![IT_Complexity[1]](http://qwertyc.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IT_Complexity1.png)
Technology has changed a lot over the years. Back in the mainframe days we had very standard architectures that were driven by a few vendors and managed by a few people. Developers had few choices when it came to infrastructure and programming languages. When we moved to the client server era, infrastructure configurations became much more dynamic and many enterprises adopted a three tier architecture. Developers could now choose from a variety of programming languages and specialists emerged within each layer of the architecture (web, application, database, middleware, etc.). This increase in complexity came with trade-offs. We now had greater flexibility in the types of applications we could build and the ability to deliver software with more velocity and at a lower cost. However, managing these n-tier architectures created more operational overhead and required a diverse set of skills to support the various layers.
As we enter the cloud era, complexity is at an all-time high and our trade-offs are more extreme than ever before. We can build incredible solutions at amazing scale. Both the software and infrastructure components of our architectures can be highly automated. We live in the world where everything can be delivered as a service and is available online, all the time. In order to support the “always on” and auto scaling requirements that users have come to expect, the underlying architectures have become extremely complex.
At the same time our architectures are increasing in complexity, the business is demanding speed to market like never before. Large ecosystems around cloud computing, mobile computing, big data solutions and the Internet of Things allow us to connect highly abstracted building blocks together and build highly available and extremely robust solutions in a fraction of the time. The architectures of cloud, mobile, and big data are highly distributed and the underlying infrastructure is both virtual and immutable. That is a radical change from when previously large, inflexible, physical architectures supported the software we built.
Today’s distributed architectures are made up of many moving parts. These architectures are elastic, meaning that they scale up and down horizontally by adding and subtracting virtual resources automatically. Building architectures of this nature is much more involved than in the vertical scaling world of mainframes and client server architectures where scaling meant adding bigger physical machines and components. Many engineers within today’s enterprises have years of experience dealing with vertical architectures, but very little experience in building horizontal architectures. Enterprises are traditionally very good at managing back office applications and building n-tier software. But when it comes to architectures that require high scalability and massively parallel processing, very few enterprises have the experience required to build those types of applications.
This creates the following dilemma. The business sees an opportunity, whether it is a new revenue stream, a competitive advantage, or possibly a competitive threat, and requests that IT implements a new cloud, mobile, or big data solution. IT has very little expertise in this space yet still decides to build it themselves. They go through a long period of prototyping and learning. Many of these enterprises will fail to deliver or will deliver something subpar or very late. While IT is trying to wrap their arms around these new technologies, the business opportunity sits there idle and the opportunity costs start accumulating rapidly over time. To make matters worse, IT is spinning their wheels and consuming valuable time and money just to stand up clouds, mobile platforms, or big data databases before they can even begin to focus on building the applications and services that will provide the greatest value to the business. Much of the work that IT is trying to figure out is already a commodity that a whole host of vendors already provide out of the box as a service, or even as a completely managed service.
IT traditionally wants to be in control of everything. Developers frequently want to build many things that are not a core competency. The problem I see in IT is they prioritize things like control and manageability far more than things like speed to market, customer satisfaction, agility, etc. We live in an era where time to market is one of the most critical value propositions in business. Get something to market quick, acquire customers, learn from those customers, and advance the product or service based on customer feedback. Going dark for 12-18 months as IT ramps up its skillset for the new technologies is not a winning formula. IT needs to understand that they should focus on delivering business value instead of trying to control every technology under the sun.
The real value of IT is its deep understanding of the business and enabling business partners by providing them with cost effective technology solutions that can be delivered quickly and adjusted frequently. Building and managing commodity technologies adds time and costs to each project and ties up precious IT resources on tasks that add little to no value to the business. No wonder IT is often considered a cost center! My advice is to take a step back and build a business architecture diagram that lays out the core business services that your company offers. Then draw up a reference architecture that depicts all of the different IT services that are required to support those business services. Then, identify which of those IT services are core to your business and build those. Everything else should be outsourced to managed service providers or to various external services and products.
IT needs to stop being a control freak and figure out how to add value by quickly delivering on the company’s core services. IT should be focusing on being the best provider of the services that their customers demand. If that service happens to be providing data center services, then by all means focus on that. If not, don’t spend time building datacenters. The same goes for big data, mobile, and IoT. If the company’s core service is to be a provider of database services, mobile platforms, or sensor technology, then build those technologies. If not, find the vendors who deliver those services as a core competency and spend your time building your business services on top of it.
Monitoring IT networks, systems and devices is the top spending priority of IT managers for 2014, according to a new report.
If your small business has an in-house IT staff, they probably have a lot of responsibilities. A few experts tasked with managing your entire IT infrastructure can quickly find their resources spread thin. Handling software updates and maintenance checks are routine tasks, but they may be eating up the majority of your IT staff’s time and wasting their skills or maintenance will simply not be performed at all.
Free your staff up to work on more important projects by outsourcing basic IT tasks to an managed IT services provider. That way, your in-house staff can focus on using technology to help your business grow, profit and run efficiently rather than spending their days working on basic user problems or installing Windows and antivirus updates.
For companies that don’t have or need in-house IT, using a managed service provider is a great way for you and your staff to receive the professional IT support you need at a predictable monthly recurring cost. With today’s tools an MSP can provide a high level of service for everyday IT occurrences, as well as monitor and manage your back-end systems 24/7.
An MSP will have a variety of programs that can cover just about every aspect of your business IT needs. From end user and server remote support offerings, managed antivirus and backup and disaster recovery programs to cloud based programs, a good MSP will work with you to tailor a package that meets your needs.
Changing the technology your small business uses can be a stressful process. First, you have to research all your options and hope that you choose the right one. Then you have to implement the new system or program. You may even have to train all your employees on how to use the new technology so that your business operations are not interrupted. For companies who are not in the business of IT, this can be an overwhelming but unavoidable scenario.
In a situation like this, it pays to rely on a managed IT services provider. Their experts research new technologies and can help you choose the hardware and software that are right for your business. They can implement the new program and provide training if needed. This will alleviate the burden of trying to implement a new system yourself and actually save you time and money.
One of the most costly disasters that can happened at a small business is a breach in your data security. If your computers are infected with a virus, or sensitive information is stolen off of them, it could collapse your business overnight. Smart small business profit by avoiding unnecessary expenses, and recovering from an IT attack is one of the most expensive.
Your managed IT services provider can supply you with the kind of data security expertise that all business need to rely on. The scope and complexity of security threats is always growing, which is why you need a dedicated professional on your side if you want to be truly protected. Some managed service providers bundle security solutions, such as a firewall with universal threat management along with their support offering - that provides security inside and outside of the company.
The kinds of IT that small business rely on have advanced in exciting ways in recent years. Unfortunately, taking advantage of tools like remote monitoring and electronic ticketing systems is expensive and complicated should you go it alone. Even worse, you may end up paying for more technology than you need.
If you work with an IT company, they can provide you with access to this technology and the training to use it effectively and spare you from having to make a full investment. You get the best technology that the present has to offer without having to make an expensive investment in new IT.
Managed IT services providers are in the business of providing great service with modern IT tools and offer a mix of programs to cover just about any small business IT need. It doesn’t cost you anything to contact an MSP and listen to their experience and solutions that can help your small business operate at a high efficiency.
