An ERP like system specifically for the IT Operations is the idea being discussed at the Enterprise Ventures 2006 conference. In a panel session entitled "Big Governance: Expanding IT Management," representatives from companies such as Computer Associates and AMR Research noted issues with visibility into IT."Speaking with a lot of senior IT executives in [Global 1000] businesses, it's amazing to me how little visibility they have," into services being providing, how much they cost and how value can be measured, said AMR Research Director Dennis Gaughan.Opportunities exist for software companies to develop technology that would uncover information necessary to make better business decisions pertaining to technology, Gaughan said.

"At the core of the frustration that a lot customers have and people have relative to managing infrastructure and all the relative pieces of it, is we always take an asset-centric approach," such as with managing databases, he said. The industry has not matured enough to look at the entire management stack, translate data about assets, correlate that and pick out pieces of relevant information relevant to specific business problems, Nugent said.An actual ERP for IT system might be difficult for a single provider to offer but is possible, according to panelist Gary Oliver, president and CEO of Blazent, which offers business intelligence solutions for IT."I think it's very difficult for one company to be the provider of all that whole capability," Oliver said.

Nugent said he did not think it was possible for a single vendor to provide a SAP-like offering for IT infrastructure. A lack of standards is one issue, he said. SAP is the major ERP vendor.A lack of business-related skills among IT professionals also was cited as an obstacle in assessing the business value of technology. Finding someone with an MBA or business degree who can understand technology is a problem, Gaughan said."That's a huge issue with a lot of companies," said Gaughan

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Prashanth Rai