The digital transformation of our economy today has paved the way for multiple disruptors that are altering entire
This is the very premise of the necessitated IT transformation that organizations must adapt, the idea that corporate IT is operated as a line of business. This requires a shift from the traditional mentality that corporate IT is a cost bucket, to one in which the IT department serves as a competitive differentiator that directly contributes to the profitability of the company.
This corporate makeover of IT has two primary requirements:
These two requirements require a totally new way of addressing IT, including:
If we look at the way IT is traditionally structured today, it is organized around technology and not the objectives of the business itself. IT operations are divided according to function such as:
Not only are administrative duties and responsibilities segmented according to function, but so is budgeting. The lack of cohesion between silos is reinforced by reporting structures and budgeting operations, which tend to be separate as well. Another contributing factor is that these silos were created in the first place because the technology for which each silo is responsible serves only the purpose of that silo itself. This lack of cohesion and continuity negatively impact efficiencies of both labor and CapEx. In addition, the needs of business often times get lost in translation as the needs of the individual technology silos are administered in a vacuum. What occurs is what we often find in government, multiple departments with overlapping resources, labor efforts and budgetary needs.
IT should be no different than any other facet of the business in that the operational effectiveness of every department, including IT, is tied to the success and effectiveness of the company. In fact, in today’s era of digital transformation and the accelerating rate of conversion, it is more important than ever that organizations require outcomes-based IT.
But the task of transforming IT within the organization takes more than just a commitment from the leadership on down. It also requires the technology that can optimize IT processes and can be designed around a functional architecture that dictates the right technology for the given requirements, use cases, and business outcomes. This technology should also be provided by a proven visionary leader in the IT industry and not a flash in the pan.
Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI) is the catalyst that today’s businesses are seeking to effectively complete this necessary transformation. Cisco ACI serves to operationally simplify the underlying technology components, creating an environment in which traditional silos now work together—unifying the infrastructure so that IT works in tandem, not just within its own technology silo, but in synchronized conjunction with business functions and goals. Cisco ACI is designed to leverage the operational benefits that are inherent within today’s technology.
Cisco ACI is designed around the following core principles:
Cisco ACI also provides measured value, providing the capability to gather and trend specific metrics and their relationship to performance. Cisco ACI is the all-inclusive solution that business visionaries are seeking to implement the transformation that is desired (and required) in today’s global digital transformation.
To learn more about Cisco ACI visit http://www.wei.com/ciscoaci/ and contact us with any questions you have regarding this SDN solution. Based on our experience implementing Cisco ACI in production environments, we can help you maximize your investment in Cisco ACI.