Enterprise Technology Is a Lot Like Rocket Science (Yes, Really)
Preparation and Planning
For any technical or scientific endeavor to succeed, excellent and thorough planning is required. Outcomes need to be measurable, targets must be set and progress must be tracked. Experimentation and testing are crucial, subsystems need to perform well, and data needs to be organized. IT is no different. Successful technology deployments today require the same level of diligence in understanding the IT landscape as scientists applied to understanding what the moon was like before the first footstep was imprinted on its surface. Multiple fault redundancy is critical to maintain uptime of critical systems. And if you have ever seen the inside of the Network Operations Center, you have likely noticed the uncanny resemblance to Mission Control at Johnson or Marshall Space Flight Centers.
A Systems Focus
Many of my early aerospace career colleagues wondered why, instead of working on the latest launch vehicle for NASA, they were tasked with designing the hinge on the hatch that held some component in place. Over the years, it became increasingly obvious that a true systems perspective only comes from experience with each of the various pieces that make up the whole.
The same is true on an enterprise level in business. It takes various specialties and a tool kit of technology to put together the right solution for a given customer. There is no one size that truly fits all, and as the pace of new technology introduction increases, open systems will be required to future-proof investments.
Teamwork and Partnership
The early days of the space program brought about unprecedented partnerships between government and commercial teams to solve incredibly complex problems. New sectors of our nation’s economy grew out of these partnerships, and today that model of partnership is what drives large-scale enterprise companies to leverage the skill and expertise of worldwide systems integrators such as Accenture, Cognizant, NTT, and WiPro.
At a more tactical level, the enterprise today cannot afford to waste a single dollar of investment on technology that fails to deliver fully on its promise. It takes a mind-set of partnership, active listening, and compromise to ensure that vendor best practices are followed while still delivering on the fundamental value proposition for the enterprise.
Determination and a Shared Vision
For an enterprise to succeed, everyone needs to share a common belief in the mission. The goals need to be clear and outcomes well-defined. Every department, from sales to marketing to IT, has to be reading from the same page. Just like the early days of space exploration, there will be setbacks. It takes courage to stay on course in the face of obstacles. My experience has shown me that it is exactly how we handle these hard situations that defines who we are and the ultimate success of the project. The team that gets the biggest gains is the one that leans in the hardest when the going gets tough.
Does it take a team of rocket scientist to ensure enterprise success? No, but it does take many of the same characteristics that helped our great nation achieve tremendous success in space. Every day, I am proud to be a part of one of our generation’s greatest challenges—harnessing the tremendous power of technology for efficient enterprise operations management. And I mean it when I say the sky’s the limit.
Brian Wilson is chief customer officer at Zenoss and holds a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas. He can be reached at bwilson@zenoss.com.