Balancing global standardization and local autonomy in IT infrastructure management

The increasing number of jurisdictions introducing data-localization requirements, together with the advancement of distributed cloud technologies, has created a managerial dilemma for international organizations: whether to centralize IT infrastructure or adapt it locally. This paper analyzes theoretical approaches to choosing between centralization and decentralization of technological solutions and presents an empirical study of IT standardization strategies in a multi-jurisdictional environment based on comparative case analysis of international companies. A multi-criteria decision model incorporating 10 factors is developed, and a criteria-weighting procedure is proposed to substantiate the required level of unification. Based on a review of 12 academic sources and cross-case comparison of corporate practices, a typology of strategies is formulated: global unification, a federated model, and localized exceptions. The study shows that infrastructure standardization can reduce total IT costs by 15–33% due to economies of scale; however, excessive centralization increases the risk of non-compliance with local requirements and stimulates “shadow IT.” It is established that hybrid governance models are most effective when regulatory and operational requirements vary substantially across countries. The paper concludes that a balance is needed between unification that supports cybersecurity and cost efficiency, and local autonomy required to accommodate market and regulatory specifics.