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Bimodal IT: Manufacturers Staff up IT Departments to Improve Innovation and Competitiveness
The rapid advance of new technology is dividing many IT departments in half. One half focuses on keeping the current systems up and running while a second half scouts out and tests new technologies that could be transformative for the business. Gartner calls this split up of resources bi-modal IT.
Bimodal divides IT operations and responsibilities into two categories (Gartner definition):
- Mode 1 is traditional and sequential, emphasizing safety and accuracy.
- Mode 2 is exploratory and nonlinear, emphasizing agility and speed.
The new technologies that are being investigated by businesses include the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Many businesses don’t currently have the right staff on board to handle Mode 2 investigations, and that has caused businesses, particularly in the manufacturing industry, to begin hiring. Businesses are struggling to handle their mode 1 legacy systems and often don’t have any remaining resources that can be directed towards investigating new technologies.
A survey by Sungard found that businesses need to dedicate, on average, 62 percent of their IT resources to just “keeping the lights on, responding to internal and external tickets, and carrying out administrative tasks.” These businesses need more resources that can investigate more innovative areas. The Sungard survey, for example, found that 82 percent of manufacturers were hiring staff to focus on innovation.
