Microsoft Core I/O

Microsoft Core Infrastructure Optimisation

Where are you and where does your business need to be and more importantly how are you going to get there?

Lots of questions with lots of answers...

Infrastructure Optimisation covers numerous technologies from desktop to datacentre, from local disk to consolidated disk, from desktop security to server security and remote access.

Microsoft and Gartner have devised an Infrastructure Assessment model to ascertain where your business IT is within the following categories; ultimately this is based upon the Gartner Infrastructure Maturity Model, Dataplex are skilled with this methodology and can assist you in analysing and developing your infrastructure model:

Key Segment within the IO Model

IO Definitions

The majority of organisations fall within the Basic and Standardised maturity models; but potentially not across the board.

For many, IT is a game of chasing and fixing problems. Run out of storage? Buy a new disk. Apps too big? Get more servers. The result is often too much hardware and software from too many vendors with too many configurations. Infrastructure optimisation aims to alleviate those headaches.

The IO model encompasses Core Infrastructure, Business Productivity Infrastructure and Applications Platform Infrastructure (which also covers application development). The most mature model is Core IO, which also looks at identity management, device (desktop and servers) management, security and networking, data protection, and IT and security processes.

IO isn't just about technology meeting business goals. It's also IT processes. Part of this is going back through concepts like Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Microsoft embraces this idea through the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF), which is part of the IO message.

The four levels of IO are Basic, Standardised, Rationalised and Dynamic. A company moves up a level when they've installed and use the technologies that support the functions and business objectives the model calls for in each level.

Level	Description
Basic	Where most IT organisations start and, unfortunately, where many remain. At Basic-level IT adopts technology on an as-needed and ad hoc basis. When a Basic organisation runs out of processing power or storage space, it tosses in a new server from the lowest-priced vendor of the week. A Basic organisation will often buy software based on price and features, and not consider how applications integrate with its infrastructure or fit in with a long term architectural vision. Any management is done manually. Microsoft calls a Basic IT department a "cost centre."
Standardised	Although only one level above Basic, Standardised is a huge step up. As the name indicates, thought goes into buying products that adhere to industry standards and fit into an overall vision of how things ought to work together. Standardised departments are managed, but they lack the automation of higher-level shops. While a standardised IT department is still a cost centre, Microsoft labels it a "more efficient" cost centre.
Rationalised	Here IT systems are managed, well-automated and the company has gone through the process of consolidating key pieces like servers and storage. IT is considered a strategic asset and a "business enabler."
Dynamic	In this upper-level stage, IT is a "strategic enabler" and management is "fully automated." The hierarchy of these levels isn't meant to suggest that all companies should strive to hit the Dynamic level. It's too expensive for some smaller companies, and not worth going beyond Standardised. In short, IO makes IT more efficient, more productive and able to generate real business value.

The ROI of IO

There are two ways IO can produce a positive return on investment (ROI). One is the classic approach of saving money by building efficiency.

In a recent Microsoft white paper, IDC claims that a PC costs £800 to support in a Basic IT department, £400 in a Standardised department, and £140 in a Rationalised department. It doesn't offer figures for Dynamic shops. IDC maintains that overall IT costs will fall 15 percent as shops move from Basic to Standardised, and 10 percent as they move from Standardised to Rationalised.

The real goal of IO, however, isn't reducing costs. As you move up the ladder, there's less focus on spending and more on IT creating business value.

Dependent on your focus as a business you may be partly rationalised for Data Protection and Recovery due to implementation of a virtualised architecture for server continuity and high availability but could be basic for identity and access management.

Working in close partnership with Dataplex, we are able to assist you in determining where you are currently within the infrastructure model and where you wish to be. This service is a free of charge engagement with a firm deliverable and roadmap to follow to get to your desired goal.

Interested? You should be! Contact us on 0845 260 5757 or email us.