Traditionally, the IT function of an enterprise focussed on building and maintaining an IT infrastructure and expanded to keep pace with the market. Now, with most businesses adopting the Cloud and the immense remote IT possibilities it offers, TaaS (Technology as a Service) is threatening to make enterprise IT departments redundant.
It is time for businesses to transform into ‘new age’ enterprises, powered by the Cloud, Big Data, Hadoop, Internet of Things (IoT) and more. However, they have to contend with the existing IT infrastructure. Th is calls for evaluating the efficacy of existing IT, the possibilities offered by Cloud and hosted infrastructure, and integrating the two to drive business growth.
Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) enable enterprise IT to deliver value by improving all aspects—right from policy, through operations, systems and processes, data storage and use, equipment, end-user computing, security, staffing, internal networking and external source management, to transformation.
An ideal IMS delivers:
- A structure open to future technological innovation, not limiting the enterprise to proprietary systems
- Reduction of duplication and increased systems efficiency to improve fl ow of information
- Automation of processes to save time and costs
- Storage, monitoring and optimisation of data (including predictive analytics)
- Customised workspace services that improve data management, productivity and security
- Server and middleware technical support
- Application support, including running, troubleshooting, upgrading
- Security across Cloud storage and omni-channel inputs
- Interoperability within the enterprise and with external sources/ clients
- Resource optimization
Remote Infrastructure Management (RIM) moves IMS to a different level by offering virtualisation of servers, data and networks. It offers remote troubleshooting, migration, monitoring and management of IT infrastructure, delivering seamless integration to new platforms. RIM essentially offers the advantages of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) — the virtual hosting of applications and services without investing in hardware and in-house maintenance.
IMS is more than just a stepping-stone in the journey towards Cloud migration. Businesses that have been adding to their IT infrastructure over the years do not have a complete understanding of what their IT systems are capable of, or of how their existing processes and resources can be optimised. IMS enables enterprises to discover their IT strengths and how they are being used, their efficiency gaps and operational costs, changes necessitated by regulations, and more, prior to Cloud adoption. Th is data, combined with a good IMS provider’s domain knowledge expertise, will help enterprises figure out the hybrid infrastructure ideal for their business needs.
Also Read: IT’s necessity not an option: Prasenjit Saha
Undervaluing the importance of the effective management of the infrastructure on which all business activities depend can be a costly mistake for enterprises. Enterprises should carefully consider their choice of an IMS provider, picking one that keeps abreast of advances in the field of IT and strives to use technologies that will work to the best interests of the enterprise.
For example, technological advances like Machine-to- Machine (M2M) communication can enable automation, simplification and even the direct collection and virtualisation of business data. Also, Artificial Neural Networks can be used to build intelligent analytics into an enterprise’s IT, if the business will benefit from it.
IMS offers the efficient monitoring and management of existing and future IT infrastructure. Combining IMS and change management practices will seamlessly integrate the different and disparate components of IT to deliver tangible business benefits.