For many large organizations, IT infrastructure has been built over the course of many years, even decades, with siloed additions made to account for an acquisition or support a new IT or business need. Companies have now started to realize that their bulky, layered and complex IT infrastructure is not only inefficient (i.e., in terms of cost, space, and energy), but also does not give the business the support it needs to reach its full potential.
According to IBM, more than 70 percent of companies that participated in its survey of 750 technology executives say they understand how important IT infrastructure is to being competitive. However, only 22% say they have a well-defined IT infrastructure in place.* Additionally, IBM reports that less than 10% of survey respondents say their IT infrastructure can support the business demands in mobile technologies, social media, big data and cloud computing.*
An ideal IT infrastructure for companies is one that enables the business to generate value, while simultaneously reducing costs, improving asset optimization, remaining compliant with regulations and protecting the brand. To achieve these goals, as Ranjit Bawa of Deloitte explains, companies need to make "large-scale IT infrastructure investments" in order to achieve the desired operating model.
