IT plays an essential role in infrastructure ‘outcomes’

All the world may be a stage, but the IT professional is no mere player. During a live announcement from the professional services firm of a benchmarking infrastructure “barometer,” Deloitte’s Michael Flynn emphasized that everyone, including the IT pro, has a role in building a country’s increasingly sophisticated services and facilities.

“This will only be delivered if we work together: Public and private sectors, advisers, investors, construction companies, technology, developers. You name it; there is a role,” Flynn, Deloitte’s global infrastructure, transport, and regional government leader, told the crowd during the company’s “Infrastructure for Good” presentation.

As billions of dollars are dedicated to infrastructure improvements like water delivery, sensor-embedded roads, and clean energy, IT pros are poised to be important builders of trust, who can demonstrate outcomes and that tech isn’t just being used for tech’s sake.

“Is it saving cost? Is it improving operations? Is it improving safety? Is it improving productivity? Tech can play a role in all that,” Luke Houghton, Deloitte’s global lead partner of infrastructure and capital projects, told IT Brew after the event in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center.

For your own good! The “For Good” barometer, developed in partnership with the media/policy group Economist Impact and and Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, benchmarks 30 countries’ capacities “to sustainably deliver efficient and quality infrastructure that addresses critical economic, social, and environmental needs.”

Scores, ranked by the Economist Impact advisory panel, were based on 64 indicators, ranging from corruption perceptions and government support to engagement with local communities and digital connectivity and privacy. Canada is number one, scoring 70.4 out of 100 on the Infrastructure for Good barometer.

“So, if I’m planning a new project…I can now say, ‘How does my program match up to those 64 data areas?’” Flynn said to IT Brew after the announcement.

At the G7 summit last year, the Biden administration announced a $600 billion commitment by 2027 in global infrastructure investments, including 5G and 6G connectivity and health systems upgrades.

IT teams can use digital twins—virtual design counterparts that could incorporate a location’s makeup of residential, commercial, and retail areas—to optimize infrastructure builds, said Flynn, post-presentation.

Such planning efforts, which focus on a desired result and not autonomous trains for the sake of autonomous trains, score big, according to the Deloitte pros.

“If you’re really clear in articulating the outcome, then technology has a role in getting you there,” said Houghton.