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Top 10 Hints for IT Transformation (Continued): Choosing is Losing

markjgrindle| January 9, 2012
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This is number six in my series of articles on IT Transformation Hints.  If you’ve read my previous posts, thanks and welcome back!  If this is the first article you’ve read in the series, you might want to check out the rest, starting with IT Transformation – Top 10 Hints. You can find a list of all the previous blogs at the end of this post.

 

Choosing is losing … it’s a catchy phrase, but does it make sense?  I’d say it absolutely does.  I’m not suggesting that it is always the right approach to change everything all at once (although the HP IT Transformation certainly shows that there is logic and benefits in this!) What I am saying, though, is that if you don’t look at the entire IT landscape you are going to end up with rework, reduced benefits, and perhaps a sub-optimal solution.

 

I’ve worked with a lot of customers that are focused on server virtualization, or applications rationalization, or data center consolidation, or numerous other great initiatives. But what I usually find is that their approach isn’t complete. Not saying what they are doing is bad, but it can be better. If you are focused on just server virtualization, for example, without understanding what can be rationalized in your applications portfolio, you may not achieve the best solution. If there are applications that can be eliminated but they aren’t accounted for, then you will buy more servers than you need, move more data than you have to, and spend a lot of very valuable time doing throw-away work.

 

A couple of years ago I was negaged with a customer that was investing in the design of additional data center space because they were out of room. After a little bit of analysis of their environment we found that they could continue with their existing floor space by increasing their virtualization ratios and upgrading to blade systems. Yes, there was a bit of work and it took a little time, but it saved them literally tens of millions of dollars in construction cost. I’m not saying that this is always the case, I’m just suggesting that understanding your entire environment will help you develop a better plan and solution. It will also make the journey to your desired state a little easier.

 

One other comment I’ll make here, too, is that many IT leaders tell me that their business leaders won’t accept massive amounts of change. My answer is always: “Did you ask them?” I’ve found that sometimes the business would rather all the changes get done at one time so that they can get back to business as usual. This is not always the case, but there are business leaders that understand the benefits, to them, of transformation and want to see you get it done as rapidly as possible.

 

As I always say – do you want to take the bandage off slow or fast?  There is a little pain either way, but how long do you want it to last?

 

And as you think about that, consider these four suggestions:

 

1)     Be aggressive in what you are attempting to do; you never know what you can achieve if you don’t try.

2)     Look at the big picture so that you fully understand what will provide the greatest value and so that you can develop the best plan of action.

3)     Be fast moving; there is more value in speed of execution than in incremental approaches.

4)     Always talk to you business leaders and don’t assume what their answer will be.

 

For those of you that haven’t viewed the Top 10 Tips video (or want to watch it again), it can be found at: Episode Overview: Top 10 Tips for Planning Your IT Transformation

 

Learn more about HP Data Center Transformation Services and how HP can help you plan your next project.

 

For a great example of how HP can help organizations plan a major IT transformation initiative – and reduce risk – read how one company tested and refined its formula for IT virtualization.

 

Previous blogs in this series:

IT Transformation: --Top 10 Hints

Top 10 Hints for IT Transformation (Continued): Don’t Underestimate What You Don’t Know

Top 10 Hints for IT Transformation (Continued): Understanding the Current State Will be a Challenge

Top 10 Hints for IT Transformation (Continued): Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail

Top 10 Hints for IT Transformation (Cont.): Risk Is Inevitable – Plan But Don't Over Plan!

Tags: data center transformation| IT transformation
Labels: Converged Infrastructure| Data Center Services| Data Center Strategy| DC Transformation| Governance| IT transformation| Management| Program Management| Project Management
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