How to establish an IT infrastructure that adapts to the dynamics of the digital age?

By Crispín Velez, Leader Digital Transformation, Ricoh IT Services Latin America.

In the era of digital transformation, the IT approaches that worked in the past are no longer ideal for maximizing this dynamic environment. Leveraging digital change requires new functions for the CIO role, which is transitioning from "Delivery Executive" to "Business Executive", and its performance is transforming from cost control and engineering processes to revenue generation and data exploitation. According to the "Gartner CIO Program Survey 2018", in enterprise IT, there is an increasing focus on strategic business outcomes rather than IT project delivery. These metrics include revenue growth, business margins, and influence on business strategy.

Furthermore, a survey of more than 1,100 business leaders from all departments of participating companies revealed that 92% of respondents believe that the rapid availability of information is necessary for their business to succeed1. To achieve this, configuring an IT infrastructure that fits into organizations' business, growth, and expansion plans is key. However, some basic requirements apply to all businesses: PCs, power supplies, wireless points, printers, scanners, copiers, or multifunctional servers to host information in the cloud. On the other hand, although many companies have dedicated software that manages all or part of their infrastructure, it is best to have a hybrid architecture and combine different tools in a way that benefits companies and generates cost savings. Setting up a core system requires budgets and ensuring that the planned office space is functional for the team and that they have the devices they need. Therefore, outsourcing some or all of your IT systems in the form of Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) can be a good option for companies.

an excellent option.

1) Include Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS is expected to account for 60% of all public cloud spending by 2020. Many companies today are already familiar with SaaS or cloud-based applications such as Salesforce, Clarizen, Office 365, and Google Apps. Companies offering these applications handle everything including updates, runtime, data, virtualization, servers, storage, and security. Software as a Service is often related to email and collaboration systems, customer relationship management (CRM and CRM), and customer relationship management (CRM).

customer relationship management (CRM) and benefits management. It is best to make the IT manager aware of all the applications the company is using.

The only potential challenge with SaaS is Shadow IT: employees can download applications without the IT department's permission, which can lead to conflicts with other systems. The IT administrator should be aware of all the applications your company is using. However, there are application and license management platforms that can limit such downloads and installations or at least alert staff. On the other hand, to avoid complaints about a slow network, some experts recommend spending about 20% of the server cost on network equipment.

While many companies use a dedicated platform, either Mac or Windows, it is best to have a hybrid business continuity plan, so that if a virus or attack disables a system, the IT team will always have a backup and an alternative to keep the business operational. For servers, if you have a Windows model, it is advisable to get a Linux-based network-attached storage box in case Windows goes down.

2) Platform as a Service (PaaS): In PaaS, a vendor provides a platform on which software can be developed. The vendor takes care of everything behind the platform - the operating system, the server hardware and software, and the network infrastructure. Most PaaS systems use server virtualization such as Google App Engine and OpenShift. PaaS allows companies to create new products without making a CAPEX investment in additional hardware and networking until they are ready to deploy them on a large scale.

3) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS offers an on-demand service through cloud servers, storage, networks, and operating systems. It is an excellent option when additional capacity and development flexibility are needed. If a business is growing rapidly and is unsure of future capacity, IaaS allows you to scale up gradually, without the need to purchase more equipment until you get a better handle on your needs.

On the other hand, it is possible to use the public cloud through a provider such as Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, or a private cloud just for your business, or to use a "hybrid" model that uses the public cloud for some functions and the private cloud for others.

Today's options give companies unprecedented flexibility to manage IT infrastructure and to ensure business continuity and growth.

Once you have a basic system in place, it will be possible to work with various combinations of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS until you find the rhythm that works best for your organization.

How Ricoh can assist businesses in implementing an ideal IT infrastructure to maximize the benefits of the digital age?

As we have mentioned, the optimal functioning of IT infrastructure is key to ensuring the competitiveness of organizations in this digital age. But of course, it brings challenges for internal staff. Ricoh's IT Services provides an integrated service through extensive experience in IT infrastructure management with flexible solutions for any company's requirements, and with global coverage that incorporates industry best practices.

IT Services offer effective and reliable IT lifecycle solutions for companies to increase productivity, improve business agility, support change, and reduce the cost of infrastructure maintenance. It provides consulting, design, provision, delivery, management, maintenance, and optimization of infrastructures, as well as providing the appropriate support where it is needed. In addition, services are delivered using industry-leading methodologies such as ITIL, Prince2, and Six Sigma, providing a consistent, high-quality level of service delivery across geographies.

Based on industry best practices, this portfolio of IT services also helps organizations to develop strategies and to define, design, and implement complex infrastructure projects. Once the infrastructure is in place, flexible and high-level support options are offered.

The portfolio of services includes:

• Consultancy, design, and transformation
• Provision of technology solutions
• Configuration and implementation
• Service management
• Support and maintenance
• End-of-Life Services

For more information about Ricoh Latin America's IT Services, please contact:

Crispin Velez

Digital Transformation Leader

Ricoh IT Services Latin America

Crispin.velez@ricoh-la.com