Combining Centralized and Decentralized IT

Bangalore: CIOs are in a state of disagreement as to the question of decentralizing IT departments. Agreed granting individual departments greater IT autonomy may come at a cost to the CIO powers. However, Nari Kannan, founder of appsparq, a Louisville, Ky.-based mobile app development company has proposed a hybrid model to address the same without curtailing the authoritarian rule of the CIOs, reports Cindy Waxer of Midsize Insider.

CIOs fear that decentralizing the IT sector will only spawn procurement and integration problems, notwithstanding the fact that that doing the same will also speed up the entire delivery process. Apparently, Kannan has come up with an ingenious solution of strengthening IT department by combining decentralized information system with a centralized IT infrastructure without mitigating the powers of a CIO over critical IT decisions and operations.

Here are Kannan’s argued six characteristics of a quintessential hybrid model:

1)    Self Service is the way- In case of a decentralized system of IT, department heads can easily access a browser interface whenever a new proprietary app needs to be developed by logging on to a Windows server or a Linux server.
2)    Rise in Output- It is a known fact that numerous projects lie unattended as a result in lack of attention. However, in a decentralized model, each sub-section will be held accountable for their respective projects which can then be safely assumed will increase productivity.
3)    Power remains with one- For some issues pertaining to central IT infrastructure, it is recommended that policy making regarding the same should rest in one, else chaos ensues. A centralized IT system will help address this particular concern.
4)    Communication improves- The communication barrier that was prevailing in a centralized IT system is found to be vaporized as soon as it is converted into a decentralized one. With each sub-department allotted a specific project, minor details can be taken into consideration, expecting a reaction which was not possible during centralized IT.
5)    Cost advantages lies with centralized IT- A centralized IT system is in a better position in dealing with vendors when purchasing hardware and software for the organization. Moreover, a CIO has a better assessment of the overall cost incurred in a centralized design.
6)    Better coordination- "Centralized IT helps ensure systems can talk to each other," said Kannan. With decentralized IT, "there's a chance that all these different departments will once again start developing apps in silos," he said.

Thus it is evident that Kannan’s proposed hybrid model is the most viable option available to the CIOs and bury their bone of contention with regards to a centralized or a decentralized IT department; as absorbing the positive traits from both types of structure will lead to higher productivity with optimization of the available resources.