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Three Keys to Aligning the Network Organization with the Business
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The challenge with aligning functional IT areas with the business lies in undertaking practical measures that form the foundation for alignment. This can be particularly challenging for the network organization, as much of what the group does is – and should be – transparent to the business. The keys to alignment lie in behind-the-scenes activities that allow the network group to move quickly to meet the needs of the business. This includes understanding the role of the network, current and historical performance metrics, and the needs of the business.
Respect the Network’s Role
In most enterprises the network is considered a utility infrastructure that is expected to just work. This is not only the perspective of the business, but is often the view of other functional groups within IT. True, the first priority should be providing reliable network connectivity to the business. As the network converges in many enterprises to carry a variety of traffic types, including data, voice, and video, the business becomes increasingly reliant on the network infrastructure to be highly available. There is an old saying in the telecom industry – “users consider dial tone a God given right” – and the same is becoming true for the converged enterprise network.
Every company is different, but there’s a good chance that the business demands, and requires, a very reliable network that can adequately support enterprise applications, communications, and data traffic. It is important for the network management team to understand the expectations of the business with regards to network capabilities and performance.
It is also important for the network management team to help the business understand what reasonable expectations are and the costs and benefits of building and maintaining the desired or required network. For more information on IT/business alignment in general, refer to the McLean Report research notes, “The Goal of IT/Business Alignment: Why so Elusive?”, “The Personality of IT/Business Alignment”, and “Structurally Fit: IT/Business Organization Alignment” and consider how the insights found therein apply to the network organization.
Monitor the Network
Network management must understand how the enterprise network has historically performed, and how it performs now. The critical component here is a Network Management System (NMS).
Without exception, every enterprise should have an NMS in place to monitor the status and performance of the network. This does not mean simply monitoring for faults and outages, but capturing information about usage, traffic types, network performance characteristics, and root cause analysis. For more information on NMS, refer to the McLean Report research note, “Don't Have a NMS? Get One!”
Listen to the Business
One area where much of IT falls down is in listening to the business, and the network group is no exception. This is not to say that IT simply disregards directives from company executives, rather there are many unseized opportunities for IT to gain insight and perspectives from business users on a more informal basis. For example, informal discussions with business users may provide insight into what works well and what needs to be improved.
To expand on that, assume that a user has a good idea about how a mobile network or application could help keep business users better connected to the business and more productive. The idea may be great but would otherwise never be heard by anyone that could or would do anything about it.
More formal interactions may come in the form of meetings with business leaders to share information on network performance and gain insight into the impact that network performance has on various business units. The lesson for network team members is to keep your ears to the ground and listen to the business in both formal and informal settings.
Recommendations
As the IT organization works to align and integrate with the business, functional areas within the IT group need to look for practical ways to further the drive for alignment. The network group should heed the following:
1. Know your role. It is very important to understand what the business needs, and expects, from the network. By the same token, the business should understand what is realistic to expect from the network. This mutual understanding requires dialogue and insight from both sides. If the network is considered a utility, treat it as such. If the network is looked upon as value-added infrastructure that the business can leverage to have a real impact on productivity, then view it much more strategically. While the network group may have a strong desire to have the network viewed as a strategic business asset, in some circumstances this may simply not be the case.
2. Know your network. Understand how the network performs, how reliable it is, and how it has fared historically. An NMS is a critical component to every network organization, and if not in place today one should be implemented without delay.
3. Know your users. Network users are the business, and understanding them will help network professionals better understand the business. Look to informal communications channels in addition to formal discussions to get a better understanding of what business users expect from the network.
Bottom Line
There is no dearth of advice on how to align IT with the business. Yet practical, tactical guidance for functional IT areas can be harder to come by. Senior network management can, and should, take three steps to help ensure that the network or infrastructure organization will align with the business.
