Chief Architect

I suspect that, in general, motorists rarely think about their tires. But it is sensible to check them regularly to ensure that they are in good condition. A car's handling or its music system may be more interesting but a nail or a cut could put you off the road for good.

A CIO may be more interested in IT led business change or innovative uses of technology or even the budget but every so often they should kick the tires - visit the data center...

The following pictures were taken some years ago at the data center of a $10bn organization...

When data center discipline goes a major IT failure becomes a probability rather than a distance possibility. If the basic disciplines are not there then recovery will be slow and the ongoing service prone to further failure. When the board calls for an independent external review the evidence will be clear, the CIO has lost sight of the basics ...