looking at the challenges that face a large heterogeneous it infrastructure, in terms of security,...
TRANSCRIPT
Looking at the challenges that face a large heterogeneous IT infrastructure, in terms of security, scale, communication, IT literacy / competence, autonomy v standards, total cost
of ownership, etc. This will be a mainly interactive / discussion based session giving the students the opportunity to reflect on the IT
challenges within their own organisation.
Alistair Sandford
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Theory Look at a range of infrastructure challenges
Practical Evaluate which infrastructure challenges affect
your organisation and the resulting impact
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Alignment to the needs of the business Flexible Allow the business to effectively respond to
change Responsive to the needs of the business and
deliver change in a timely manner Cost effective
Help overcome the disconnect between the business and IT
The organisational change/IT infrastructure disconnect: an opportunity for corporate performance gain The Bathwick Group, 27th March 2006
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Technology Sprawl Number of Computers: desktops, laptops Applications: number of apps, platform requirements Data centres: servers, storage, power, cooling Network: miles of cabling, multiple switches, routers Geographical: sites(inc SOHO), time zones, languages
Number of users (employees & customers) Administration, support, identity management,
permissions
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Caused by evolution of infrastructure Piecemeal expansion, plugging gaps, papering over
the cracks, tactical development rather than strategic No individual person (or team) understands
every area Integration at all levels is often ‘flaky’ Multiple systems perform similar functions
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Large attack surface ‘Trust’ is more difficult to achieve Increased risk of accidental error More administrators - “too many cooks spoil
the broth” Harder to achieve appropriate levels of
security (functionality v lockdown) Security policies become overly complex,
which then becomes restrictive
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
There is often little recognition of the value of the IT infrastructure? (until it breaks!)
There is routinely a disconnect between the business and IT
There are many drivers / stakeholders users (employees and customers), business
and IT strategy, competition, IT industry, managers ...)
Very rare that everyone agrees (politics)
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Diverse range of IT skills Continually changing skills profile IT does not allow users to stand still Differing opinions of skills level
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Many factors affect TCO Support, Capital (hardware, software, services),
Recurring costs (maintenance), Downtime, Environmental, Training
Some factors are hidden / difficult to calculate No individual stakeholder owns all of the
affected budgets and relevant SLA’s
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
People generally resist change Majority prefer to avoid it Some proactive try to block it
Infrastructure changes often provide no obvious benefit, just new ways of doing the same thing.
Different parts of the business may respond differently to each change dependant on needs and benefits
Managing change is key to IT success
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Difficult to identify and achieve the balanceDifficult to identify and achieve the balance Correctly applied standards Correctly applied standards
Ease support burden, increase user confidence, reduce Ease support burden, increase user confidence, reduce TCO, improve service levelsTCO, improve service levels
Overly strict standardsOverly strict standards Restrict usability, inhibit business agility, increases TCORestrict usability, inhibit business agility, increases TCO
Full autonomyFull autonomy Offers unlimited usability, gives individual satisfaction, leads Offers unlimited usability, gives individual satisfaction, leads
to chaos, causes confusion, inhibits business agility, to chaos, causes confusion, inhibits business agility, increases TCOincreases TCO
Getting the balance right is an enabler - getting it Getting the balance right is an enabler - getting it wrong can be a business disablerwrong can be a business disabler
UFEEP4-15-M – Week 5
Knowing who to communicate with Identifying which communication tools to use Finding the best time to communicate Avoiding communication overload Getting your message heard above the noise Most people are not interested in IT
