Infrastructure ManagementThose Who Don't Invest In Infrastructure will Pay sooner or Later, Innovation is the ability to see change as an Opportunity - not a threat.
The hierarchy of IT infrastructure
| Local Applications |
| Shared and Standard IT Applications |
| Shared-Information Technology Services |
| Human Information Technology Infrastructure |
| Information Technology Components |
Weill and Vitale's Infrastructure Service Areas and Services
In the Year 2001 Peter Weill, Michael R. Vitale identify nine service areas with 70 services needed by IT-enabled e-business models.
The service areas are
- Applications Infrastructure
- Communications
- Data Management
- IT Management
- Security
- Architecture and Standards
- IT Research and Development
- IT Education
Applications Infrastructure
- Internet policies such as employee access
- Enforce Internet policies
- E-mail policies such as inappropriate and personal mail, harassment policies, filtering policies
- Enforce e-mail policies
- Centralized management of e-business applications such as common standards
- Centralized management of infrastructure capacity such as server traffic
- Integrated mobile computing applications such as access for internal users
- ERP services
- Middleware linking systems on different platforms
- Wireless applications such as Web applications for wireless devices
- Application services provision to business units
- Work flow applications such as groupware
- Payment transaction processing such as EFT (electronic funds transfer)
Communications
- Communications network services
- Broadband communication services
- Intranet capabilities to support publishing, directories, and so forth.
- Extranet capabilities to support information and applications
- Workstation networks
- EDI (electronic data interchange) linkages to customers and suppliers
- Electronic support to groups
Data management
- Manage key data independent of applications
- A centralized data warehouse that summarizes key information from decentralized databases
- Data management advice and consultancy
- Electronic provision of management information
- Storage farms or storage area networks
- Knowledge management in terms of contract database, information databases, and communities of practice
IT management
- Large-scale data-processing facilities
- Server farms including mail server, Web servers, and printer servers
- Installation and maintenance of workstations and local area networks
- IS planning for strategy
- IS project management
- Negotiate with suppliers and outsourcers
- Service-level agreements
- Common systems development environment
- Pilot e-business initiatives such as pilot Web shop fronts
Security
- Security policies for use of IS
- Enforce security policies for IS
- Disaster planning for business applications
- Firewall on secure gateway services
Architecture and standards
- Specify architectures for data by setting high-level guidelines for data use and integration
- Specify architectures for technology by setting high-level guidelines for technology use and integration
- Specify architectures for communications by setting high-level guidelines for communications use and integration
- Specify architectures for applications by setting high-level guidelines for applications use and integration
- Specify architectures for work by setting high-level guidelines for the way work will be conducted
- Enforce architectures for data
- Enforce architectures for technology
- Enforce architectures for communications
- Enforce architectures for applications
- Enforce architectures for work
- Specify architecture standards for data
- Specify architecture standards for technology
- Specify architecture standards for communications
- Specify architecture standards for applications
- Specify architecture standards for work
- Enforce architecture standards for data
- Enforce architecture standards for technology
- Enforce architecture standards for communications
- Enforce architecture standards for applications
- Enforce architecture standards for work
Channel management
- Electronic file transfer protocols
- Kiosks
- Web sites
- Call centers
- IVRs
- Mobile phones
- Mobile computing
IT research and development
- Identify and test new technologies for business purposes
- Evaluate proposals for new IS initiatives
IT education
- Training and use of IT
- Management education for generating value from IT use