Microsoft Infrastructure Optimization Model (IO)

I came across what looks to be a new IT Operations maturity model from Microsoft and appears to be a key of Microsoft’s new Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI) tonight. They’re calling it the Infrastructure Optimization Model and it contains four assessment levels and characteristics of IT organizations operating in each level. It looks very similar to other IT maturity models I’ve seen.

Here’s a snipplet:

“The Infrastructure Optimization Model from Microsoft helps customers understand and subsequently improve the current state of their IT infrastructure and what that means in terms of cost, security risk, and operational agility. Dramatic cost savings can be realized by moving from an unmanaged environment towards a dynamic environment. Security improves from highly vulnerable in a Basic infrastructure to dynamically proactive in a more mature infrastructure. IT infrastructure management changes from highly manual and reactive to highly automated and proactive. Microsoft and Partners can provide the technologies, processes, and procedures to help customers move up through the infrastructure optimization journey. Processes move from fragmented or nonexistent to optimized and repeatable. A customer’s ability to use technology to improve their business agility and deliver business value increases as they move from the Basic state up the continuum toward a Dynamic state, empowering information workers, managers, and supporting new business opportunities.

By working with Microsoft and using this model as a framework, an enterprise can quickly understand the strategic value and business benefits to the organization in moving from a “basic” level of maturity (where the IT infrastructure is generally considered a cost center) towards a more “dynamic” use, where the business value of the IT infrastructure is clearly understood and the IT infrastructure is viewed as a strategic business asset and business enabler.”

Infrastructure Optimization Model

…end snipplet…

Microsoft has done a good job linking in each level to customer and business benefits and IT cost, security risk, and operational agility benefits. IT organizations and staff can actually see what it takes to move from one level to another. What key steps and technologies are required and actual solutions and guides on how to implement their products. I’m all about making this stuff actionable – and believable – by the troops.

I don’t have much if any experience with Microsoft’s solutions, but this has many general concepts that can be used regardless of how your IT shop operates. It’s similar to our free IBM Tivoli Unified Process (ITUP) where we align various best practices frameworks to our solutions, workflows, scenarios, and operational roles. They’ve incorporated the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) which aligns nicely with ITIL. I’m curious what they have in store for workflow and process automation. I think they’ll need something here to reach that “Dynamic” level (they touch on it here some but looks to be at infrastructure level only still Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI)).

There’s some really good contend and ideas we should all think about in this IO and DSI stuff. I like their DSI Core Principles. I know it’s got a lot of similarities to our IBM ITSM story, I need to think about a side-by-side review of each. I think we’re climbing up and covering more than they’re talking about.

What do you think?