EASIER IT WITH
INTENTIONAL
DESIGN
By Mike Hill
One of the nation’s largest financial institutions
had reached a breaking point technology-wise.
A technological system and organisational
model that was once top of the line was now
just barely hanging in there: Aging platforms
were unsteady and overworked, new solutions
were delivered at a snail’s pace, and resource
allocation was inefficient.
Rather than revert to the abacus, the
organisation jumped into action with a full
research review and analysis of current and
future business challenges and opportunities.
Through this work, a new Target Operating
Model (TOM) took shape that focused on
resiliency, reliability, adaptability, and safety.
It defined new operating disciplines and
practices to manage how IT projects are funded.
The financial provider also consolidated and
centralised, improving service efficiency and
building up team spirit among the IT team.
16
DIGITECH Magazine
Summer 2017
These challenges weren’t unique to this Fortune
50 company. The enterprise tech landscape
has evolved far beyond the wildest dreams of
developers 50, 25, even 10 years ago. Before
the 2000s, most companies built their IT
architectures in an ad hoc process that tackled
one specific problem at a time. This piece-
by-piece approach left a legacy of complex
systems that are slow on the uptake of changing
tech trends and capabilities. Maintenance and
support is hard, and the costs are unsustainable.
These infrastructures can’t handle the level
of integration in systems, business, and data
needed to drive long-term success. Unlike older
systems, the modern, nimble tech footprint is all
about apps and the ability to access technology
from anywhere, anytime. In this model, the
building blocks of IT fit together and let an
organisation adapt, share data and integrate
with internal and external systems.