Looking forward in the direction of integration of IT assets Sanjesh Gupta K, General Manager - Systems Integration, Wipro Infotech, says that consolidation of infrastructure would be the must for any organization in the near future. This would lead to a common operating environment and highly consolidated setups, in an exclusive interaction with B.V. Shiva Shankar of CIOL. Excerpts:

CIOL: When we talk about enterprises, we generally discuss about how they make use of their IT assets. What would be the core IT assets, and why should enterprises talk about their integration?

Sanjesh Gupta K: For any organization, people, process and technology are the core IT assets, which are equally important during any integration. Integration of IT assets primarily reduces complexity and TCO, and increases the IT service and security levels. As today's CIO is under pressure to reduce IT spending and reduce deployment time, IT asset integration holds the key to success of any organization. In addition, IT asset integration leads to:
· Faster service deployment
· Higher utilization
· Improved security
· More productive people and process
· Better foundation for disaster recovery
· More accurate charge-back for use of IT resources

CIOL: Do you see the integration of various IT assets happening globally, and how does it compare with the scenario among Indian enterprises?

SGK: Absolutely. The global IT asset integrations market is evolving and studies show that 90 percent of Fortune 500 enterprises already have tried or have some type of integration and consolidation plans. Its proved by various studies that IT asset integration can be an extremely effective way to attack complexity, reduce costs, increase service levels, and regain control of the IT environment.

With regards to Indian scenario, the IT asset integration is in a nascent stage. However, it definitely looks very encouraging. The requirement is more predominant in BFSI and telecom verticals where integration holds the key to success. 

CIOL: What are the main drivers for the integration of IT assets? Is security the key driver behind the integration, or are there other factors?

SGK: The main driver of integration of IT assets is to achieve the desired capabilities or performance level that is not realized by the constituent systems. Some of these are: to reduce transaction costs, adapt to new situations, standardization of technology, lower TCO, gain control and manage the various assets better (security/availability and disaster recovery), and to gain better service and agility. In addition, an approach to achieving joint capabilities to address missions, goals, and objectives. Security is definitely an important driver, but as mentioned, there are other drivers as well.

CIOL: What are the points that enterprises need to keep in mind during the implementation of the integration process?

SGK: IT asset integration implementation can be a complicated process if not planned properly.
Integrators should be involved at the earliest stage of a project as soon as a company has determined its need. Often, the planning process might take more time, which would need external consultants to get an independent  view. Involving an integrator in conceptual planning and design phase may affect other aspects of the product or process that would prove beneficial in the overall IT asset integration implementation.

CIOL: What are the challenges involved with the integration of IT assets?

SGK: There are several challenges, which may be listed as:

* Absence of sustained buys from all stakeholders;
* Lack of detailed employee and management communication plan;
* Overwhelmed part-time leader;
* Wrong expectations by senior management;
* Ill-defined or poorly enforced standards;
* Pricing pitfalls; and
* Greater risk from single point of failure.

CIOL: Could you briefly describe the pre and post IT integration scenarios? How can CIOs/IT managers justify the need for such an exercise to management?

 SGK: The pre-integration scenario can be multiple hardware, Multiple Operating Platforms, Multiple Storage Platforms, Multiple Management Tools, Multitude of Applications, Multiple Directory Structure, Multiple network vendors and technologies, etc.

The post-integration exercise can be setting up a common operating environment, standardization of hardware and software, Common management platform etc. The end objective is to proactively identify business service performance issues and resolve them before the business is actually impacted.

CIOs can easily justify the need for IT assets integration on basis of following parameters.
· TCO before and after integration;
·  To gain better control and management (security, availability and disaster recovery);
· Provide better service and agility (faster time of deployment); and
· Better resource utilization.

CIOL: What will be the further trends in this regard?
 
SGK: Going forward, IT assets integration would no longer be a choice, but a necessity. It would lead to COE (common operating environment) and highly consolidated setups. The future asset average utilization levels would be in the range of 60-70 percent as compared to 20-30 percent at present.
 
CIOL: What are the popular products that are available in the market for making this integration happen?
 
SGK: Many IT major vendors like EMC, Sun, IBM, etc., have products that make this integration  happen. However, the role of a system integrator like Wipro is also important for the planning and execution phases to reduce the risk and have a smooth integration.

CIOL Bureau