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The Challenges of Global Information
There is no denying that business today is 100 percent global. Global multinational corporations are the norm, and the biggest Fortune 500 companies seek to penetrate new markets rapidly. Every major retailer and OEM has set foot in China and India and growth in Russia, Eastern Europe and South America is healthy as well.
One thing that I have observed as companies "go global" is that global corporate coordination is poor. New regions tend to create new systems and databases to serve local markets, and due to time difference and cultural challenges, cross-continent coordination is sporadic at best. Most IT executives push common information repositories and systems, but where should you draw the line at driving information commonality: by region, by brand, by country?
Here are four principles as to how to structure your information architecture to optimize local needs with global synergies:
Utilize Common Infrastructure
While information and application needs may differ by region, the hardware and software that provide the underlying foundation should be common globally. That way, the application and data is decoupled from where the application runs and the data is stored. By utilizing global hardware and software vendors, you can reduce overall complexity in your infrastructure, mitigate security risks, and negotiate bulk pricing.
For example, if a company …
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