Gartner: Bimodal IT thinking unlocks business success

 

Capturing speed, agility and insight is by no means easy in the business world. Of course, many companies have looked to IT in efforts to secure the three, but having one encompassing system just doesn’t quite get it done for the most progressive enterprises.

Bimodal IT infrastructure

Consequently, bimodal IT infrastructure is growing in prominence. This is the idea that the company has two systems running alongside each other concurrently, ‘mode one’ will traditionally be focused on scalability, efficiency and insight, and ‘mode two’ has rapid decision making in its sights.

Research from Gartner suggested that while the latter tends to be slightly more disruptive, they are both imperative and just as important as each another.

“A truly bimodal approach to managing IT requires that sourcing reflects the different requirements of the two modes. In a controlled and coherent fashion, this sourcing should deliver the industrialized low-cost solutions that support mode one, while enabling the more dynamic, exploratory and agile needs of mode two,” explained research vice president at Gartner Ruby Jivan.

The duty of the CIO

Consequently, chief information officers (CIOs) must think more progressively about sourcing IT solutions, while also considering how any plans they implement fit within the wider strategic management of the enterprise.

Finding the right vendor should be a top priority for companies, particularly as there is such a wealth of them claiming to offer the latest and greatest infrastructure solutions. The most effective way to correctly implement a bimodal system is to ensure that IT infrastructure is well matched to organizational needs.

“Adaptive sourcing affects operating practices at many levels, so CIOs who anticipate the effects are more likely to succeed,” concluded Ms Jevan.

Ultimately, when put into place effectively across the enterprise, bimodal practices can perfectly encapsulate what enterprise IT should ideally be centered on: agility, insight and long-term scalability.