What Is Infrastructure Optimization?

Through the Microsoft Infrastructure Optimization (IO) sales priorities—Core Infrastructure and Business Productivity Infrastructure—we communicate our customer vision for an optimized IT infrastructure. Our goal is to advance an organization’s infrastructure optimization and capabilities to deliver an increased level of business agility, IT cost and risk reductions, and enable IT departments to realize the full value of their infrastructure investments. This helps establish IT as a strategic partner to the business and shows that they can initiate innovation and align to changing business needs by connecting people, information, and business processes. With Microsoft IO solutions, customers can use Core Infrastructure Optimization (Core IO) and Business Productivity Infrastructure Optimization (BPIO) to determine the current level of their IT infrastructure, establish a technology vision for the future, and build a clear and actionable roadmap based on their new and existing Microsoft and industry technologies. The IO roadmap includes supportive technical capabilities that provide a comprehensive set of solutions to help advance a customer’s infrastructure optimization levels toward a more dynamic IT. Each capability has four optimization levels—basic, standardized, rationalized, and dynamic. The Core IO and BPIO models and capabilities allow customers to gain a realistic view of the state of their current IT infrastructure and develop a blueprint for transforming that infrastructure into a cost-effective business asset that enables people to drive business success.

Core IO Model

Business Productivity IO Model

Cross Capability Execution

Cross capability and workload selling to IT is the Microsoft approach to helping enterprise customers realize the benefits of dynamic IT within their organizations. The capability and workload selling approach drives IT infrastructure optimization through the Core IO model and the BPIO model. These optimization models deliver clear roadmaps and benefits—helping reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) and agility gains for customers, while systematically enabling our sales strategies, licensing tipping points, and adoption and deployment for the Microsoft portfolio of capabilities.

Cross Capability Execution

• How to Get Going: Business Productivity Infrastructure Optimization

  Use this comprehensive HTGG guide to help you develop a BPIO strategy and execution plan for working with your customers and driving projects that accentuate the value of IO..

• How to Get Going: Core Infrastructure Optimization

  Use this comprehensive HTGG guide to help you develop a Core IO strategy and execution plan for working with your customers and driving projects that accentuate the value of IO.

• Optimization Customer Kit

  Self-contained, customer-ready deliverable, titled Delivering Business Value by Optimizing your IT Investments, that includes Optimization customer case studies, presentations, and videos that drive home the value and opportunity of Infrastructure and Platform Optimization. Download it now or order a hard-copy version via askmsio@microsoft.com .

• Optimization Workbook

  The Optimization Workbook will help you determine your customer’s current level of optimization and then explore projects to move your customers to the next level of Optimization.

• Grow Your Enterprise Business by Optimizing Customer's Infrastructure

  Download this presentation delivered at WPC 2008 to learn about the growing Partner opportunity through Optimization. Also included are practical Optimization engagement proof points and directions on building an Optimization practice.

• The Optimization Journey - Presentation

  Presents the current IT landscape and introduces the three Optimization models. Discusses how the models address the needs of IT organizations including evidence.

• Microsoft Optimization Models: Foundation, Evolution, and Validation

  Discusses how Microsoft has developed the Optimization models. Specifically, how they were founded, how they evolved, and validation that has taken place.

• Taking the Lead: Gaining a Competitive Advantage Through an Optimized IT Infrastructure and Platform - White Paper

  This white paper outlines the evolving and expanding role of IT, the challenges it faces as well as the competitive advantages it offers. It also describes Optimization and recommended steps to achieve it.

• Leveraging Microsoft Optimization to Create Your Dynamic IT Roadmap - White Paper

  The Microsoft Optimization Models offer CIOs a robust and systematic process for assessing their IT infrastructure and platform capabilities needed to build a dynamic IT roadmap. This transformative and iterative process shifts IT from a cost center focus into an innovative business growth enabler.

• Optimization Account Discovery Guidance

  Step-by-step guide to help you through the account discovery process for each of the three Optimization models.

• Optimization Model Images

  Contains Hi-res and low-res images of the Microsoft Optimization models/capabilities for use in your presentations and publications.

• Optimization Models Product Mapping

  This document provides a detailed mapping of Microsoft Products to the FY09 Optimization Models including specific detail for Standardized, Rationalized and Dynamic levels.

• Directions on Microsoft: Optimization Model Structures Sales Effort

  This article offers a serious look at the Microsoft Optimization models and the practicality of its use.

• Health IT Partner Resources

  Leverage the Microsoft Knowledge Driven Health strategy, a comprehensive framework that can help you identify opportunities and address your customers' key issues.

Optimization PR - New - Reviews

• A Partner's Guide to Microsoft Optimization

  The Redmond Channel Partner Magazine presents a special supplemental report detailing new tools and deeper commitments that provide Microsoft partners with step-by-step roadmaps to develop customers' infrastructures into models of efficiency.

• Optimize Sales: Microsoft's Infrastructure Optimization push gives partners a way to help customers get a handle on their IT investments -- and get a foot in the door on bigger engagements.

  Redmond Channel Partner magazine's second Optimization Series article discusses the partner value of the Optimization model.