IT management | IT strategy | IT governance | technology leadership | digital transformation | FinOps | AI governance
What You Will Learn:
- Build an IT strategy that follows business goals, assess your technology maturity and write a 3-5 year roadmap
- Run IT governance properly using ITIL, COBIT and ISO, and manage a project portfolio across agile, waterfall and hybrid
- Read a cloud bill, allocate costs by team and product, and cut spend through rightsizing, autoscaling and commitments
- Prioritise AI initiatives by impact, feasibility and risk, and decide build, buy or partner for each one
- Choose an architecture and technology stack, and explain the choice to people who do not write code
- Set operational metrics that get acted on: input, output and outcome indicators with actual owners
- Manage vendors, outsourcing and the DevOps, SecOps and ITSM structure underneath you
- Calculate the ROI of technology spend and present it to a CEO or a board without hiding behind jargon
- Learn alongside Mike’s 1.6 million students from 185 countries
- Get the author’s experience from Preply, Wargaming, iDeals and Alfa-Bank
Alright, let’s talk about the ‘IT Management: IT Strategy, Governance, FinOps and AI [EN]’ course. As someone who’s navigated the trenches of tech leadership, from startups to enterprise giants, I’ve seen countless offerings promising to elevate your IT game. Many fall short, either too academic, too superficial, or simply out of touch with the real-world chaos we manage daily. Mike’s course, however, lands a solid punch in the right direction.
Overview
Forget the dry textbooks and abstract theories; this course is a masterclass in modern IT leadership, tailored for professionals who understand that IT isn’t just a cost center, but the engine of digital transformation. What sets it apart is its holistic view β it doesn’t compartmentalize IT strategy, governance, financial operations, or the emerging beast of AI. Instead, it brilliantly weaves them together into a cohesive narrative, much like how we, as leaders, have to juggle these interlinked challenges every single day. Mike doesn’t just tell you *what* to do; he explains the *why* and the *how*, drawing from his deep well of experience at places like Preply, Wargaming, and Alfa-Bank. It’s less about ticking boxes and more about cultivating the strategic mindset required to truly lead technology initiatives, bridge the often-gaping chasm between tech teams and the C-suite, and ensure every tech dollar spent drives tangible business value. This isn’t just about managing IT; it’s about leading it into the future.
Prerequisites
While Mike’s teaching style is incredibly accessible, this isn’t a “total beginner to IT” course. You’ll get the most out of it if you have at least a few years under your belt in an IT role, perhaps as a project manager, a team lead, a senior engineer looking to transition into management, or even an existing IT manager wanting to refresh and modernize your approach. A basic understanding of IT operations, project lifecycles (whether agile or waterfall), and perhaps some familiarity with cloud concepts will help you hit the ground running. It’s structured to take you from an intermediate understanding of these domains to an advanced strategic perspective, equipping you with job-ready skills to tackle complex scenarios.
Skills & Tools
You’re not just getting theory here; you’re gaining practical muscle. The course drills down into critical industry-standard tools and frameworks that every IT leader needs to master. You’ll walk away with the ability to:
- Develop robust IT strategy and roadmaps that align directly with business objectives.
- Implement effective IT governance using best practices from ITIL, COBIT, and ISO frameworks.
- Master FinOps principles: deciphering cloud bills, allocating costs, and identifying opportunities for cost optimization through rightsizing, autoscaling, and commitment management.
- Strategically evaluate and prioritize AI initiatives, understanding the build-buy-partner decision matrix and associated risks.
- Communicate complex architectural choices and technology stacks to non-technical stakeholders β a critical skill for any tech leader.
- Set actionable operational metrics that drive accountability and outcomes.
- Efficiently manage vendors, outsourcing, and the intricate structures of DevOps, SecOps, and ITSM.
- Calculate and present the ROI of technology spend in a way that resonates with CEOs and boards, cutting through the jargon.
These aren’t just concepts; they are the gears you’ll turn in real-world projects and daily operations.
Career Benefits & Job Roles
If you’re looking for serious career growth, this course is a legitimate accelerator. It’s designed to equip you for leadership roles where you’re not just managing technology, but strategically leveraging it for competitive advantage. Think roles like:
- IT Manager / Director
- Head of Technology / CTO
- FinOps Engineer / Manager
- Enterprise Architect
- Digital Transformation Lead
- AI Strategy Consultant
- Technology Business Partner
The comprehensive nature of the content also provides excellent foundational knowledge for those considering certifications in related areas, making it a valuable step in your certification prep journey. You’ll develop a holistic understanding that makes you indispensable in a landscape craving leaders who can marry technical acumen with sharp business sense.
Pros
- Integrated and Holistic Approach: Unlike courses that silo topics, Mike masterfully integrates IT strategy, governance, FinOps, and AI, mirroring the interconnected challenges of modern IT leadership. This provides a truly comprehensive view of technology leadership.
- Actionable, Real-World Insights: Mike’s extensive experience isn’t just mentioned; it’s woven into every lesson, providing practical advice, frameworks, and decision-making processes that you can immediately apply. No academic fluff here, just pragmatic solutions.
- Highly Relevant & Future-Proof: The strong emphasis on FinOps and AI governance ensures the content is current and addresses the most pressing challenges IT leaders face today and will continue to face tomorrow. It’s about equipping you for the future of IT.
- Clear Communication Focus: A significant differentiator is the focus on translating complex technical concepts into business language, especially when calculating ROI and presenting to executives. This is a vital, often overlooked, leadership skill.
Cons
While the course is exceptionally strong in its breadth and practical application, its comprehensive nature means that it offers a strategic overview rather than a deep, granular dive into every single niche topic. For example, while it covers FinOps principles effectively, it won’t replace a dedicated, highly specialized FinOps engineering course that might delve into specific cloud provider APIs or scripting for cost optimization. Similarly, for AI, it provides the strategic framework for prioritization and architectural choice, but doesn’t teach you to code AI models. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, but it’s an important expectation to manage: itβs designed to shape a well-rounded IT leader, not a hyper-specialized technician in every domain it touches. Think of it as the ultimate executive playbook, not a technical deep-dive manual.