Eight IT Infrastructure Success Drivers for 2014
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Infrastructure Acquisition Will Take on a Commercial-Style Approach
More standard service offerings will be added on a price-times-quantity basis, for example. -
Automation Rules the Day
Operational processes will be redesigned to eliminate manual steps required for traditional environments. -
Hyperscale Infrastructure Functions Will Usher in Next-Generation Hosting
These techniques include extensive self-service and automation, software-defined networking, and the aggressive use of open-source tech, enabling companies to reduce hosting costs by 50% to 75%. -
The Private Cloud's Profile Will Rise
After experiencing a stall period during which only a small fraction of functions are hosted in the cloud, the private cloud will become the default option for many tech workloads. -
Developers Will Get Empowered
With leveraged automation driving DevOps opportunities, developers will have more control over their applications. -
A Perfect Balance Will Be Sought
Enterprises will seek the best-possible balance between the use of smartphones, tablets and other cloud-enabled devices which extend the reach of a company's wired information infrastructure and the need to protect against breaches. -
Data Centers Will Get More Modular
Modular, predesigned architectures will increase data center flexibility while bringing down costs. -
Operators and Engineers Will Get Groomed for Business
With a need to cultivate business leadership among operators and engineers, organizations will incorporate rotational staffing to round out skills of top performers and invest in non-technical, business-focused training.
A new report from McKinsey & Company provides a glimpse as to what's ahead in 2014—and beyond—for IT infrastructure management. Overall, there will be a push to expand beyond merely technology capabilities and add to business-enhancing value. Infrastructure operations will take advantage of pricing strategies that closely resemble those from a traditional commercial marketplace. They'll commit to open-source innovation to further cut costs. And they'll seek to expand automated, self-service functions, while migrating more infrastructure needs to the private cloud. "Highly uncertain business conditions have resulted in tighter budgets," the McKinsey & Company report states. "Many infrastructure managers have rushed to put tactical cost reductions in place—canceling projects, rationalizing contractors, extracting vendor concessions and deferring investments to upgrade hardware and software." Smarter organizations will take to the following steps to avoid these crisis-mode steps. The forecast is based upon 50 discussions with heads of infrastructure at Fortune 500 companies. For more about the report, click here.