Infrastructure optimization seeks to define the maturity of an IT organization. By mature, Microsoft means modern, advanced and effective. Microsoft didn't develop its IO model in a vacuum, and fully credits its predecessors. Besides working with Gartner Inc. and MIT, Microsoft polled more than 10,000 customers to build the model. According to "Infrastructure Optimization at Microsoft," the company's white paper on the topic, "61 percent [of companies] are in a manual, reactive state of IT management and maintenance, and 36 percent have limited automation and minimal process and knowledge capture of the environment (still very reactive). Only 3 percent can be characterized as being driven by a well-managed, high-security infrastructure managed by a set of policies and operations with a current state of technology deployment and implementation."

Some IT professionals, like TUV NORD's Thaden, heartily embrace the IO concept. In looking through Microsoft's case studies, it's clear that IO doesn't have to entail sweeping, immediate changes. Much of the IO work -- like standardizing and automating desktop image rollout -- is done piecemeal. This was the case with Austar, an Australian TV company with more than 800 employees.

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