IT Infrastructure: Cost or investment?
All too often, IT infrastructure is regarded as a cost, not an investment. For this reason, it can be starved of funds. It is simply ‘below the radar’ for senior management and is not considered a business enabler. In fact, the only time it comes into prominence is when it fails. So it is hardly surprising that most people’s view of IT infrastructure is at best, ambivalent and at worst, negative.
This situation is not helped by the fact that technology itself has become a commodity. These days, most homes contain computer systems which are so sophisticated that, up to a few years ago, they would have been hidden away in computer rooms and managed by expensive IT staff.
As the technology has become ever more accessible, the expectation is that the systems will require reduced levels of administration and management. In reality, we find that the reverse is true. Given that the required skills are expensive to acquire and maintain, the question that many companies are asking is: ‘Do we want to be an IT organisation or a business?’
The issue of complexity
IT is pervasive and the supporting infrastructures have grown at a rate that was difficult or even impossible to predict. Already businesses are dependent on a home-grown, complex and sometimes unwieldy concoction of technologies.
During the past few years, standards have emerged to help with the governance and management of IT infrastructures. However, when applied to today’s infrastructures, rather than solving problems, they are highlighting shortcomings.
Good practice can be readily defined and described in theory. But all too often, the application of this good practice remains an elusive goal, due to the limitations and complexity of the IT infrastructure itself. Consequently, companies find themselves relying on the skills and expertise of their in-house IT staff to keep the service running – an approach that some may consider potentially risky.
The mission-critical nature of IT
No IT infrastructure – no business. This is the reality for the majority of businesses today. Going back to manual procedures is no longer an option; IT has to work.
More than this, IT has to work predictably and in line with the changing demands of the business. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are no longer a ‘nice to have’ – they are becoming a critical part of corporate governance, and it is an imperative that these service levels are achieved and maintained. more...
