What is IT Infrastructure

IT Infrastructure Definition 

IT infrastructure comprises of the software, hardware, network resources, and services necessary for the operation, management, and existence of an enterprise IT environment. The infrastructure enables an organization to deliver IT services and solutions to the employees, customers, and partners. This is usually internal to an organization and implemented within an enterprise owned facility. Precisely, an IT infrastructure comprises of all the elements that are involved in overall IT, and IT-enabled operations. If there are no IT infrastructures, the businesses will struggle to move and share data in an efficient way, in turn affecting the workplace process.

IT Infrastructure Classification

IT infrastructure maintenance is broadly classified into four areas, which are a server, desktop, backup, and security. The maintenance is done in the frequency of real-time, daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly, as needed. The IT infrastructure consumes over 50 percent of a typical organization's IT budget. The major components of the information technology infrastructure are:

Computer Hardware Platform

The hardware platform comprises of client machines and server machines and modern mainframes that are produced by IBM. This also includes blade servers which are server architecture that has multiple server modules in a single chassis. Blade servers are mostly used in data centers to improve system management and increase space.

Operating System Platforms

This system includes the platform for the ‘computers' of clients, which uses windows operating system and ‘servers' that use various forms of the UNIX operating system or Linux. Operating systems refer to software that manages and controls the activities of a computer and acts as an interface between the computer and the user.

Enterprise and Other Software Applications

This part of the IT infrastructure includes different applications such as SAP, PeopleSoft, and Oracle. This also includes the middleware software which aids to bridge between an operating system or database and application, mainly on a network.

Data Management and Storage

This component is handled by the software used for database management and the devices used for storage which includes conventional storage methods, such as disk arrays and tape libraries. Newer network-based storage technologies such as storage area networks (SANs) are also used for storage in the IT infrastructure.

Networking and Telecommunications Platform

This includes operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Novell, UNIX and so on. Mostly all Local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN) use TCP/IP standards for networking.

Internet Platform

This component comprises of the organization's general networking infrastructure and software and hardware platforms. The internet related infrastructure consists of the software, hardware, and services to maintain the websites of the organization. It also includes Web hosting services and Web software application development tools and so on.

Consulting and System Integration Services

These systems assist to integrate a firm's legacy systems with the latest technology and infrastructure. The system also improvises and implements new infrastructure along with significant changes in business processes, software integration, and training. Legacy systems refer to outdated computer systems, application software or programming languages that are used by the enterprise instead of available upgraded versions.

IT Infrastructure plays a vital role in streamlining and ensuring a seamless operation for most businesses. In computing, information technology infrastructure is a collection of physical and virtual assets that support the flow, storage, processing, and analysis of data. Infrastructure might be in the midpoint within a data center or stretched across several data centers that are handled either by the company or by an external partner such as a collocation facility or cloud provider.

Data center infrastructure often includes the power, cooling and building elements that are crucial to support data center hardware. The list of data center hardware includes networking devices such as switches, routers, physical cables as well as dedicated network appliances, such as network firewalls. An organization’s IT infrastructure includes physical IT devices and products, but does not include the employees, documentation or processes used in operating and managing IT services.

How is an infrastructure created?

To craft a traditional data center infrastructure, business follows a certain formula that starts with analyzing and accessing the organization goals, making architectural and design decisions, constructing and implementing the design, and then developing and retaining the infrastructure. Regardless of how it is shaped, IT infrastructure must offer an appropriate podium for all the necessary IT applications and functions an organization or individual requires.

Types of infrastructures

An immutable infrastructure: is best defined as a move towards running services and software efficiently in which components are replaced, rather than changed.

A composable infrastructure: is a structure that treats material compute, storage and network fabric resources as services.

A dynamic infrastructure: Refers to an outline that can mechanically regulate itself as workload demands change. This reduces the time and effort needed to manage the infrastructure while ensuring resources are used as proficiently as possible.

A contact-center infrastructure: This model includes both physical and virtual assets that are obligatory for a call-center company to operate efficiently.