IT Infrastructure is the internal part of any company’s information technology systems that includes network services, resources, hardware and software. These components are important in managing your IT environment and delivering IT solutions and services to employees, customers, and partners.
IT infrastructure is the basis of all your IT systems. It consists of everything from hardware to data centers. It enables you to manage your IT environments efficiently, and provides the flexibility for future growth. It also helps you meet the needs of today’s tech-savvy citizens and their basic expectations of seamless technologies.
The 7 domains of IT infrastructure are:
Network domain: It comprises all hardware and software elements that ensures internet connectivity, network enablement, and firewall. This enables personnel to access stored and transferred data only from strictly controlled access points, which significantly reduces the risk of data theft or damage. This part of IT infrastructure is the backbone of the entire system and a necessary step for all IT-enabled applications.
Hardware domain: It includes all the devices that comprise your IT infrastructure, including computers, routers and switches. It can also include facilities that house, cool and power IT infrastructure components such as servers and data centers. Hardware can be either IT-specific, like a computer with a software OS and productivity suite or consumer-oriented, such as an over-the-top (OTT) app with cloud storage hosted on a remote server.
Software domain: It includes all software that runs on your IT infrastructure. It can be a single PC with a software OS and productivity apps, a complete suite of enterprise security tools or a full-fledged IT ecosystem with many different endpoints and a wide variety of IT systems deployed across them. In fact, software is gradually replacing the majority of traditional hardware components in IT infrastructure.
Management domain: It includes the tools and processes that you use to monitor, manage and secure your IT infrastructure. This includes tools for network management, logging and reporting, and security patching, among others. Management tools are a vital part of IT infrastructure because they help you respond to incidents and issues quickly, which increases uptime and reduces downtime metrics.
The user domain: This includes all users that interact with the IT infrastructure – from users on your internal LAN to those on your WAN, and even those who work remotely. The IT infrastructure must support the various devices and services that your users depend on, such as email, collaboration platforms, and web conferencing. It must also provide the necessary flexibility for employees to work remotely, or in multiple locations, as their schedules require.
A solid IT infrastructure is critical to the success of any organization. Without it, your team will face delays in getting critical projects done and will not be able to deliver on your clients’ and partners’ expectations. In addition, a poor IT infrastructure will lead to dissatisfied users who may take their business elsewhere. This is why it’s essential to invest in a well-thought-out IT infrastructure that can scale as your business grows.