In the
wild, elephants play a critical role - come floods or drought. When there is excessive rainfall, elephant-paths create drainage trenches for
the gushing waters. During dry summers, these same elephants dig up much-needed
waterholes in dry riverbeds. Those leading the technology organization, for
global enterprises, often subscribe to this "elephant philosophy";
Even as they maintain a vast and varied portfolio of applications, running
seamlessly, they look to create 'trenches' to divert technology support exactly
into those areas that business needs it most.
On the other hand, when the application environment is fragmented - not
unlike a drought situation - they seek to dig-up 'common reservoirs of
resources' to leverage savings.