Instrument 2: Centralized demand management. The determination of all of the demands on the existing and new applications by one central authority simplifies the structured provision of innovative solutions. If a critical mass of applications is covered by precise monitoring of factors which must be defined for the application and server landscape, consolidation by means of ­virtualization or the implementation of new technology is rewarding. For example, the point in time at which it is worthwhile in terms of quantity to implement a new operating system can be determined ideally. If every application or every system is considered in isolation, scaling effects will be difficult to find and consolidation opportunities will be missed. Moreover, unstructured trying out of solutions without a centralized overview of events in demand management prevents the fast adoption of innovative concepts because they cannot be properly evaluated, and positive effects may be merely coincidental. Demand management as used here goes beyond the ITIL definition of recognition of utilization patterns – additional activities and process controls are required for the categorization and quantification of future demand.   

Instrument 3: Sourcing. A centralized purchasing organization can contribute a controlled modularization of the shopping basket and the required infrastructure and software solutions to IT. Commercial procedures used as a matter of course such as dual-vendor strategy, benchmarking, and shopping basket definition make it simpler to procure the required infrastructure products at lower prices. The key aspect of the newly oriented sourcing is the opening of new procurement sources with the focus on consolidation. The outsourcing of IT activities into the supplier‘s value chain, for example, can support concentration on core competency in the IT organization. The integration and configuration of the applications and server systems can be carried out according to a detailed plan before they leave the manufacturer‘s business, releasing personnel capacities which can be used to perform other tasks.

Instrument 4: Standardized servers, storage building blocks, and communication architecture. An essential general condition for consolidation is a rigorous standardization of the infrastructure components servers, storage, and networks. Reutilization opportunities and optimization of the application landscape result automatically whenever an IT organization can follow a well-established process for procurement, start-up, and daily operation. A uniform network structure and standardized connection processes simplify the flexible integration of new applications and systems. Furthermore, it is the prerequisite for a conversion in the direction of performance oriented to grid or service. From the standpoint of new distributed system capacities (smartphones, PDAs, and other mobile end devices), communication serves a strategic function during the implementation of cloud or grid structures. For example, the usage of network virtualization should already be established as a standard (standardized roll-out, standardized network structure) in the operating organization so that consolidation projects can be quickly realized by means of virtualization.