EMA Promotes Scott Crawford And Andi Mann to Research Director
Crawford and Mann drive expansion of systems management and security practices for growing IT management research and consulting firm
BOULDER, Colo., July 31, 2007, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), the leading independent IT management research and consulting firm, today announced that Scott Crawford and Andi Mann each have been promoted to Research Director. Crawford and Mann have been the driving force behind EMA's growing Security and Risk Management Practice and Systems Management Practice respectively.
"EMA's commitment to and focus on the IT management sector has produced some of the industry's most insightful research in areas like security, IT governance and systems management, as well as on emerging trends like virtualization," said Dan Twing, EMA's chief operating officer. "Scott and Andi's promotions, coupled with the recent addition of four new EMA analysts, further strengthens our ability to produce in-depth information that helps IT professionals make informed and knowledgeable decisions when planning and deploying enterprise technology."
Crawford joined EMA in 2003 as a senior analyst within EMA's Systems Management Practice. He then focused on developing EMA's Security and Risk Management Practice through his extensive experience as a practicing IT security professional. During the past two years, Crawford has developed some of the industry's most current and compelling research in the area. Most recently, he helped define best practices around the emerging trend of IT security and risk management, and its continuing role in shaping the IT management market as a whole.
"IT risk management is more than just mitigating the negative aspects of security threats, compliance risks or business malfeasance. It also includes the ability to assure that the positive IT values of business-critical availability and performance are delivered according to defined objectives," said Crawford. "When aligned with business processes, this two-pronged approach to risk becomes foundational to effective IT governance."
EMA plans to continue to lead the industry in defining in how enterprise IT organizations can harmonize best practices in IT Service Management (ITSM) with governance and risk management objectives and the implementation of IT control frameworks such as COBIT. EMA's Security and Risk Management Practice also will carry on its leading role in helping IT departments develop winning strategies and best practices that elevate IT security into a true corporate strategic asset.
EMA's Systems Management Practice, now headed by Mann, also has been instrumental in identifying and defining new and emerging IT technology trends. Mann and his team have developed several areas of thought leadership in a market that continually is expanding and changing.
"The systems management market is set to go through some exciting transitions, making it a critical foundation for IT and business success," explained Mann, "Core disciplines have matured and new disciplines are coming through, breaking new ground, delivering unexpected benefits and creating new challenges. For instance, automation is becoming smarter, more reliable and more pervasive and infrastructure technologies like virtualization are expanding beyond the data center to deliver real end-user impact. The next couple of years promise to be very dynamic times for systems management technologies, and EMA will be at the forefront to help our clients navigate the changing landscape."
Most recently Mann published several in-depth research studies on one of the hottest trends in IT systems management: virtualization. In his latest report, "Virtualization: Exposing the Intangible Enterprise," Mann presents one of the industry's most comprehensive looks into the history, definitions, benefits, best-practices and technology options on virtualization. In addition, Mann's recent EMA Advisory Note: "Is Virtualization Right for You? The Top Ten Questions You Should Ask," has garnered widespread industry recognition for its insights into specific, actionable recommendations for planning and deploying successful virtualization projects.
"Our research shows that for most businesses virtualization is primarily about strategic business values like flexibility, agility and business continuity. That's one reason why we advise our clients to look at virtualization as a strategy, not a project," said Mann. "We see virtualization maturing into the basis for a truly dynamic IT infrastructure, which will allow businesses to be more agile than ever before.
