So you’ve got a cloud strategy? Sorry. What you need is a roadmap.

Like many IT organisations, yours probably knitted a “cloud strategy” some years ago. But do you have a clear roadmap to execute the required changes at all levels (people, processes, technology, services) in a stepwise approach? If not, your strategy is likely to remain just that – a “strategy” – for a long time. And you might miss all the benefits brought by cloud.
Cisco’s Strategic IT Roadmap (or SITR, introduced in my earlier post) is a 3-phased methodology destined to help you make this transformation. Here below, I am sharing an example of what the third (and last) phase usually looks like – a detailed roadmap built around a number of key IT programmes, each composed by specific projects.

Programme 1: CIO Dashboard (the entry door to Big Data)

Why focus here? There is a pressing need to create visibility, coherence and control in what is a necessarily complex and changing landscape.

How Cisco solves the challenges? We create a bespoke CIO dashboard built around the key learnings made in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of SITR. This integrated tool gives senior IT officers easy access to exhaustive, near real-time, reliable, centralised and relevant data. This delivers visibility and control across IT and helps them rapidly identify and stamp out inefficiencies. It spans everything from IT health and KPIs, to infrastructure capacity monitoring, information systems usage, data centre size and power consumption, financial efficiencies, HR performance and security etc.

And you care about this because you need to… ?

Drive strategic decision-making and governance

Communicate effectively to users and the business

Optimise IT processes and services, globally

Ensure that IT delivers what users rightfully expect and need

Create a foundation for solving big data challenges

Programme 2: Cyber security

Why focus here? Make no mistake: hackers are already inside. Your organisation needs a security approach co-ordinated between the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), the IT department, the business and end users – driven by a pragmatic IT security strategy framework which balances risk with benefits.

How Cisco solves the challenges? Our security experts can help the CISO professionally manage security – working with external parties to deliver threat defence, ensure compliance and leverage industry best practices. Cisco can help with personnel training (the weakest link in security is always people) and advise on the co-ordination of security activities: risk management, information security governance, organisational structure, policies and processes including incident management.

And you care about this because you need to… ?

Take a broad risk management approach, focusing on points of data interconnect rather than products

Assess IT security readiness for new solutions such as cloud, BYOD and new social channels

Integrate Security Systems to provide a comprehensive approach: before, during and after an incident

Relieve the IT Security team from day-to-day security operations to focus on security architecture

Ensure and sustain Information Security compliance (e.g. ISO27001)

Programme 3: Hybrid cloud

Why focus here? Your organisation requires a rock-solid and agile infrastructure that delivers cost-effective and secure IT services.

How Cisco solves the challenges? We can help you create a stratified data centre offer that includes next generation cloud, mobility and collaboration solutions.

And you care about this because you need to… ?

Rationalise and consolidate local data centres to achieve significant savings, modern IT service structures and real cost transparency

Provide unified secured access including wired, WiFi and VPN access

Undertake a thorough cost/competitive analysis

Improve the speed, agility, quality and security of the internal data centre (Private Cloud)

Create a best practice hybrid cloud combining Private (e.g. constant workloads) and Public (e.g. cloud bursts or DR)

Programme 4: Workspace and collaboration

Why focus here? Your organisation requires modern work space solutions that create new ways of working and collaboration for staff.

How Cisco solves the challenges? We help IT departments to define and execute a corporate collaboration strategy that works the way people do. This includes the use of mobile devices, BYOD, MDM, social and collaborative tools, mobile apps and many more.

And you care about this because you need to… ?

Establish a Centre of Excellence to ensure that the new initiatives for Workspace and Collaboration are adopted by staff and lead to high user satisfaction

Provide a secure, state-of-the-art, mobile workspace and collaboration platform across voice, video, data and IM

Manage it all in a sustainable, cost-effective way

Programme 5: IT service desk

Why focus here? Consolidating all departments/ministries/agencies under a centralised service desk opens new opportunities for customer-oriented standardised services with a strong focus on quality management and budget savings.

How Cisco solves the challenges? We can develop and optimise a quality framework to support central service desk processes and drive Continuous Service Improvement based on ITIL processes, structures and best practices.

And you care about this because you need to… ?

Improve customer relationship management and communication around IT offerings

Automate, expand and scale the service catalogue, including BYOD and self-service portal projects

Prepare the ground for next generation Office Automation and IT self-service

Orchestrate services from different providers through a unified interface while delivering the best mix of services

Programme 6: Cloud store

Why focus here? Self-service IT is the future — available today. Users want a catalogue of services, enabling them to quickly request and access the services they need.

How Cisco solves the challenges? We can help rationalise and automate underlying processes and develop a new IT service catalogue, providing Cloud Store services in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

And you care about this because you need to… ?

Increase the IT department’s effectiveness by spending resources on developing new services, rather than on keeping the lights on

Increase your users’ satisfaction by offering a compelling, personalised catalogue of available services

Bring transparency of cost and budget models

Make an inventory of current processes and develop more efficient internal working processes and procedures

Move to paperless processes

Programme 7: Apps and data platform

Why focus here? There is an ongoing drive to rationalise the number of information systems within your organisation and achieve interoperability, collaboration and shared standards.

How Cisco solves the challenges? Cisco is collaborating with many public and private entreprises on frameworks, common services and reusable components to facilitate the delivery of IT services. We can help conduct complex migrations of apps and data to new standard systems.

And you care about this because you need to… ?

Optimise core information systems such as HR, big data, pay and pensions, etc

Promote the re-use of existing solutions and establish a standard and coherent reference architecture to be applied to new information systems

Drive the modernisation of public administrations by promoting and facilitating interoperable frameworks, services and tools that are easily identified, clearly defined, freely reusable and relevant