Local IT infrastructure assessment methodologies and approach in large enterprises : research project scope - branch office consolidation

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to develop a model for assessing information technology infrastructure in large enterprises/organisations. The key components of this thesis are: first, to develop a generic assessment process approach that can be applied in IT enterprises, and secondly, to evaluate the practical application of these assessment processes and methods within an infrastructure transformation project in a large enterprise. The study covers theoretical research which gathers information regarding the computer servers and applications components of IT infrastructure, assessment techniques developed by using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning toolkit, research methods and corresponding enterprise beneficiaries. After the research methodology and literature, this thesis then presents the detailed study as it deeply relates to a case study – Branch Office Consolidation Project (BOC) project. The research undertaken depicts the practicalities in conducting assessment in an enterprise environment based on the information gathered during the infrastructural evaluation process. The results of this thesis are targeted at specific IT components (i.e., computer server and applications) of an enterprise infrastructure within branch offices in the referenced BOC project. The implementation shows the feasibility and application of a modelled assessment process in the enterprise workspace.