Beyond the break/fix model: The future of infrastructure services is here

Enterprise IT has exploded in complexity. While the traditional perimeter was limited to physical branch offices, every employee working remotely now becomes the edge, and each cloud workload needs oversight.

Legacy technologies lack integration, security, scalability and flexibility. NTT DATA’s own experience shows that outdated operating models, inefficient and complex processes, and traditional full-time equivalent ways of working consume up to 75% of IT budgets, with only 25% channeled towards transforming the business.

These issues impede the adoption of new technologies and work processes, leaving organizations less efficient and productive, unable to achieve their transformation objectives and slow to respond to changing market requirements.

Breaking out of the loop

For years, enterprise IT teams have been stuck in a reactive break/fix loop — fixing issues after the fact and scrambling to maintain infrastructure and compliance. When this is a daily reality, it’s no wonder organizations are not extracting the full value from their technology investments.

But what if you worked with a service provider who could optimize your infrastructure spending, reduce risk, predict problems before they occur and deliver measurable business value?

That future is here with NTT DATA’s Software-defined Infrastructure (SDI) Services.

With decades of industry leadership, we’re pioneering the shift from hardware-centric support services to SDI services. The latest developments in software, security and AI are now redefining what our clients expect from their technology investments.

Clients demand business outcomes 

Our clients want IT to transform their businesses, not just run it as a cost center. However, most IT budgets go to keeping the lights on, leaving little room for anything more than operational support.

Legacy systems are a big part of the problem, as old, siloed setups aren’t optimized for modern needs. CIOs are stuck juggling these outdated systems and services with new technologies, often with tight budgets.

IT leaders with a more agile approach are rejecting piecemeal upgrades in favor of integrated transformation. They’re looking for partners who deliver complete solutions and services that support modernization and business outcomes.

To help our community of more than 5,000 clients navigate this shift, we have reimagined infrastructure services with the FY25 release of our SDI Services. We’ve gone proactive, personalized and predictive to optimize your infrastructure, reduce costs and reinvigorate your business.

We have introduced new capabilities:

• Outcome success plans: Upfront documentation on risk/reward alignment with shared accountability
• AI-assisted service assurance: Supports service level agreement (SLA) compliance and reliability to reduce downtime
• AI-assisted usage optimization: Supports utilization level agreement (ULA) compliance (usage of licenses and features) to deliver cost savings and license compliance
• AI-assisted outcome measurements: Support value level agreement (VLA) compliance (business Value) to enable business growth and innovation
• Unified platform and mobile portal: Available with all agreements to provide transparency and enable collaboration

Going beyond SLAs 

IT leaders are always under pressure to deliver more with fewer resources. Ensuring uptime is no longer a differentiator — it’s merely the baseline.

Also, many IT teams struggle with the “watermelon effect,” where SLAs appear green on the surface but are red beneath. Their systems may be technically operational, yet users and customers still experience disruptions due to inefficiencies, security vulnerabilities and misaligned IT investments.

With our FY25 SDI Services release, we make sure everything runs smoothly. That’s where our SLAs come in — for fast response times, uptime and proactive support.

Enter ULAs and VLAs to deliver added value.

• ULAs: With at least 30% of IT budgets wasted on underused resources, traditional support models fall short when it comes to maximizing value. Imagine a global enterprise with thousands of software licenses spread across different departments. To avoid unnecessary costs, the business needs to know if some of these licenses remain unused while others are in demand. With our ULAs, your IT team receives real-time insights into license usage, which helps them streamline deployment, reduce waste and control costs. In addition, we improve your compliance and risk posture by helping your CIO manage end-of-life risks when products will no longer receive updates, support or security patches.
• VLAs: Everything we do is aligned to your vision and business goals. We focus on measures such as cost savings through Enterprise Agreements and an improved environmental, social and governance posture on account of changes made to your IT infrastructure.

AI-assisted service assurance: Smarter, faster and predictive

What if your infrastructure could analyze itself, prevent failures and optimize costs automatically? Our new AI-powered service intelligence makes this a reality with:

• AI-powered license management reports: No more surprises on renewals. We give you AI-driven insights, based on an analysis of your software and hardware licenses, to ensure optimal usage and compliance.
• AI-generated summaries for end-of-life risks and vulnerabilities: Avoid costly security lapses with alerts on hardware and software that’s reaching end of support.
• Real-time sentiment analysis: Our AI agents analyze client interactions and support tickets to identify dissatisfaction before it escalates into a problem.
• Critical vulnerability alerts and decision support: Our AI agents also keep analyzing your infrastructure and providing actionable recommendations to strengthen your security and resilience.

A next-generation mobile experience: Manage IT on the go

Because IT leaders and infrastructure managers need instant access to critical insights, our brand-new SDI mobile app places the full power of SDI services at your fingertips:

• Raise and track service tickets: Submit and monitor tickets in real time for fast resolution.
• View your entire infrastructure instantly: Access dashboards that show your installed hardware, SLAs, VLAs and ULAs.
• Benefit from on-the-go predictive insights: Get notified about risks, vulnerabilities and optimization opportunities — wherever you are.

An enhanced digital experience: More insights, less effort

We’ve also redesigned our SDI portal from the ground up to offer a more intuitive experience. With a refreshed interface and expanded digital capabilities, your IT team can now:

• Monitor business outcomes at a glance: Get real-time insights on risk mitigation, infrastructure optimization, entitlements and compliance.
• Access a unified installed base view. Gain a consolidated view of hardware and software assets, complete with real-time health and performance metrics.
• Leverage digital onboarding and self-service capabilities: Set up new infrastructure faster and access automated reports without manual intervention.

Reimagining infrastructure services

To reflect all these powerful enhancements, we have rebranded our SDI service offering:

• SDI Plus (formerly SDI Base) is designed for organizations that need AI-powered insights, mobile-first management and enhanced digital experience.
• SDI Premium includes everything in SDI Plus as well as advanced AI capabilities, sustainability benchmarking and best-practice recommendations for infrastructure optimization.

With these updates, our SDI Services go beyond basic lights-on support to become an engine for innovation and efficiency, giving you predictive analytics, deeper AI-enabled automation and sustainability insights.

Our extensive technology expertise, proven services and intellectual property mean we’re uniquely positioned to help you transition to an outcome-based IT transformation model.

Dilip Kumar, Global Head: Technology Solutions at NTT DATA
Aditya Afzulpurkar, Senior Vice President: Technology Solutions at NTT DATA