Risk Management
In rushing to take advantage of SMS features, organizations might overlook the risks involved in running a technically complex implementation project that touches nearly every component of your infrastructure.
You must actively manage any risk. To manage risks effectively, identify the risks, and then design contingency plans for dealing with those risks.
Also, it is important to perform a risk assessment and to re-evaluate your risk management plan after you complete each phase of the project.
Risk Analysis
To conduct a comprehensive risk analysis, use a system such as Microsoft Readiness Framework, available through Microsoft Consulting Services.
Microsoft Readiness Framework is a guide created and used by Microsoft partners to provide an approach for organizations in preparing their people and processes for technology adoption. The Microsoft Readiness Framework risk model helps you manage risks that are specific to technology readiness efforts and projects that prepare an organization to fully adopt new technology, and to realize the business benefits driven by this change.
For more information, see the Microsoft Risk Management Model technical paper at https://www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/default.asp.
Avoiding Risks
The best way to avoid risks is to plan your SMS implementation carefully. For example, using the default settings provided by Express Setup to install SMS presents considerable risks to your computing environment. The default settings cannot guarantee a successful deployment for every organization. Properly planning configuration settings before deploying SMS in your production environment is the preferred method of performing an SMS installation.
Table 7.2 outlines some potential risks that you should be aware of before completing your project plan.
Table 7.2 Risk Avoidance and Best Practices
Action |
Risk |
Best practice |
|---|---|---|
Deploying SMS without planning |
Hindered network infrastructure stability, reduction in available bandwidth, reduced performance due to improper server sizing, and the potential for SMS to collect data that is not valid |
Create a project plan and follow the planning and installation guidelines in this book or in the Microsoft Solutions Framework documentation. |
For large- and medium-sized organizations, using the Express Setup feature to install an SMS site server without planning or considering the customizable SMS and Microsoft SQL Server(tm) settings |
Network infrastructure instability, performance issues, and productivity interruptions due to a reduction in available network bandwidth |
Use Custom Setup unless you are evaluating SMS within a lab environment that is physically isolated from your production environment. |
Not testing in a lab environment before deployment |
Interoperability problems and reduced ability to:
|
Thoroughly test your SMS deployment, run a pilot project, and document your results before deploying any SMS component on your production network. |
No use of change control or change management |
Inability to troubleshoot system failure if changes to system are not tracked |
Develop a formal change management process and tracking system to ensure that changes are made only where necessary to fulfill objectives, and that all implications and risks are understood in advance. |
Not planning for recovery |
SMS data loss and complex recovery process |
Plan for recovery as you plan your deployment, not after you have already deployed SMS. |
Not understanding and planning for SMS security policies |
Security breaches - unauthorized access of client computers or malicious destruction of client computers |
Plan for security early, so that you can ensure the security of your computing environment. |
Not planning for training and education |
Improper installation and use of SMS, failure to meet requirements, and poor support for end users, all of which can result in forming a negative reputation for SMS in the organization |
As you assign roles to your SMS project staff and trainers, ensure that these individuals are trained in the areas of expertise needed for planning, installing, supporting, and maintaining SMS. |
Not planning and carrying out a good communications strategy |
Insufficient support from management, colleagues, end users, or other groups in the organization |
Plan a schedule for informing the SMS team and all other groups of planning and deployment progress. |
Change Control and Change Management
Most of your significant project design changes are likely to occur as the result of testing. In the pre-planning phase, begin thinking about how you want to control and manage change throughout the planning and deployment phases of the project.
Change control requires tracking and reviewing changes to your implementation plan made during testing cycles and after deployment. Change management requires testing potential system changes in a lab environment before implementing them in your production environment. By identifying all affected systems and processes before a change is implemented, you can mitigate or eliminate potential adverse effects.
The Microsoft Operations Framework provides best practices in change, configuration, and problem management. This information is available at: https://www.microsoft.com/business/services/practiceservice.asp.
Note:
- You can further reduce the potential for unfavorable implementation results by carefully planning for backup and recovery, and testing your plan for backup and recovery. For more information, see Chapter 13, "Planning for Backup and Recovery."
For More Information
Did you find this information useful? Please send your suggestions and comments about the documentation to smsdocs@microsoft.com.