Centralised and Decentralised I.T. Departments

Advantages/disadvantages to both ways of organising I.T. departments.
Advantages of a centralised department:

• Clear, top down management control & communication
• Maximise efficiency of skilled & specialised resources
• Centralised processes, procedures & standards
• Economies of scale in purchasing hardware & software

Disadvantages of a centralised department:

• Lack of flexibility to respond
• Lack of individual support to end users

Advantages of a decentralised department:

• Individual support for end users
• I.T. closer to business units – able to gain intelligence about organisation
• Development of I.T. staff
• Flexibility to respond

Disadvantages of a decentralised department:

• Inefficient use of skilled/specialist resources
• I.T. staff may “go native”
• Loss of economies of scale
• Lack of adherence to departmental processes, procedures and standards
• Loner and varied communication chain