Abstract:

In contemporary business world, IT infrastructure has a critical role in business execution and organisation integration, whereby it enhances internal efficiencies and competitiveness of the business. The extant literature has described the interactive role of business and IT that control organisations and therefore need to perform seamlessly to avoid problems and reduce risks as much as possible. It is, therefore, important to take stock of existing IT infrastructure, business needs, and organisation capabilities before introducing new technologies into the business. IT governance has emerged as encompassing the control and management processes of organisations, combining business and IT areas including frameworks and all important management resources needed to make a company work effectively. There are many IT governance frameworks available that provide guidelines for managing, utilising, and maximising value from IT infrastructure. However, how effective an IT governance framework is in achieving IT-business alignment is as yet unclear. This research seeks to examine how best to implement IT governance framework in organisations. This will be explored through the relationships between business and IT, including ways to integrate the different functions of each area, aligning business and IT strategies to effectively support the business. This research follows a qualitative interpretive approach through the use of case studies. It makes use of within case and cross analysis to resolve the research issue at hand. It, thus, aims to assist business leadership in implementation, operation, management, and adaptation of IT infrastructure to the business environment, as well as facilitates decision support for risk management, accountability, and maximising value from use of IT infrastructure.