Infrastructure roadmap
Plan the next three years around the renewals that will force your hand.
Infrastructure decisions are usually made when a renewal or failure forces them, which is the worst time to decide. In three to five weeks we build a 12 to 36 month roadmap tied to your budget cycles and contract dates, so each decision is made early, with options.
Who it is for
Heads of IT and CIOs preparing a budget, a board paper or a strategy, and anyone who has been surprised by a renewal in the last two years.
What goes into it
- A renewal calendar: VMware, Microsoft agreements through EA or CSP, MSP and support contracts, licences and hosting
- Hardware lifecycle and end-of-support dates for servers, storage, network and operating systems
- Risks from the current environment and any recent assessments
- Business plans that change infrastructure needs: growth, acquisitions, new sites, new systems
- Security and compliance obligations and their deadlines
What you receive
- A dated roadmap across 12 to 36 months
- A renewal calendar with the date each decision needs to be made
- Options and budget ranges for each initiative
- A sequence that respects dependencies and your team's capacity
- A summary for your executive team or board
How it runs
- Gather: contracts, asset data, recent assessments and business plans.
- Interview: IT leadership, finance and key business owners.
- Build: the roadmap, renewal calendar and budget ranges.
- Review: the draft walked through with your leadership, adjusted and finalised.
Keeping it current
A roadmap goes out of date the day something changes. A fractional principal architect keeps it current month by month, alongside the decisions it drives.
Questions buyers ask
How far ahead should the roadmap go?
Usually three years, with the first year detailed enough to budget and the later years showing direction and decision dates.
Do you need our contracts?
Key dates and terms are enough. We need to know when each agreement ends and what notice it needs.
Will the roadmap favour work North Ark does?
The roadmap sets out options and reasons for each initiative, and it is yours to deliver with any provider.
How is this different from an Infrastructure Review?
The Infrastructure Review examines the technical state of the environment in depth. The roadmap plans the next few years around dates, budgets and business plans. A recent review makes a strong input to the roadmap.
Can you present it to our board?
Yes. The summary is written for executives and boards, and we can present it.
Start a conversation
Decide on the next renewal before it decides for you.
Tell us your budget cycle and what is coming up.
Talk to an Engineer