Managing information technology infrastructure: a new flexibility framework

Abstract

Purpose -The purposes of this study are to present an operational definition of information technology (IT) infrastructure flexibility and to provide a framework for assessing its components. Design/methodology/approach -A comprehensive review of the relevant literature was conducted along with expert interviews to determine what experts considered to be the characteristics of IT infrastructure flexibility. A questionnaire was then developed, and 388 IT personnel with a wide range of experience verified the proposed framework. Factor analysis was conducted to reveal the common aspects of IT infrastructure flexibility. Findings -The results expand on the four recognized components (connectivity, compatibility, modularity and IT personnel competency) from the literature by revealing five further components (scalability, continuity, rapidity, facility and modernity).Research limitations/implications -The issue of external validity should be a concern because the samples were collected only from IT personnel in the financial service industry in Thailand. The improvement of the instrument to fit additional contexts is recommended. Practical implications -Practitioners may now consider their IT infrastructure profiles and determine which components need more attention. Researchers may expand on this paper's results by conducting further investigations with other organizational measurements. Originality/value -This study is the first to provide empirical evidence from the context of a developing country, which fills a significant gap in the literature. Although this study reports different findings from the literature, the results still complement rather than contradict the existing research framework.

A Conceptual Framework on IT Infrastructure Flexibility as Determinant of Strategic Utilization of Information Systems

“…Accordingly, an effective IT infrastructure must be flexible and robust [26]. Thus, flexible IT infrastructure as stated is the ability of existing IT infrastructure to adapt changes from both internal and external of the organization in order to facilitate information sharing, system development and the continuity of IT operations with minimal effort and time [8]. Byrd stated that IT infrastructure flexibility is the ability to easily and readily diffuse or support a wide variety of hardware, software, communications technologies, data, core applications, skills and competencies, commitments, and values within the technical physical base and the human component of the existing IT infrastructure [3].…”

“…The [27]. Besides the four dimensions, IS researchers have also introduced rapidity, modernity and continuity as additional dimensions of technical component flexibility [27].…”

Dimensions of information technology infrastructure flexibility in improving management efficacy of construction industry perspective: A conceptual study

“…Few researchers have examined the importance of IT infrastructure being flexible, and they have agreed that ITIF brings positive implications to management (Chanapos et al, 2006;Chung et al, 2003;Davenport and Linder, 1994;Duncan, 1995;Ness, 2005;Tallon and Kraemer, 2003). In construction industry, IT systems have typically been architected either in a project-centric way, addressing a business issue at a point in time, or in the case of primary transactional systems; resulting inflexibility in design of individual applications or the supporting infrastructure.…”

“…It refers to a person, or a professional team who has knowledge, skills and experiences required to manage IT resources within organisations and master in Paschke et al, (2008) Skilled IT personnel Market, integrity and network Masrek and Jusoff (2009) business knowledge as well (Byrd and Turner, 2000;Chanapos et al, 2006;Chung et al, 2003;Paschke et al, 2008;Tallon and Kraemer, 2003). The third dimension is flexibility of IS (Paschke, et al, 2008).…”

Manufacturing Flexibility and Operational Performance of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Companies in Jordan

“…The term flexibility has been used in many areas of management and organizational functions including finance, automation, manufacturing, health care and human resources; however, in each area the definition differs depending on the types of product or service created (Chanopas et al, 2006). Flexibility is regarded as the ability to respond to or conform to new situations and is usually classified as process, product, or infrastructure related (Noori and Radford, 1995).…”