A Systemic Ontology of Service-Driven IT Infrastructure Design

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new conceptualization of information technology (IT) infrastructure based on the principles of general systems theory. The IT infrastructure is the overarching IT artifact in organizations: complex and dynamic. Yet, there is no evidence of conceptual models that can recognize and address the reconfiguration and evolution of an IT infrastructure in an organization. By shifting our theoretical lens to the modular systems perspective, we use key attributes of modularity, integration, (re)configuration, and feedback to extend existing notions and forwarding a dynamic model of IT infrastructure. Instead of assuming IT infrastructure as a static installed base of technologies, we try to map IT infrastructure as being-service driven, constantly reorganizing and balancing its technology and human assets to adapt to changing service demands. To illustrate the value of this approach, we use an open systems theory lens to classify corporate IT infrastructure into segmented, shared, and seamless infrastructure assets, configurable on-demand. By rethinking IT infrastructure as a portfolio of configurable subsystems, the model explains how corporate IT infrastructures constantly reorganize and adapt themselves between differentiation and integration.