NIT2171 ICT Strategy Report: Clothes Retail Chain Analysis 2020-2025

This ICT strategy report addresses the challenges faced by a clothes retail chain, including inventory tracking issues, the need for online retailing, and the desire to gain competitive advantages over the next five years. The report outlines the organization's vision, mission, and objectives, emphasizing the importance of aligning business objectives with technological capabilities. It explores major drivers for change, such as better innovation, meeting customer demands, and updating technology. The report also details ICT capabilities, including infrastructure, data management, mobile device management, governance, CRM, and risk management. It proposes three strategic themes: digital insight, digital frameworks, and digital intrinsic agility. Finally, the report includes a roadmap with ICT initiatives, such as adopting upgraded software, selecting suitable vendors, and enhancing data security through cloud services, all within the context of the COBIT framework for IT governance. The conclusion emphasizes the necessity of an ICT strategy for organizational growth and ensuring the effective utilization of IT capabilities.

ICT Strategy 2020 to 2015
Name of the Student
Name of the University

Introduction
 An ICT strategy helps to reduce complexities related
to technological advancements in a business.
 A proper strategy is responsible for providing
competitive advantages to the respective
organization and also delivering values to the
business (Dutta, Geiger and Lanvin 2015).
 It is the key for aligning business objectives with
every capability to address all business
requirements.

Case Scenario
 A clothes retail chain has recently lost few
items, however they are unable to track the
missing location.
 They want to expand their business as well
and gain competitive advantages in the next
5 years.
 They want to make a move to online retailing
and want to upgrade their tablet devices.

Organizational Vision, Mission
and Objective
 Vision: The vision of the clothes retail chain is
striving to a globalized fashion leader after
empowering innovation and creativity and
design for gaining better customer satisfaction.
 Mission: The vision of the clothes retail chain is
leading, innovating, enhancing and providing
the best valued products to the customers and
making differences through branding strategies
to gain competitive advantages.

Organizational Vision Contd..
 Objective: The major objective of this
particular clothes retail chain is getting
updated solutions for the issues of
inventory tracking and also making a
move to online retailing. To have few
insights regarding changing patterns in
sales and also target marketing.

Background of the ICT Strategy
 The ICT strategy will be needed by the company
for planning their business process and
objectives in the next 5 years (Vaishnavi and
Kuechle 2015).
 This type of distinctive strategy is extremely
helpful in creating shareholder value.
 An effective ICT strategy is also helpful in
maximizing the returns of IT investments and it
creates capability of information technology.

Major Drivers for Change in the
Organization
 Better Creativity and Innovation: The
clothes retail chain will be able to involve
better creativity and innovation in the
business.
 Meeting Customer Demands: They would
be able to fulfill demands of the customers.
 Online Retailing: They want to make a move
to online retailing and provide better services.

Major Drivers Contd..
 Inventory Tracking: The issues related to
inventory tracking and missing items would
be resolved (Erol-Kantarci and Mouftah 2014).
 Updating Technology: Regular up gradation
of technology would be possible for them.
 Increasing IT Capabilities: They would be
able to increase the IT capabilities and
innovation would be included.

ICT Capabilities
 Better Infrastructure: In the next 5 years, they
would be able to get better infrastructure by
incorporating IaaS cloud model.
 Data Management: Data management is the next
capability and hence inventory tracking would be
easier.
 Mobile Device Management: In 2025, they would
be able to implement this software for securing the
policies through smart phones and tablets.

ICT Capabilities Contd..
 Governance: They would be able to govern
the business with the help of COBIT framework.
 Customer Relationship Management: CRM
would help them in maintaining a better
relationship with the clients.
 Risks and Security: The risks and threats will
be resolved effectively and data will be
preserved.

Three ICT Strategic Themes
 Digital Insight: This strategic theme will be helpful
for transforming the business from platitude to
proper actionable perspective (Bloom et al. 2014).
 Digital Frameworks: It would provide digital
framework for implementing business strategies and
provide several platforms for inventory tracking.
 Digital Intrinsic Agility: It helps in remain focused
for future growth and helps to become an intrinsic
part of the operating model of the business.

Roadmap and ICT Initiatives
 To take a specific strategic approach for IT
plan and operations.
 To adopt up graded software for new
applications and tools.
 To select suitable vendors for ICT changes.
 To seek proper alignment in the products in
the business.

ICT Initiatives Contd..
 To provide high availability servers and storage
infrastructure to resolve inventory related issues.
 To provide IT infrastructure for better data
security (Dutta, Geiger and Lanvin 2015).
 To move the infrastructure to cloud services such
as IaaS.
 To improve customer satisfaction and align
resources with customer demands.

IT Governance
 The selection of COBIT framework would be
suitable for their IT governance (Vaishnavi
and Kuechler 2015).
 It would provide with better quality, control
as well as reliability of the information
system.
 It would be effective in mitigating the
threats for data security.

Conclusion
 Therefore, conclusion could be drawn
that the ICT strategy is required for the
organization for their future growth.
 Such strategies are effective for
creating, modifying, aligning and even
changing the capability of IT to ensure
proper implications.

References
Bloom, N., Garicano, L., Sadun, R. and Van Reenen, J., 2014. The
distinct effects of information technology and communication
technology on firm organization. Management Science, 60(12),
pp.2859-2885.
Dutta, S., Geiger, T. and Lanvin, B., 2015. The global information
technology report 2015. In World Economic Forum (Vol. 1, No. 1, pp.
P80-85).
Erol-Kantarci, M. and Mouftah, H.T., 2014. Energy-efficient
information and communication infrastructures in the smart grid: A
survey on interactions and open issues. IEEE Communications
Surveys & Tutorials, 17(1), pp.179-197.
Vaishnavi, V.K. and Kuechler, W., 2015. Design science research
methods and patterns: innovating information and communication
technology. Crc Press.