Developing World Class IT Infrastructure

When it comes to IT infrastructure, people think that it only consists of the hardware, software and other infrastructure items such as cabling, conduits etc. IT is actually no different from the other internal functions, IT infrastructure also include processes and services. How IT processes and services are managed and delivered impacts the overall goal of all corporations to develop a world class infrastructure.

In order to help achieving a world-class infrastructure in IT perspective, planning should be made very carefully. Planning phases could be divided in 3 categories:

• Short term: what are the low hanging fruits and how the quick improvements can be made.
• Mid-term: what areas require or would benefit from quick communication to recognize that the issue is acknowledged and rectification will be made.
• Long term:  what areas require more long term focus and strategic planning.

All IT should be aware of its assets, service portfolio management is a part of this process to define existing and even retired IT services and applications.
IT should make plans into increasing the accessibility of all of its assets and better streamlining the existing assets, increasing number of training sessions for the target users.
It is crucial to help develop and maintain share of knowledge, extending access rights and providing more automation to systems and tools to all levels would accelerate decision making and ensure timeliness. Protecting information from the staff is a practice from the last century, today, organizations go more flat and no staff is deprived from the information resources. It is important that for all colleagues to stay current to build up their competency levels to manage and sustain innovation.

Of course, for the long run, corporations strategically work toward a more integrated system to reduce the manual work by increasing the automation. IT nowadays create strategies to work more closely with the business units to identify non-value added processes, duplication of work, critical business processes, improvement opportunities, etc.