Whether your technology is new or old, lifecycle management is key

Does your organization see technology infrastructure as a commodity or as a strategic business enabler? The answer will shape your approach to infrastructure: you can keep legacy infrastructure going as long as you can, or you can pursue the cutting edge of technology.

However, in an increasingly software-centric environment, both new and legacy assets must deliver value throughout their lifecycle.

Business needs first, then the lifecycle management program

Your infrastructure lifecycle management program should be aligned with your organization’s growth roadmap. Think of how people buy phones: if they just need to make calls, an older, entry-level mobile phone fits their needs perfectly – and they will only have to replace it once it breaks. If they need their phone to do business and use the latest apps, even in the field, then new technology is a must. The phone will have to be replaced every few years to keep supporting new apps.

Then, you should link your infrastructure adoption and governance strategy to specific business outcomes. This will involve comprehensive and proactive infrastructure management.

The dangers of sweating assets

If you have an older phone, the manufacturer eventually stops updating the software. You can still use your older phone for calls but suddenly, you can’t load new apps and it becomes easier for data to leak.

The same principle applies to infrastructure. Security patches stop at least six months before an asset reaches its end of life. Your risk of data breach increases as soon as your assets are no longer protected from cyberthreats. This creates risk for the company, shareholders, customers and their brand. You don’t have to upgrade to the newest technology as soon as it becomes available. But your infrastructure, software and software versions must always remain current.

Legacy technology also affects sustainability. Excessive energy use, inefficient disposal methods and the need to extract raw materials to manufacture new equipment all add up to a significant impact on the environment.

Complexity, challenges and gaining control

Lifecycle management requires an approach that can quickly adapt to shifting customer and market needs. This is where software-driven infrastructure plays a key role because it enables the scalability, performance and resilience you need to support secure, high-quality user and customer experiences.

But, to gain control of your software lifecycle, you must first understand what you have, where it’s deployed, what you’ll need next and when demand for licenses will increase.

At the same time, you’ll need to rethink your hardware and software capital expenditure, as organizations are increasingly moving to subscription models (such as enterprise agreements) and as-a-service offerings.

These undertakings are best attempted with the help of an expert partner. At NTT DATA, we offer support throughout the lifecycle management journey – and our range of vendor relationships mean we can easily coordinate our efforts across these organizations to benefit our clients. We create continuity and keep your success criteria in mind at every stage of delivery.

Start right to get it right

The startup phase of infrastructure management is the most important step. First comes a meeting of IT minds: our solution leaders work with your organization’s IT leaders. This enables us to map out your environment and formulate a plan of action that fits both the technology constraints and your budget.

Lifecycle management keeps an equal focus on an asset through all its stages. For a purchase to fulfill its potential, every relevant feature must be configured and adopted into your organization’s environment from the start. This is especially true of security, monitoring and reporting functions. Inevitably, an asset will become dated and no longer align with your business environment. Our lifecycle approach tackles this from the get-go.

Best practices for getting the most out of infrastructure investments

• Consolidate your software environment for more control over costs and to get the information you need for investment decisions.
• Establish and maintain accurate information on hardware inventory and the efficient management of your software assets.
• Identify underused assets to get the most out of your investment by using them to their full potential.
• Identify unapproved and blocked installations to improve compliance and mitigate risk.

We also offer continual support to ease the adoption of new software and hardware and to ensure that all use cases are addressed.

Measure the success of lifecycle management

With efficient lifecycle management, your organization can deploy solutions swiftly while remaining compliant, reducing costs, mitigating risks, increasing adoption rates and, ultimately, maximizing your return on investment.

These outcomes should be defined and measured across the lifecycle, and your lifecycle methodology should be adjusted accordingly in pursuit of your business objectives.

This is why it’s critical to partner with a technology solutions provider to define your success criteria and to measure performance against these goals.

Read more about NTT DATA’s Technology Solutions to see how our comprehensive suite of lifecycle services can help your organization.