 Microsoft has developed three models—focusing on core infrastructure, business productivity, and the application platform — that outline a progression through four stages of optimization. Each of the models illustrates the strategic value and business benefits of moving from a "basic" stage of optimization, where the infrastructure is generally considered a cost center, toward a "dynamic" infrastructure, where the business value of the infrastructure is clearly understood and is viewed as a business growth enabler and strategic business asset.
Using these models, you can gauge the current level of optimization of your infrastructure, establish a technology vision for the future, and build a clear roadmap to achieving that vision.
What IO is and Why is it important?
The Infrastructure Optimization (IO) Model, developed by Microsoft and Gartner, is most often used as a strategic tool, helping to evaluate the maturity level of an organization’s core technology infrastructure (management, security, and networking) and determine areas (such as application optimization) in which a company can realize significant reduction in costs and improvement in capabilities. The IO Model is designed not to focus on the type or manufacturer of technologies, but instead focus on the capabilities outlined for each stage. An assessment of a company’s technology adoption relative to the IO Model enables strategic discussions that focus on the business value of deploying new technologies and using the existing platform as a whole. Customers can optimize infrastructure across heterogeneous IT environments.
The IO Model is a continuum of four levels or phases of progressively higher technological maturity: Basic, Standardized, Rationalized, and Dynamic.
Basic
A typical company in the Basic phase has manual, localized processes, minimal central control, and limited or unenforced IT policies.
Standardized
A company in the Standardized phase can be characterized as having a managed infrastructure that introduces operational controls through standards, policies, servers, and resources.
Rationalized
A Rationalized infrastructure generally includes proactive processes, provisioning, and policies that have matured and begun to play a large role in supporting and expanding the business. Most importantly, the costs involved in managing desktop computers and servers are at their lowest.
Dynamic
Customers with Dynamic infrastructures are fully aware of the strategic value that their infrastructures provide in helping them run their businesses efficiently and staying ahead of competitors. Processes are fully automated, often incorporated into the technology itself, enabling IT to be aligned and managed according to the business needs.
After companies identify critical pain points within each of the capability areas for the stage they want to attain, Quest has mapped its products into the IO model to address these areas. There are three categories into which the capabilities have been placed: Core, Business Productivity, and Application Platform. |
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