The businesses of today rely heavily on technologies. As a result – companies of all sizes and belonging to any domain of operations should seriously shift their focus towards IT infrastructure.
In the crudest sense, IT infrastructure can be understood as the combined sum of all the software, hardware, network resources, and auxiliary service required for any IT environment’s successful existence and operations. It contains all the components that play a role in the overall IT operations of the business. AR/VR can help e-commerce businesses improve their IT infrastructure by providing a more immersive and interactive shopping experience for customers.
A typical IT infrastructure consists of the following core elements:
- Hardware components: This is your IT infrastructure’s “physical” aspect. Hardware components include all the elements needed to facilitate the basic functioning of devices and machines. Some examples are computers, data centres, switches, servers, and other equipment like power, cabling, and cooling rooms.
- Software: This is the total of all the applications used by the business. This includes both internal applications and third-party applications used to provide services to the customers. Commonly used software includes ERPs, CRMs, productivity applications, operating systems, and more. The best ecommerce CRM software for your IT infrastructure will depend on your specific needs and requirements. Out of these, the OS is the most important in keeping the infrastructure up and running.
- Network: Networks play a crucial role in establishing external and internal communication channels for all devices and systems. This includes all the hardware components and software required to ensure network enablement, firewall, security, and internet connectivity. Networks help in ensuring that only allowed personnel get access to stored and transferred data, and that too from strictly controlled access points. Doing so reduces the risk of theft or damage to your IT infrastructure.
- Meatware: ITOps, DevOps, and other associated processes and personnel play an essential role in making up the IT environment. Human users, such as administrators, designers, developers, and end-users, are also included in the complete IT infrastructure – especially in today’s age of user-centric IT development.
Traditional Vs. Cloud Infrastructures
All the components discussed above constitute a traditional IT infrastructure and are usually owned by the company itself and managed within the company premises. Needless to say, this requires a sizable and knowledgeable IT management team. Plus, as the infrastructure grows, it will demand more power, space, people, and money to run. This part of the infrastructure can today be virtualised and rented from third-party services to cut costs to make things easier.
SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS are relatively new options that provide businesses the opportunity to rent software, services, infrastructure, and personnel from external vendors. All the rented components are managed in cloud servers. Since these are all built using virtualisation technology, it is easy to scale them up as the business needs evolve.
So, if businesses can afford the time, money, space, and human resources required to keep the IT operations running while also keeping an eye on scaling, they opt for in-house IT management teams. Otherwise, outsourcing is the way. Whatever the situation – it’s imperative that today’s businesses look for having a solid IT infrastructure for their enterprise.
Here’s how IT infrastructure directly helps businesses
Running a business in the digital age requires riding in the digital transformation shift to rise above the competition. You need to work more efficiently, quickly, and automate processes to keep up with customers, competitors, and market trends.
Let’s look at some ways how solid IT infrastructure directly boosts your business performance and motivation:
1. Improved Customer Service
For enterprises that deal with developing and maintaining digital products or providing digital services, unreliable networks or IT outages can cause a lot of chaos. An enterprise that maintains digital products can ensure a successful product launch by having a well-defined go-to-market strategy and by conducting thorough testing and validation. Repeat that a few times, and you have upset customers and demotivated employees. All of this, when piled up, becomes an absolute nightmare for business owners.
A straightforward way to ensure this never happens is by taking the necessary steps to set up a robust network system. The more seamless your IT infrastructure is, the smoother the experience for your end-users, and the more loyal customers for your business!
2. Stay up-to-date
Technological advancement is happening at a rapid pace. Before we get used to using a particular technology, some of the other modifications are presented to us. All of this might seem daunting, especially if you are a business owner who has a lot to do other than just managing IT. But, it is as essential as difficult it seems because if you decide to pay your IT no attention, your business might get left behind amidst all the changes.
The good thing is that you don’t need to jump the gun immediately. You can make slow adaptation to modern networks. Start with software to automate some of your processes. Slowly upgrade to new network infrastructure for your business. The idea is to take it slow without overwhelming yourself or your organisation. Just start, and adapt!
3. Enhanced Employee Efficiency and Motivation
With a streamlined and smooth IT infrastructure, employees feel more at home. Their energy and work are respected if the infrastructure complies with their requirements. With a proper IT infrastructure in place, your people will be dealing less with network outages and more with their responsibilities and duties, which will give them more time for innovation and excellence. All of this will directly impact your employees’ productivity, efficiency, and motivations levels.
In conclusion, it’s not even a debate that your business needs a solid IT infrastructure, and in 2022, it is as much of a fact as anything else. If you’re not making the switch to a sophisticated IT infrastructure, you’re missing out on a lot.
