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Archived Seminars

These are a sampling of previous seminars we have had.  If you have any questions on these seminars please email us at info@smasystems.com.


Business Intelligence Seminar

Metrics & KPI's for the Service Desk

SMA hosted a breakfast seminar on Metrics & KPI's for the Service Desk were we discussed the difference between Metrics and KPI's (key performance indicators) and explained how the IT service desk can use them to assess effectiveness, IT resource management, customer satisfaction and the impact of making changes on end users. 

The seminar covered the following:

  • Which service desk operations Metrics should be collected,
    according to best practices

  • Strategic planning and goal-setting

  • The "Do's" and "Don'ts" of collecting and monitoring Metrics & KPI's

  • Reporting technologies that can help organizations collect information
    and facilitate decision making.

All attendees received Best Practice Take-A-Ways.

 

Business Intelligence Seminar

 

How Business Intelligence Can Revitalize Your Business

A pivotal turning point for your business.  Could you make it happen right now?

 

When you harness the capabilities of an advanced business intelligence (BI) solution, you empower every employee in your organization with the ability to make faster, more insightful, better-informed business decisions.  So even in difficult economic times like this, you can revitalize your business and gain a competitive edge.

 

Through visually compelling dashboards and real-life scenarios, we demonstrated how the software can help:

  • Discover new opportunities with easy access to and analysis of company data

  • Make data-driven decisions based on trusted information

  • Track every aspect of business performance - where and when you need it

  • Operate more efficiently every day

This seminar showcased a variety of solutions that businesses of all sizes can afford.  The new features and functionality make the software a simple, yet powerful, and intuitive tool to satisfy the full range of BI requirements. 

 

 

Business Intelligence Seminar

 

Defy the Times:  Business Growth in a Weak Economy

Accelerate Your Business - Even in a Slow Economy

 

Can your business actually benefit from a tough economy?  Absolutely - with proper preparation, strategic focus and the careful application of Business Intelligence.

 

Become a faster, leaner, more agile business

This exclusive seminar featured live demonstrations.  We explored how you can become
a best-run business using Business Intelligence focused on three core strategies:

  • Cut operating expenses and discretionary spending

  • Use technology to eliminate inefficiencies

  • Give first priority to your existing customers

We presented on what will have the most impact on your business and what you can do today to keep your business prospering through this recession - even as others struggle to survive.

 

Business Intelligence can help you move ahead of the pack in today's uncertain economy.

 

IT Service Management Seminars

" "IT Service Management: Best Practices, Reporting , & More"

 

SMA presented a discussion on implementing Best Practices in IT Service Management which included a special focus on Business Intelligence, Reporting and Metrics.

 

An overview of Best Practices in IT Service Management process areas was  presented, including:

  • Incident Management

  • Problem Management

  • Change Management

  • Configuration Management

In addition, the morning program featured a presentation on Business Intelligence:
The Importance of Reporting and Metrics, including:

  • Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) and Metrics

  • Trend Analysis - enabling proactive strategies

  • Information Delivery - methods of report deployment and information access

In this seminar, SMA demonstrated how to leverage technology to implement best practices with the latest industry tools, including HEAT and ITSM from FrontRange Solutions and leading industry Business Intelligence tools.

 

Asset Management Seminars

" "IT Asset Management (ITAM):  Strategies to Manage Technology
   Transition and Change"

Migrating to new operating systems, such as Microsoft Vista, is one of the biggest IT
challenges facing organizations in the next 12-18 months.  With changes to minimum hardware requirements and potential software conflicts, managing such transitions can be a complex and often error-prone project.

Luckily, there are IT asset management solutions that can help you smooth the transition and manage changes.  Best-in-class tools provide a complete audit across the network so you can understand the exact status of installed hardware and software, making it easier to avoid potential project pitfalls, avoid costs, and realize cost savings.

During this seminar we discussed best practices and demonstrated how tools can help you improve ITAM in your organization.  The following was covered during this one-half day session:

  • Seeing exactly what hardware on your network is ready for new system installs
    and which need memory or hard-drive upgrades, or which machines need to be
    swapped-our for new;

  • Providing a full audit of installed software, which makes it easy to highlight which applications are not supported by new operating systems and thus need replacement
    or upgrading;

  • Tracking all assets and their locations - PCs and all IP-addressable hardware, including servers, workstations, laptops and other network devices, so you can easily implement necessary changes;

  • Calculating and forecasting upgrade or replacement cost of getting your IT estate ready with software project management wizards;

  • Tracking project progress of your applications rollout with real-time monitoring of which machines, departments or locations have been successfully upgraded and which have not;

  • Integrating your ITAM solution with your help desk or service center software to improve service, productivity, and provide management reporting.

And, even if you're not planning to migrate to a new operating system in the next few months, it is never too early to get your IT estate in order.

IT estates are dynamic - the only thing constant is "change."  Whether it's for Vista or for other initiatives, it is important to be ready to manage change.  Having the right tools, processes and people in place is essential!

**********************************

"Software License Compliance and IT Asset Discovery"

Keynote Presentation by Keith Kupferschmid, VP, Intellectual Property & Enforcement, SIIA (Software & Information Industry Association)

SMA offered the following program:

"Software Licensing Issues: Avoiding Piracy, Infringement & Audit Problems”

Critical information on software compliance and licensing from SIIA

  • Liability and consequences for piracy

  • Types of piracy

  • Combating piracy

  • Developing a software management plan

IT Asset Discovery - why it's important and what are the benefits

  • A critical component for compliance

  • Powerful ROI

    "Best-in-Class" Software demonstrations from SMA

About Keith M. Kupferschmid

His Role at SIIA
 Keith M. Kupferschmid is the Vice President for Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement for the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).  Mr. Kupferschmid is responsible for working directly with SIIA's Intellectual Property Committee to establish SIIA positions and moving the SIIA agenda on issues relating to intellectual property. 
He also supervises the Association's Anti-Piracy programs. 

Asset Management Breakfast Briefing

“IT Asset Management Means Business"
Featuring Best-in-Class Tools and Methodologies

 

Keynote Presentation by Patricia M. Cicala, Cicala & Associates
Demonstration of best-in-class tools and methodologies by SMA


 Patricia Cicala presented why effective Asset Management techniques are essential to demonstrate substantial value of IT to an organization's business units and assist with regulatory compliance.  She covered:

  • Asset Management's role as a critical component of business value and IT management

  • Asset Management as a necessary business practice for IT compliance and security

  • Tools implementation advice

  • Establishing benchmarks and highlighting opportunities

  • ROI strategies for success

SMA presented best-in-class tools and methodologies that support key components of IT Asset Management best practices.  SMA works with a variety of best-in-class software products, those that stand alone and others that are components of a help desk software solution, so you can have the solution that best suits your needs. 

 

The program gave practical and actionable advice that can be used in any size organization. 

 

Patricia M. Cicala is the President and CEO of Cicala & Associates, a premier IT research and service firm, specializing in the management of technology - asset management, procurement, contracts and strategic technology workplace development.  Prior to forming Cicala & Associates, she was the VP and Worldwide Practice Leader for Asset Management and Procurement at Gartner Group, Inc.

 

 

ITIL Seminar
 

“IT Service Management, ITIL & Best Practices"

Featuring Laura Lee from Pink Elephant

                                                                          

Program Agenda

Keynote presentation by Laura Lee of Pink Elephant, the pre-eminent industry consultant for ITIL and IT best practices.  Laura explored the past, present and future of ITIL and discuss the benefits of implementing Best Practices in IT Service Management.  

 

Topics included:

  • Incident Management

  • Problem Management

  • Change Management

  • Release Management

  • Configuration Management

John Manna of SMA demonstrated how to leverage technology in implementing ITIL processes, featuring the latest industry tools, including HEAT and ITSM from FrontRange Solutions.

 

 

IT Service Management Seminar
 

"The Next Generation in IT Service Management Applications"
                                                                           

SMA and FrontRange are pleased to announce a new generation of IT Service Management solutions that will allow your organization to meet the growing demands of today's IT-based business requirements.

 

ITSM, a product from FrontRange Solutions, the creators of the world-class HEAT help desk solution, is far and away the most sophisticated solution available today.  It was created to meet all the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) principles.

 

Join us on Wednesday and discover ways in which your organization can benefit from these next generation solutions based on the .NET architecture and ITIL best practices.

 

Discussions and product demonstrations will focus on:

  • Incident Management

  • Problem Management

  • Change Management

  • Service Delivery and Management

  • Release Management

For more information on ITSM click here.

 

 

HEAT Seminar
 

"Learn How To Optimize Your Help Desk or Customer Center With HEAT 8"
                                  
See In Action:
Customer Self Service l Web Access for Support Staff l Knowledge Management l Asset Management


Discover how the HEAT 8 software can help you and your entire organization be more productive and customer focused!
 
You will learn what it takes to plan and implement a help desk or customer support center using HEAT software, the award-winning software based on Best Practices.

Learn how to use HEAT to automate your help desk or support center and save your company money.  We will show you how the suite of HEAT add-on tools including HEAT Self Service, HEAT Plus Knowledge, HEAT Asset Tracker and HEAT Remote Support can optimize the capabilities of your system.
 

Knowledge Management Seminar

"Knowledge Management:
How to Use Best Practices to Get a Great ROI"

SMA Industry Consultants will demonstrate how your company can use best practices to get an outstanding value and savings from a knowledge management solution.

Best Practices topics will include:

  • Leveraging information assets from diverse business units

  • Combining separate content repositories and various data formats in one system

  • Organizing real-time information directly from its local source, without duplication

  • Exploring structured and unstructured data concurrently

Learn:

  • How to quantify the savings and benefits of a Knowledge Management solution

  • How to put a recognize the true value of shorter call resolution times, reduced escalations, decreased staff training, and improved response consistency

  • How to select benchmarks and establish baselines that you can use to evaluate the effectiveness of your KM solution

  • How to maximize and customize your KM solution by capturing knowledge and publishing it to those that need it

  • How to use the KM ROI Calculator tool

Other Seminars:

"Is Your Support Center World-Class?"

"How to Implement a World-Class Support Center"

"Improving the Return on Your Help Desk Investment"

 

"Is Your Support Center World-Class?"
Software Tools for Call Management, Knowledge Management and Management Reporting

Do you have control of your support center? Have you given your service and support team a solution that delivers rapid issue resolution, access to industry and your existing knowledge, and the reporting tools you need?

In order for your service and support team to be successful, they need a powerful automated solution that tracks issues and resolves them rapidly and efficiently.  Management needs to have the right reporting tools to measure performance and costs.

At this program, we will demonstrate how best-in-class software solutions:  HEAT Service & Support, HEAT Plus Knowledge, HEAT Self Service, HEAT Asset Tracker, and RightAnswers can be used to manage essential support center processes:

Call Management
We will show you how to:

  • Evaluate your current environment and optimize your call tracking system to be more responsive to your customers.

  • Effectively manage service levels, improve support through automated processes, and provide customers with self-help options.

  • Use asset management to support your customers in a more accurate and timely manner.

Knowledge Management
We will show you how to:

  • Utilize tools that work seamlessly with your incident tracking systems.

  • Use proven industry solutions to support your customers.

  • Design an effective knowledge management environment including the use of your organization’s existing knowledge


 Management Reporting
We will show you how to:

  • Use tools to measure trends, root causes and recurring issues that need to be addressed.

  • Quantify staffing levels, training requirements and costs.

  • Collect information that will empower you to make proactive decisions and enhance support processes

You’ll learn how an affordable, effective solution is critical to building and taking control of today’s help desks and call centers.

"How To Implement a World-Class Support Center"
Through the demonstration of world class software tools, this free half day program will show you what it takes to plan and implement a support center solution based on best practices.  You'll learn about best practices like automating your help desk/support center and improving customer service, providing rapid response, giving customers multiple options for submitting requests, providing your customers with self-help options and broad management reporting.  You'll see how tools like customer self-service, asset and knowledge management and eSupport can maximize your support center.  Featured software products will include HEAT, HEAT Plus Knowledge and HEAT Asset Tracker.

"Improving the Return On Your Help Desk Investment"

The presentation will focus on cost-effective solutions for enhancing your service center operations.  Reducing call volumes, shortening call resolution times and improving staff productivity will be addressed.  Discussions and demonstrations will focus on automated processes, customer self service, asset management, Web-based support, and knowledge management.

 

  
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