Dialogue Six: Managing the Infrastructure

Dialogue Six: Managing the Infrastructure

By infrastructure, we mean your networks, the database system that supports every critical application, and perhaps, even the inside of those PCs on your employees' desks.

First, are you standardized? We recently developed a database for a client to manage telecommunication assets. They saw a need because each branch and home office had been given its own budget and bought a variety of products from varying vendors. This is more costly to be sure, simply in terms of bulk buying, but more costly because of the management, integration, and maintenance of dozens of disparate items.

Second, We are taught "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The problem with the infrastructure is that it is "hidden." So when something does break, there is usually big trouble: loss of revenue, customers and/or prestige.
Just as with other capital expenditures, this dialogue focuses on: How long do we expect this purchase to last? What changes in the outside world (population, regulations, etc.) or changes we are planning (a new product line, increase in market share, etc.) would cause this item to break down.

Then, on an on-going basis, create a dialogue to explore if some portion of the IT resources is being allocated to manage the obsolescence plan and upgrade the infrastructure as needed.

Bottom Line: Do not wait until things break. Plan for obsolescence.

So, the dialogue is to decide where standardization makes sense and where the special needs of some group should prevail. In all cases, demand that the expected life of all components of the infrastructure be estimated and a plan to systematically replace or upgrade the infrastructure is put in place.

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