Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) 4.0 is a series of guides aimed at helping
information technology
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
(IT) professionals establish and implement reliable, cost-effective services.
Overview
MOF 4.0 was created to provide guidance across the entire IT life cycle. Completed in early 2008, MOF 4.0 integrates community-generated processes;
governance
Governance is the overall complex system or framework of Process, processes, functions, structures, Social norm, rules, Law, laws and Norms (sociology), norms born out of the Interpersonal relationship, relationships, Social interaction, intera ...
, risk, and
compliance activities; management reviews, and
Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) best practices.
The guidance in the
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
Operations Framework encompasses all of the activities and processes involved in managing an IT service: its conception, development, operation, maintenance, and—ultimately—its retirement.
Structure of MOF 4.0
MOF 4.0 The Plan Phase focuses on ensuring that, from its inception, a requested IT service is reliable, policy-compliant, cost-effective, and adaptable to changing business needs.
The Deliver Phase concerns the envisioning, planning, building, stabilization, and deployment of requested services.
The Operate Phase deals with the efficient operation, monitoring, and support of deployed services in line with agreed-to
service level agreement
A service-level agreement (SLA) is an agreement between a service provider and a customer. Particular aspects of the service – quality, availability, responsibilities – are agreed between the service provider and the service user.
T ...
(SLA) targets.
The Manage Layer helps users establish an integrated approach to IT service management activities through the use of
risk management
Risk management is the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of risks, followed by the minimization, monitoring, and control of the impact or probability of those risks occurring. Risks can come from various sources (i.e, Threat (sec ...
,
change management
Change management (CM) is a discipline that focuses on managing changes within an organization. Change management involves implementing approaches to prepare and support individuals, teams, and leaders in making organizational change. Change mana ...
, and controls. It also provides guidance relating to accountabilities and role types.
Service Management Functions
MOF organizes IT activities and processes into Service Management Functions (SMFs) which provide operational guidance for capabilities within the service management environment. Each SMF is anchored within a related lifecycle phase and contains a unique set of goals and outcomes supporting the objectives of that phase.
Management Reviews
An IT service’s readiness to move from one phase to the next is confirmed by management reviews, which ensure that goals are achieved in an appropriate fashion and that IT’s goals are aligned with the goals of the organization.
Governance, Risk, and Compliance
The interrelated disciplines of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) represent a cornerstone of MOF 4.0.
IT governance is a senior management–level activity that clarifies who holds the authority to make decisions, determines accountability for actions and responsibility for outcomes, and addresses how expected performance will be evaluated.
Risk represents possible adverse impacts on reaching goals and can arise from actions taken or not taken.
Compliance is a process that ensures individuals are aware of
regulations
Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...
,
policies
Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...
, and procedures that must be followed as a result of senior management’s decisions.
See also
*
IT Service Management
Information technology service management (ITSM) are the activities performed by an organization to design, build, deliver, operate and control IT services offered to customers.
Differing from more technology-oriented IT management approach ...
*
ITIL
ITIL (previously and also known as Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a framework with a set of practices (previously processes) for IT activities such as IT service management (ITSM) and IT asset management (ITAM) that focus ...
*
IT Service Management Forum (ITSMF)
*Microsoft's
infrastructure optimization
External links
Microsoft Operations Framework 4.0 homepageMicrosoft Solution AcceleratorsMicrosoft Operations Framework Brazil ProjectCross-reference MOF v4 versus ITIL v3
Microsoft initiatives
Information technology management