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A technology assessment is a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of an organization's technological infrastructure, processes, and systems. It involves a thorough analysis of the organization's current technology landscape, identifying areas for improvement, and recommending strategies to enhance its technological capabilities. Conducting a technology assessment is crucial for organizations to stay competitive and meet their business goals in today's fast-paced technological environment.

The assessment should encompass all aspects of technology, including hardware, software, networks, and security, as well as the organization's policies and procedures related to technology usage. It is essential to engage stakeholders throughout the organization to ensure that the technology assessment reflects the needs of all users, from the front line to top-level management.

The technology assessment process typically involves the collection of data through surveys, interviews, and technology audits. This data is then analyzed to identify areas of improvement and opportunities for optimization. The assessment should conclude with a report that outlines the findings, recommendations, and an implementation plan.

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  1. Do you have an Enterprise Architect or Domain Architect(s)? For technology assessment purposes, it's important to understand if the organization has an Enterprise Architect or Domain Architect(s) in place. These professionals are responsible for designing and managing the overall technology architecture of the organization. They ensure that technology solutions align with business goals and objectives, and that they are scalable and sustainable. They also work closely with other teams to ensure that technology solutions are integrated seamlessly across the organization.
  2. Do you have a documented Enterprise Architecture that is reviewed at a set schedule? A documented Enterprise Architecture is a crucial aspect of technology management. This document outlines the overall technology strategy of the organization, including the different technology components, systems, and applications. It also includes information on how these components are integrated and how they support business processes. It's important to review this document at a set schedule to ensure that it's up-to-date and reflects any changes in the organization's goals or technology landscape.
  3. Do you have high level and low-level designs documented of your architecture? In addition to the Enterprise Architecture document, it's important to have high-level and low-level designs documented for the different technology components. These documents provide a detailed view of how different systems and applications are designed and how they interact with each other. This information is critical for troubleshooting issues, making updates, and ensuring that the technology architecture is optimized for performance.
  4. Do you have an Architecture Review Board and how do you use that board? An Architecture Review Board (ARB) is a group of technology experts responsible for reviewing and approving changes to the technology architecture. The ARB ensures that any changes made are aligned with the overall technology strategy and that they don't negatively impact other parts of the architecture. It's important to have an ARB in place and to follow a set process for making changes to the architecture to ensure that technology solutions are integrated effectively and that they support business goals.
  5. Do you have a Design Authority that takes an End to End view and is separate from other teams it has governance over? A Design Authority is a group of experts responsible for reviewing and approving technology designs across the organization. This group takes an end-to-end view of technology solutions to ensure that they're aligned with business goals and that they're integrated seamlessly with other parts of the architecture. It's important that the Design Authority is separate from other teams to ensure that they have the independence and authority to make objective decisions.
  6. Do you conduct proactive HealthChecks? Proactive HealthChecks involve regular assessments of the technology architecture to identify potential issues before they become major problems. These assessments can include performance testing, security scans, and system audits. Conducting proactive HealthChecks helps to identify areas where improvements can be made and reduces the risk of downtime or other issues that could impact business operations.
  7. Have you conducted a Business Impact Analysis? A Business Impact Analysis is a process of identifying and evaluating the potential impacts of a technology failure or outage on business operations. This analysis includes identifying critical systems and applications and assessing the impact of their failure on different business functions. Conducting a Business Impact Analysis helps to identify areas where resiliency and redundancy can be improved to reduce the impact of technology failures on business operations.
  8. Have you conducted a Single Point of Failure Analysis? A Single Point of Failure Analysis involves identifying systems, applications, and processes that could cause a complete system failure if they were to fail. This analysis helps to identify areas where resiliency and redundancy can be improved to reduce the risk of a catastrophic system failure.
  9. Have you conducted a High Availability / Resiliency Analysis? A High Availability / Resiliency Analysis involves assessing the ability of the technology architecture to continue operating in the event of a failure or outage. This analysis includes identifying critical systems and applications and assessing the impact of their failure on the organization's operations. The analysis helps to identify areas where the technology architecture can be improved to minimize downtime and ensure continuous availability of critical systems and applications. This may involve implementing redundancy measures, such as backup systems or failover mechanisms, to ensure that critical components can continue to operate in the event of a failure. The High Availability / Resiliency Analysis is a crucial part of ensuring that the organization's technology infrastructure is robust and able to withstand potential disruptions.
  10. Do you have an Application Dependency Mapping process in place to identify how different applications and systems interact with each other and how changes to one component may affect other components?
  11. Do you use Application Performance Monitoring tools to measure the performance of applications in real-time and identify issues affecting their performance?
  12. Do you conduct Application Modernization Studies to evaluate and modernize legacy applications to ensure they meet current business needs and operate efficiently?
  13. Do you use Dashboards to monitor the performance of key systems, track metrics, and identify trends over time?
  14. Do you have separate Test, Dev, Stage, and Prod Environments set up and used as designed to ensure changes are thoroughly tested before being deployed to production systems?
  15. Do you have a Technology Roadmap Management System to manage technology initiatives, track progress, and ensure technology investments align with the organization's overall strategic plan?
  16. Do you have a Disaster Recovery Plan in place outlining the steps to take in the event of a disaster or major outage, including procedures for backing up critical data, restoring systems, and ensuring operations can resume as quickly as possible?
  17. Do you have a Backup and Recovery Plan in place that outlines procedures for backing up critical data and ensuring it can be recovered in the event of a disaster or outage, including details on how frequently backups are taken, where backups are stored, and how backups can be accessed and restored?
  18. Do you have a Performance & Capacity Management System in place to monitor the performance and capacity of critical systems and identify areas where performance can be optimized?
  19. Do you have a Test Management System in place to manage the testing of applications and software updates, including tools for managing test cases, tracking test results, and generating reports?
  20. Do you have a Configuration Management System in place to track changes to the organization's technology infrastructure, including hardware, software, and network configurations, and ensure changes are made in a controlled and documented manner?
  21. Do you have a Monitoring & Alerting Management System in place to monitor critical systems and applications for issues and generate alerts when issues are detected, including setting up automated monitoring tools, configuring alerts, and defining escalation procedures?
  22. Do you have an Event Management System in place to capture and manage events that occur within the organization's technology infrastructure, including events related to system performance, security incidents, or other issues, allowing for the collection of event data, event correlation and analysis, and automated alerting and remediation?
  23. Do you have a Currency/Firmware/Patch Management system in place to manage the software and firmware updates for the organization's technology infrastructure, including identifying and applying patches and updates to ensure systems are secure and up-to-date?
  24. Do you have a Network Management System in place to provide visibility and control over the organization's network infrastructure, including tools for monitoring network performance, managing network devices, and identifying and resolving network issues?
  25. Do you have a Compute Management System in place to manage the organization's computing resources, including servers, virtual machines, and other infrastructure components, including tools for provisioning, monitoring, and optimizing compute resources?
  26. Do you have a Storage & SAN Management System in place to provide visibility and control over the organization's storage infrastructure, including storage arrays, storage networks, and other storage components, including tools for provisioning, monitoring, and optimizing storage resources?
  27. Do you have a Mainframe Management System in place to manage the organization's mainframe infrastructure, including mainframe computers and associated hardware and software components, including tools for monitoring performance, managing resources, and identifying and resolving issues?
  28. Do you have a Database Management System in place to manage the organization's databases, including tools for monitoring performance, managing access, and ensuring data security and integrity?
  29. Do you have a Middleware Management System in place to manage the organization's middleware infrastructure, including tools for monitoring performance, managing resources, and identifying and resolving issues?
  30. Do you have a Messaging Services Management System in place to manage the organization's messaging infrastructure
  31. Do you have a Tools Management system: This system manages the various tools and utilities used by an organization's technology teams. It includes tools for managing licenses, tracking usage, and ensuring compliance with software agreements.
  32. Do you have a Telephony Management system: This system manages an organization's telephony infrastructure, including tools for monitoring performance, managing resources, and identifying and resolving issues.
  33. Do you have a Software Management system: This system manages an organization's software assets, including tools for managing licenses, tracking usage, and ensuring compliance with software agreements.
  34. Do you have a Hardware Lifecycle Management system: This system manages an organization's hardware assets, including tools for tracking inventory, managing warranties, and planning for hardware refresh cycles.
  35. Do you have a IT Resource & Asset Management system: This system provides a centralized view of an organization's technology assets and resources, including hardware, software, and personnel. It includes tools for tracking usage, managing costs, and ensuring compliance.
  36. Do you conduct Data Auditing & Cleansing? This question refers to the process of verifying the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data, as well as removing or correcting any errors or inconsistencies. It is essential for maintaining data integrity and ensuring that accurate information is used for decision-making. The question aims to determine whether the organization has established procedures for conducting regular data audits and cleansing activities to maintain the quality of its data.
  37. Do you have any Legacy Transformation initiatives? This question refers to the process of modernizing or updating legacy systems and applications to align with modern technology and business needs. Legacy systems are often outdated and inefficient, and legacy transformation initiatives aim to address these issues by implementing new technologies, upgrading systems, or retiring obsolete applications. The question aims to determine whether the organization has any ongoing initiatives to modernize its legacy systems and ensure they remain relevant and effective.
  38. Do you have a Demand Management system? This question refers to the process of managing and forecasting demand for an organization's products or services. A demand management system can help organizations anticipate customer needs and adjust production or service delivery accordingly. The question aims to determine whether the organization has established procedures for managing demand and ensuring that it can meet the needs of its customers.
  39. Do you conduct Process Transformation? This question refers to the process of analyzing and optimizing business processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Process transformation involves reengineering existing processes or creating new ones to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve quality. The question aims to determine whether the organization has established procedures for analyzing and transforming its business processes.
  40. Do you have any Automation / Self-Enablement / Self-Healing systems in place? This question refers to the use of automated systems and tools to enable self-healing and self-management of IT systems. Automation can help organizations reduce manual intervention and increase efficiency by automating routine tasks and decision-making processes. The question aims to determine whether the organization has implemented any automation or self-healing systems to improve its IT operations.
  41. Do you have a Cloud Management strategy? This question refers to the process of managing and optimizing an organization's use of cloud resources, including public, private, and hybrid clouds. A cloud management strategy can help organizations reduce costs, improve scalability, and increase agility by optimizing cloud usage and adopting best practices. The question aims to determine whether the organization has a defined cloud management strategy in place and whether it is effectively managing its cloud resources.
  42. Do you have an Analytics Management strategy? This question refers to the process of managing and optimizing an organization's use of data analytics to gain insights and make better decisions. An analytics management strategy can help organizations leverage data to improve business outcomes, increase efficiency, and identify new opportunities. The question aims to determine whether the organization has a defined analytics management strategy in place and whether it is effectively using data analytics to drive business results.
  43. Do you have an Artificial Intelligence/Cognitive Management system? This question refers to the use of artificial intelligence and cognitive technologies to automate and optimize business processes, gain insights from data, and improve decision-making. These technologies can include machine learning, natural language processing, and robotic process automation, among others. The question aims to determine whether the organization has implemented any artificial intelligence or cognitive management systems to improve its operations and drive business results.

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In conclusion, conducting a technology assessment is critical for organizations to remain competitive and ensure that their technological infrastructure is aligned with their business objectives. It provides a roadmap for technological improvements and allows organizations to make informed decisions about their technology investments.