Chapter 2 established the following high-level definition of the COBIT Delivery and Support Domain: This phase ensures that not only do systems perform as expected upon implementation, but that they continue to perform in accordance with expectations over time, usually managed via SLAs. This chapter looks at the specifics of each of the COBIT Delivery and Support Domain control objectives and attempts to summarize them so that they can lend themselves more to the structure of a small to medium-sized company.

The COBIT Domain III Delivery and Support Domain will cause the most concern for small to medium-sized companies because:

• Given the number of IT resources, can these activities be sustained?

• Do we really need all of this bureaucracy?

The answer to both questions is yes. If the appropriate open source tools are implemented, the gain in efficiency, security, user satisfaction, and environmental stability will sufficiently mitigate the introduction of any bureaucracy. Similar to the personal processes discussed in Chapter 3, and the need to understand your company s culture, it is important to understand the normal perceptions of small to medium-sized companies, such as:

• It is easier and quicker to relay requests via phone or in person.

• People do not have time for processes and filling out forms.

As stated, the COBIT Delivery and Support Domain is where an IT department can gain the most benefit from a repositioning perspective. Therefore, the control objectives identified for our fictitious company have been designed to accomplish...