Tag Archives: IT Solutions

What is a Strategic IT Roadmap, and Why is it So Important?

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What is a Strategic IT Roadmap, and Why is it So Important- by Scott Maurice

What is it?

A strategic Information Technology (IT) map, also called a tech roadmap, is a visual navigational tool that depicts how technology will play into the strategic future of an organization. The roadmap usually represents the next 3-5 years of overarching business goals broken down by how IT will support those strategies. Chief Information Officers (or CIO‘s) greatly benefit from from these tools because they ensure that the technological goals of the organization remain in line and in support of the business goals. Ultimately, it ensures effective collaboration throughout the entire company.

Integral Pieces

The strategic IT map can be broken down into several pieces allowing it to be utilized effectively. Those piece may include (a):

Statement – A list of strategic priorities of the business. Outline them and allow for them to be interpreted.
Project Timeline – An outline of the ideal timeline for each project and initiative, with the appropriate start and end dates. Also includes the duration of the project along with the size.
List of Improvements – A prioritized list that is regularly reexamined and refreshed. This will allows the company to stay updated and informed.
Broad Views – A summary of each project from a broad vantage point, without too much detail.
Cost Breakdown – A disassembled breakdown of the cost of each project that allows for it to be interpreted effectively.
Project Owners – A list of which projects are being delegated to which specific individuals for improvements occurring within the next 12 months.

Why Use a Strategic IT Map? Here are 3 Reasons.

Empowerment
Having a strategic IT map will empower technology leaders to create new priorities for the company and will allow them to communicate those ideas to other management figures within the organization. With a visual roadmap, other management figures can visualize projects and aid in the process of funding and investing.

Improvement
The strategic IT map will allow the IT department to anticipate new improvements and plan according to the timeline. This means ordering new parts and machines to further grow the technological interests of the company. The IT map can also prep other workers within the organization for those changes by showing specific dates for updates and improvements, minimizing the interruption of daily operations.

Encouragement
Having a strategic IT map can assure that everyone within the company is aligned and on the same page. Having knowledge on the direction of the company can improve employee morale and aid in the adoption process of new features.

Final Thoughts

Development and growth is something that the business as a whole needs to be a part of. Having specific strategy and tailored objectives is a great thing, but if everyone isn’t on the same page, then what’s it really worth? Using a strategic IT map will allow everyone within the company to be informed, empowered, and encouraged on the technological future of the company and how it matters to them strategically.

Alibaba Invests $1 Billion In Cloud-Computing Branch Aliyun

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The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba recently made headlines by announcing an ambitious plan to invest $1 billion into Aliyun, its cloud-computing operation, to directly combat Amazon’s established Web Services division. This development is far from shocking to industry experts, considering the massive (and growing) $20 billion market that cloud-computing represents. The move will extend Aliyun’s reach beyond its current presences in places like China, Hong Kong, and Silicon Valley, into additional international markets. Up until recent years, Amazon and Alibaba have more or less avoided infringing upon each other’s hemispheres, but that era is rapidly coming to an end. Alibaba is currently breaking ground on an office in Seattle which many predict will serve as its U.S. headquarters, given city’s rich pool of cloud development talent. Amazon and providers of a similar caliber have already been aggressively cutting prices to nurture continued rapid growth.

In addition to receiving this massive injection of capital, Aliyun also formed a new strategic partnership with Yonyou Software, a software vendor that claims to be the largest independent enterprise software vendor in the Asia-Pacific region. Their contribution could likely empower Aliyun to win more enterprise customers in that corner of the world who are increasingly demanding big data, marketing, e-commerce, and cloud computing solutions. Alibaba also has deals in place with telecom and enterprise technology providers like Intel Corp., Equinix, Singtel, PCCW, and more.

To best appreciate the booming importance of cloud services and Alibaba’s motivation for making such a dramatic investment, consider the role Amazon Web Services has come to play as just one of their portfolio of offerings. Thanks to contracts with the likes of Netflix and Airbnb, the branch recently reported an 81% increase in revenue. Last year, Amazon beat out names like Google, Microsoft, and IBM by double-digit margins and claimed more than a quarter of the global cloud infrastructure market share. The extent to which the newly bolstered Aliyun may well shake up this status quo remains to be seen, but its presence will likely be felt sooner than later.

Ultimately, one consequence that seems almost certain, is the continued explosion of the cloud in terms of availability and accessibility. With millions upon millions of servers dedicated to various clouds, the pace of innovation is so fast that industry leaders can hardly afford to ignore.