Information Technology Strategies - Past, Present and Future

We have seen extraordinary changes in IT over theon best practices. These practices developed around
past three decades. During this time we've seen newa set of basic services provided across most system
technologies and new IT strategies develop andtypes such as Hardware/Software Standards, system
mature. As we approach 2010 I'd like to share myupdates/upgrades, tape backups, off-site storage, help
predictions for the next generation of IT. Somedesk services, Change Control, etc. These base
companies have already awoken to see their new ITservices evolved from efforts to trim down IT
future but mostly IT organizations are still wrestling withoverhead. In the 2000's Outsourcing of data center
the nightmares of past and present strategies. I hopeoperations became more plausible as companies
this article will awaken more companies to the newsought additional cost reductions. During this period the
world at their doorsteps and rethink their IT ways ofphrase "managing your mess for less" became the
the past, present and future.unofficial mantra for IT Outsourcing who took over the
Up until the 1980's we experienced the era ofmess Centralized IT created and charged a lower rate
mainframe exclusivity where strict controls and ITfor delivering the same basic services.
disciplines were the norm. This era limited us toBy 2005 we heard a new battle cry to lower costs
mainframe reports as our exclusive medium foreven further. Enter the age of "off-shoring". IT
information. Custom report requests took weeks andproviders heeded the call for lower rates by delivering
months to deliver because of the sheer number ofservices with low-cost overseas resources. If the
requests. There was a hunger within corporations forearly 2000's mantra was "your mess for less", the mid
information: information to help guide decisions. But the2000's mantra was "your mess for even less"
mainframe reports only teased the taste buds ofAs we embark on the next decade of 2010, IT leaders
information hungry business leaders.will awaken to a new day where they realize "your
The 80'smess for even less" still costs too much! Their new
This hunger led to the explosion of distributedmantra will be "why are we living with this mess in the
computing of the 80's. I use distributed computing in afirst place?" IT leadership will stop and evaluate why
very broad sense here to include all distributedthey are providing the services they are providing?
systems of the time including midrange (Unix), WintelWhy are they backing up everything at each site to
(Novel, PC LAN) and desktop PC's (DOS, Windowstape and sending it to off-site storage as if everything
386). A multitude of others have sprung up since theseat remote sites is critical information? Why are they
"pioneering" systems were introduced and are includedbacking up everything at their data centers to tape
in this category. In this decade smaller departmentswhen the only things that must go to tape are critical
took their standard mainframe reports and importedrecords for archiving? What low-value services are
them into their own distributed systems and createdthey providing that don't need to be performed? Over
their own customized data stores...with customizedthe next decade IT will redefine themselves and
reporting. These new "distributed" systems sprung upeliminate their mess altogether.
throughout the enterprise. Different systems in2010 and Beyond
different locations: all creating storehouses ofIn 2010, IT Organizations will restructure themselves
information...all using different operating systems andaround three strategies. First, IT will fine tune the
different databases and different applications thatservices they offer. For example, they will provide full
didn't talk with each other.services to critical systems/data only and they will
The 90'stolerate longer outages on non-critical systems. They
In the early 90's corporations realized for the first timewill change their approach to backups and incorporate
that with all these departments running their owntemporary disk storage as a replacement for tape
distributed systems they lost track of how much wasbackups for non-critical systems, particularly in remote
being spent on IT. Each department had their IT costbranch offices. IT will surgically eliminate all "low value"
buried in their own departmental budgets. In theseservices on a "system by system" basis. They will
distributed environments many IT support staffprovide services only where needed.
performed dual roles. We saw Accounting clerksSecondly, IT will outsource their basic services such as
performing systems administration functions and techhelpdesk and systems administration to IT providers
savvy clerks become the informal help desk thatwho will deliver those services for a fraction of their
department users called when help was needed.own costs. Thirdly, IT leaders will redirect their focus
By the mid 90's we saw a major effort in corporationsfrom providing generic IT services to providing
to centralize their IT functions into one IT organization.essential technologies that key business groups need
This was the only way corporations could regain theirto grow the business. IT will transition from being cost
grasp of their total IT spending. Through this ITcenters/overhead to revenue enablers. IT once and
Centralization effort, departments once again lostfor all will get rid of "their mess" and transform into a
control of their systems, data and most importantly,true business partner.
their information. Central IT became the TechnologyIn 2010 the new IT Organization will put less emphasis
Police telling departments what information they couldon system specific technical skills and more towards
have and what they couldn't.senior technology professionals who can generate
The new Centralized IT's of the 90's had severalbusiness value by incorporating technologies. By the
challenges. Their charter: provide the whole enterpriseend of the next decade IT organizations will consist of
with IT support within a set budget. Within these newhigh-end technical resources that design business
centralized IT organizations many questions had to bespecific solutions across multiple frameworks. They will
answered. Should the new Centralized IT forcehave diverse, multi-platform, solution designers with a
departments to surrender their systems and technicalhandful of implementers and system administrators.
staff or should incentives be provided for them toOver the past 3 decades we saw IT evolve from
comply? What services should the Centralized ITMainframes to Distributed Computing. We saw IT
provide? Everything the departments needed orfunctions sprawl as companies moved to distributed
wanted or only pre-defined services? How wouldcomputing. We saw IT make full circle by Centralizing
Centralized IT services be funded? Will theIT to include both Mainframe and Distributed
departments pay by user or will it be a corporateComputing. We saw Centralized IT mature into a
expense? How should IT projects be funded, by theservice model and Outsourcing its operational services.
requesting organization or a Centralized IT budget?In the next decade, we'll see IT transform "their mess"
Consequently every corporation wrestled throughto "no mess" revenue enablers. Instead of being
these questions and came up with different IT models.viewed by business units as the obstacle to
The New Milleniumovercome, IT will become the "go-to" team that
When the 2000's rolled around we saw IT formalizingenables business units to reach their revenue goals.