How do you make sure you get the budget for IT Infrastructure?
Who do you need the money from?
- The C-suite.
What does your IT infrastructure team do?
- Patch systems with security upgrades regularly,
- Improve their work by implementing automation,
- Maintain and test highly available systems configurations,
- Plan and execute procurement of new gear according to needs.
- Install and configure new gear when it’s time to replace the old one.
What does the C-suite care about?
- Money.
See the difference in the language spoken by admins and execs?
What must a CIO / IT manager do to get adequate financing?
- Show the value of the IT infrastructure team’s job!
How?
- Tell execs each time highly available config prevents systems outage.
- Tell execs each time the team finishes a big reconfiguration project.
- Tell execs each time the replacement of broken parts of IT gear.
- Tell execs each time the team implements effective automation.
- Tell execs each time the team mitigates a serious cyberattack.
How to translate these messages into execs’ language?
- Translate it to money as much as you can.
Easier said than done, huh?
How to communicate the value of preventing IT trouble?
- By calculating the value of the trouble!
How?
- Estimate the realistic time of unavailability of affected systems.
- Multiply the number by the mean number of concurrent users.
- Multiply that by the mean value of one work hour in your company.
Seems like a lot of work?
- Yes, it is. But if you want the money, show the value!
PS. How would you advertise the work of the IT infrastructure teams to the C-suite?
Let me know in the comments!
