International Code of Conduct on the Transfer of Technology

1. Recognizing the fundamental role of science and technology in the socio-economic development of all countries, and in particular, in the acceleration of the development of the developing countries;

2. Believing that technology is key to the progress of mankind and that all peoples have the right to benefit from the advances and developments in science and technology in order to improve their standards of living;

3. Bearing in mind relevant decisions of the General Assembly and other bodies of the United Nations, in particular UNCTAD, on the transfer and development of technology;

4. Recognizing the need to facilitate an adequate transfer and development of technology so as to strengthen the scientific and technological capabilities of all countries, particularly the developing countries, and to co-operate with the developing countries in their own efforts in this field as a decisive step in the progress towards the establishment of a new international economic order;

5. Desirous of promoting international scientific and technological co-operation in the interest of  peace, security and national independence and for the benefit of all nations;

6. Striving to promote an increase of the international transfer of technology with an equal opportunity for all countries to participate irrespective of their social and economic system and of their level of economic development;

7. Recognizing the need for developed countries to grant special treatment to the developing countries in the field of the transfer of technology;

8. Drawing attention to the need to improve the flow of technological information, and in particular to promote the widest and fullest flow of information on the availability of alternative technologies.

Technology lifecycle management is a growing focus of enterprises, government organizations, and nonprofits. The diversification of technology solutions, from contained, in-house systems to a varied environment with cloud applications and infrastructure, fleets of mobile devices and a broadened security plane have created a much more complex technology landscape.

Chief information officers are more likely to be sitting in the conference room, directing business strategy, and evaluating how technology will support growth and opportunities, rather than monitoring the updates necessary on the company’s servers. IT professionals are increasingly focused on cyber security and finding strategic approaches to data storage, analysis, and insights. The focus on operations and maintenance has often been deprioritized due to the demands on IT for more attention to the customer experience and data security.

As a result, organizations are looking for solutions in the area of technology lifecycle management. There are a few reasons why investing in this area is beneficial to enterprises and nonprofit organizations:

• It streamlines the entire IT experience, with benefits like a single monthly invoice and only having to call one number when a system component is down.
• It allows the enterprise to benefit from the provider’s extensive relationships in the technology industry, gaining cost savings from bundling devices or services.
• Regular reviews and monitoring of devices, systems, and update or replacement schedules mean that systems are always running in peak performance levels.
• Oversight of the entire technology lifecycle — from assessing needs to the final disposal or e-cycling of the component.

While this is just a sampling of the extensive advantages of technology lifecycle management, the likelihood of realizing these and other benefits of this approach rests on an effectively executed process.

Each component of technology lifecycle management provides standalone value to the organization. For instance, any enterprise would benefit from a provider that guides them through their assessment process, or who provides the service of monitoring updates and security patches or the disposal of their devices. In order to achieve the most value from a technology lifecycle management plan, the following steps should be included:

Assess business needs and identify solutions/devices: This critical first step examines current business needs, as well as future growth plans and accommodates phases of the technology lifecycle. It includes business and technical stakeholders and generally produces a comprehensive report with key elements:

• Acquisition plan
• Financing plans in alignment with budget availability
• Support plan
• Implementation plans
• Asset tracking guidelines
• Asset retirement plan