Digital Transformation Requires Robust IT Architecture Planning, CompTIA Report Asserts | latest News

As companies rely more on cloud-based applications and incursions into new areas such as Internet of Things, global technology architecture planning is rapidly becoming an essential necessity, according to a new CompTIA report, world leading technology association.

Today, only 34 percent of companies say they build IT architecture strategies beyond a 12-month window, according to a survey of 500 US companies for the "Planning of a modern architecture of IT "by CompTIA. However, most recognize the need for improved planning in all of your IT architecture: hardware, development (software), data and security.

"Organizations see real benefits for better planning, such as enhancing collaboration between computer and business teams, and a greater capacity to evaluate current technologies against long-term goals and prioritize investments," said Seth Robinson , senior director of technological analysis, CompTIA.

For the architectural planning of the CIO, there is another opportunity to strengthen the links between the IT team and the business units.

"When connecting the construction of the IT architecture with the general business objectives, the two groups will be more informed about the available options and the commitments that intervene in the selection of devices, applications or operating models," Robinson explained.

The obstacles to wider architectural planning are not insignificant. Four out of 10 companies identify the lack of a budget for a strong investment in new architectures. A third of companies say they do not have the knowledge about emerging technologies and new trends to formulate an integration plan.

"The encouraging news is that few companies believe that the concepts of planning a new technological architecture are too difficult to implement," Robinson said.

The practice of corporate architecture planning has generally been limited to larger organizations, as it is an intensive resource-intensive exercise that can be too burdensome for smaller businesses. But the general concept, the alignment of business objectives with the technical infrastructure, is what many companies can benefit from. Robinson cites two examples: cloud computing and Internet of Things.

"The main challenge for companies as they use cloud solutions is the integration with existing systems, which demonstrate that in-depth planning is needed to maximize the benefits of a cloud strategy," he said.

If cloud computing is redefining how IT infrastructure is built, Internet of Things (IoT) is dramatically expanding the scale and scope of this infrastructure.

"The main features of IoT are connectivity and intelligence," explained Robinson. "Physical objects that did not have any digital capacity are equipped with sensors, CPUs and network connections. This will provide new and important opportunities for automation, data capture and data analysis, but will also present new important challenges to IT operations ".