Business Intelligence Applied: Implementing an Effective Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure

ICT Infrastructure Defined

It is easy to say that businesses need an ICT infrastructure to operate, but it is also important to know what is precisely included in that infrastructure. Business school programs often include a course in data communications, in which technical concepts are taught, but that course does not always offer a substantial business-driven focus. More technically oriented academic programs, like a networking and telecommunication program, usually offer only technical courses, with no business focus. The technical information taught in those courses is essential to students, especially since the Internet has emerged as the primary global communications medium. But managers today need to know when to build infrastructure, not just how, so a greater business-driven focus is needed—one that takes an encompassing view of the organization. This book fills in the gap between understanding the technical details of ICT and the business imperatives that drive ICT investment selection. This book gives a business focus to ICT infrastructure building, whether or not you have a technical background.

As just stated, data communications classes are necessary and can leave students with a thorough understanding of how to implement ICT infrastructure but little about when to implement that technology and what technology to implement to support organizational strategic objectives. The piece that is often lacking is the understanding of exactly which technologies to implement, ...