Like my hamstrings, IT infrastructure has the tendency of becoming inflexible and slow to react. If not regularly attended to there may be issues when you need to suddenly move quickly – Ouch!
Any good Yogi will tell you different things work for different people in order to have a rewarding experience, the same goes for your infrastructure.
These 5 tips that will keep your infrastructure limber and quick to react to market movements.
- Identify and have a plan for legacy systems
Legacy systems can be like a ball and chain if not managed. As your environment evolves, legacy systems become expensive to integrate, maintain and become a dependency. Unfortunately, the cost and effort to replace legacy systems can be quite high and businesses do not approve these projects. All is not lost, there are ways to manage legacy systems
- Keep in step with your Business
IT management has changed significantly in the past decade. No longer is IT seen as a cost-centre, but an enabler for businesses to gain the competitive edge in the market. IT managers need to embed themselves into the business so that they understand the company’s strategies and objectives. Being close gives IT the heads-up required to react with as much forewarning as possible. Having the capability to get a quality product to market before your competitor is essential to success.
- Continuous improvement.Ă‚Â
Embed a culture of continuous improvement into your technical teams. Having this culture will encourage people to reflect, question, challenge the status quo, leading to refinements and improvements to your processes and technical solutions.
- Hybrid Cloud services
Businesses are attracted to the flexible nature of cloud services, however, cloud can be expensive if not managed. This is where a hybrid approach to your infrastructure strategy comes to the fore. Striking the balance of what can remain on premises and what IT services can operate in the Cloud is the key to a cost-effective and agile infrastructure.
- Finger on the Pulse
The tech industry changes at a rapid rate, so it is important to keep everyone (IT teams and the business) in tune with these changes. Encourage IT staff to attending industry events and subscribe to publications. Have a training plan. Get staff to present their finding to management and to their peers.
If you’re looking to limber up and aren’t sure where to start, get in touch today and we’ll have your infrastructure in a Warrior Two pose in no time at all!
If you’re looking for consultancy services to help design your own IT business processes, contact Starboard IT to find out what we can do for you.
