With the growing complexity of IT, infrastructure management is a critical concern for top IT executives, a potentially rampant problem addressed by Jose de Nobrega, new business development manager at iLAYO Software Solutions.
IT infrastructure management is not only about the money it can save the organisation; it`s about IT being critical to the business, which will no longer tolerate a line of business lacking business discipline or accountability. IT executives are in the firing line, and if IT doesn`t shape up, there are many outsourcing options.
That said, business executives must be aware that it takes time to get infrastructure management right, developing and deploying systems and processes that buttress one another, with a view to repetitive and continued management. According to a survey conducted by CIO.com, the five top motivators behind gaining control of IT infrastructure and taking it to the next step: IT behaving as a business, are:
* Lack of IT credibility;
* Operational effectiveness;
* Overwhelming backlog and demand for IT services;
* Inconsistent IT quality; and
* Mandate from the CIO
CIOs must ask five questions as they embark on an infrastructure management project:
1. What do I have?
2. Where is it?
3. How well is it performing?
4. How well is it helping my business mission?
5. What is it costing me?
By properly answering these questions, companies will find it increasingly easy to plan and measure effectively. Without accurate measurement it is difficult to monitor improvement. Without proper planning, costs quickly spiral out of control.
The results of poor infrastructure management are clear indicators of the problem. Companies could be faced with having to retrench IT staff because outsourcing IT needs becomes more attractive than continuing to allocate money to the IT black hole; the company can become susceptible to acquisition because of reduced profits or increasingly difficult competition; and customers become dissatisfied due to poor service levels.
The causes for this are common and easily dealt with. Despite large investment in infrastructure, most companies fail to deploy even basic infrastructure management tools, instead relying primarily on spreadsheets and technicians manually recording information.
Considering that IT has become an indispensable business automation tool, companies cannot afford for it to fail or its integrity to be breached. A survey conducted by Aberdeen Group and Cygnus Business Media reveals that most organisations have insufficient strategies and policies in place to optimally deal with their IT assets.
Aberdeen analysts that conducted the survey further believe that many companies recognise the untapped value inherent in their corporate assets but are unable to access and deliver the value because of their reliance on manual, data-starved processes.
Companies that have used legacy, often paper-based processes for tactical maintenance of critical assets are beginning to recognise the value that can be achieved with increasingly automated, integrated and strategic management of their assets.
By deploying such systems, companies can avoid unnecessary costs arising from duplicated equipment, licences and fines for lack of licence compliance.
Knowing what IT costs the business also helps determine whether or not outside contractors are required.
And once companies gain control of their IT infrastructure, CIOs need no longer fear being hauled in front of the CEO to defend their budget.
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iLAYO Software Solutions focuses on the delivery of best-of-breed infrastructure management solutions. Through partnerships with industry leaders, it provides solutions that assist IT organisations in managing the availability, cost, location and the level of service that each IT asset provides, thus helping IT organisations to manage IT according to their business prerogatives, rather than just for the sake of uptime. Its technology solutions, along with its professional services capability, enables it to assist its clients in adding real, measurable quality to business processes and business objectives. iLAYO is synonymous with service excellence and has provided solutions to many leading organisations.
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