Control over the IT process of Acquire and Maintain Technology Infrastructure that satisfies the business requirement for IT of
- acquiring and maintaining an integrated and standardized IT infrastructure
- providing appropriate platforms for the business applications in line with the defined IT architecture and technology standards
- Producing a technology acquisition plan that aligns to the technology infrastructure plan
- Planning infrastructure maintenance
- Implementing internal control, security and auditability measures
- Percent of platforms that are not in line with the defined IT architecture and technology standards
- Number of critical business processes supported by obsolete (or soon-to-be-obsolete) infrastructure
- Number of infrastructure components that are no longer supportable (or will not be in the near future)
1 Non-existent
2 Initial/Ad Hoc
3 Repeatable but Intuitive
4 Defined
5 Managed and Measurable
6 Optimized
Benchmarks/Guidelines for Scoring
1 Non-existent when
Managing the technology infrastructure is not recognized as a sufficiently important topic to be addressed.
2 Initial/Ad Hoc when
There are changes made to infrastructure for every new application, without any overall plan. Although there is an awareness that the IT infrastructure is important, there is no consistent overall approach. Maintenance activity reacts to short-term needs. The production environment is the test environment.
3 Repeatable but Intuitive when
There is a consistency amongst tactical approaches when acquiring and maintaining the IT infrastructure. Acquisition and maintenance of IT infrastructure are not based on any defined strategy and do not consider the needs of the business applications that must be supported. There is an understanding that the IT infrastructure is important, supported by some formal practices. Some maintenance is scheduled, but it is not fully scheduled and co-ordinated. For some environments, a separate test environment exists.
4 Defined when
A clear, defined and generally understood process exists for acquiring and maintaining IT infrastructure. The process supports the needs of critical business applications and is aligned to IT and business strategy, but it is not consistently applied. Maintenance is planned, scheduled and coordinated. There are separate environments for test and production.
5 Managed and Measurable when
The acquisition and maintenance process for technology infrastructure has developed to the point where it works well for most situations, is followed consistently and is focused on re-usability. The IT infrastructure adequately supports the business applications. The process is well organized and proactive. The cost and lead time to achieve the expected level of scalability, flexibility and integration are partially optimized.
6 Optimized when
The acquisition and maintenance process for technology infrastructure is proactive and closely aligned with critical business applications and the technology architecture. Good practices regarding technology solutions are followed, and the organization is aware of the latest platform developments and management tools. Costs are reduced by rationalizing and standardizing infrastructure components and by using automation. A high level of technical awareness can identify optimum ways to proactively improve performance, including consideration of outsourcing options. The IT infrastructure is seen as the key enabler to leveraging the use of IT.