Become competitive with service-based IT
The rapid development of information technology is hardly news. But developments in recent years have challenged many of our preconceptions. Old rules simply don't apply anymore. Service-based IT cannot be seen as a cost, it is a competitive tool.
Increasing demands on service-based IT
Delivering IT as a service is now an absolute business requirement. The need for industry or role-specific solutions is constantly increasing and so are the challenges of keeping solutions together. An interesting reflection is to ask where this demand actually comes from. My personal theory is our personal lives, smart phones with their connected application stores have fundamentally changed our view of how IT should be consumed and delivered, but more importantly experienced.
What does service-based IT mean?
Service-based IT is a buzzword that in many cases is misused to explain outsourcing, which couldn't be more wrong. Service-based IT is the equivalent of apps on your smart phone that you can easily add and remove. On the way out are retention periods and migration projects. The basics of service-based IT are about putting the right workload in the right place at the right time. The "golden triangle". This means letting go of control over where the physical equipment is located, as this is likely to change over time.
Several well-known market research institutes show that the companies that invest the most in IT have the best profitability and development. How does this relate to service-based IT? Paying or being responsible only for what is currently being consumed is not unique. Depending on the solution, function or area, the trend is clear regardless of the part. The service must be capacity-based regardless of delivery model, licensing model, storage, processing power or application.
Internal IT departments, like many suppliers, have for a long time been generalists rather than specialists. General solutions instead of industry or vertical based. This has created a behavioural shadow IT as the core business feels that internal delivery is not keeping up. This is where all of us in the industry need to help each other as we basically have the same goal, to make our respective companies thrive.
The Future
The most interesting question is what does this mean in everyday life as we adapt to a life based on service-based IT?
We believe the following effects:
- Working hours are blurring, we are working more globally and more flexibly
- More and more businesses need to be seen as 24×7 operations, customers and partners need systems and support around the clock
- Security systems need to be adapted for mobile living, many systems do not allow traffic to pass through traditional firewalls
- Collaboration with external partners is facilitated by sharing and exchanging information securely
- Old competitors can become partners, broad competence and broad offer are not enough. Specialisation and expertise are a must.
The future - isn't that what we live for?
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