can call the vendors out for this obfuscation.

If IT ain't broke don't fix it - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 03:10:40 +0000

5:57 minutes (5.45 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: If IT ain't broke don't fix it

Perhaps the saddest sight in the ITIL world is organisations that adopt ITIL processes when the old ones were working OK. Don’t tell me it doesn’t happen.

The emperor has no clothes: there is no evidence for ITIL - the IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:08:30 +0000

11:42 minutes (8 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: The Emperor has no clothes. Where is the evidence for the benefits of ITIL? There isn’t any. Not the kind of hard empirical evidence that would stand up in, say, clinical trials.

ITIL the Cult - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 00:33:22 +0000

6:13 minutes (5.69 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: ITIL the Cult

We have seen that the ITIL movement has distinct overtones of a fad. What about a cult?

Is ITIL another Y2K? - The IT Skeptic

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 23:40:52 +0000

4:55 minutes (4.5 MB)

A podcast of the original article from the IT Skeptic: Is ITIL another Y2K?

ITIL - an Introduction

Rob England (The IT Skeptic) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 23:24:42 +0000

3:32 minutes (3.24 MB)

A podcast from the IT Skeptic on ITIL - an Introduction