Information technology infrastructure refers to the installed hardware, installed software, network resources, and services required to create, operate, and manage an enterprise IT environment. It allows companies to provide IT solutions and services to their employees, partners, and customers, usually internal to the organization. Posted in affiliated facilities.
The importance of IT infrastructure
Information Technology (IT) is becoming more and more important in our lives now that so many things in daily life are digital, and without IT infrastructure a large part of our world would stop working.
If the IT infrastructure is resilient, reliable, and secure it can help organizations achieve their goals and provide a competitive advantage in the market, and if the IT infrastructure is not properly implemented, companies may encounter connectivity, productivity, and security issues, such as being vulnerable to system disruptions. Breakthroughs, and in general, having a properly implemented infrastructure can be a contributing factor in determining whether a business is profitable or not.
With IT infrastructure companies can achieve the following:
- Provide a positive customer experience by providing continuous (uninterrupted) access to the company's website and e-store.
- Develop and launch solutions to market quickly.
- Gather ongoing information to go with fast choices.
- Improving employee productivity.
IT infrastructure components
IT infrastructure consists of the components that in some way play a role in the overall IT operations and their enablers, and can be used for internal business processes, customer IT development, or business solutions. The IT infrastructure usually consists of the following components:
1) Fittings
It is the physical part of an information technology infrastructure, and it consists of the elements needed to support the basic performance of the machines, and the devices that make up the infrastructure itself.
The equipment is servers, computers, data storage centers, routers, as well as all other equipment such as power, cooling, cabling, and dedicated rooms.
2) Software
Refers to all applications that an organization uses for internal needs and to provide its services to customers, and software includes web servers, enterprise resource planning (ERP), client relationship with the board (CRM), efficiency applications, and the working framework (OS).
The operating system is the most important software component, which is responsible for managing the devices themselves, and for connecting physical resources to the network infrastructure.
3) Network
Although it is not absolutely necessary for the operation of the IT infrastructure, a network is necessary to establish an internal and external connection to all the elements and devices.
The network consists of the hardware and software needed to ensure internet connectivity, firewall, and security, and it ensures that employees only have access to data stored and transmitted through strictly controlled access points, in order to reduce the risk of data theft or corruption.
4) Users
Human users such as network administrators (NA), developers, designers, and end users who have access to any IT device or service are also part of the IT infrastructure.
Types of IT infrastructure
The two main branches of IT infrastructure are traditional infrastructure and the cloud.
A) Traditional infrastructure
Traditional IT infrastructure consists of the usual hardware and software components, facilities, data centers, servers, computers, networking hardware, and enterprise software and applications. This infrastructure setup usually requires more power, physical space, and money than other types of infrastructure. Other, traditional infrastructure is usually installed on premises for corporate use only, or for private use.
B) Cloud infrastructure
Cloud computing IT infrastructure is similar to traditional infrastructure, in that users can access the infrastructure over the Internet, with the ability to use computing resources without installing them locally. The resources are then split up and stripped down to make them accessible to users almost anywhere there is an internet connection, and since cloud infrastructure is often public, it is frequently alluded to as a public cloud.