05 липня 2023 р.
The information and technical infrastructure is a set of components necessary for internal interaction and direct operation of the information service. It includes various groups of components, which will be discussed next, along with the functions and tasks that the enterprise IT environment performs for the business.
IT infrastructure: functional
The main function of the technical environment is to ensure the efficient operation of the company, which directly affects the success of the business and the competitiveness of the offered goods and services on the market. Currently, this is relevant in almost all industries, from e-commerce to agriculture, since computer technology and the Internet have penetrated everywhere. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve a number of tasks, such as providing uninterrupted functioning of business processes, ensuring the safety of the company's work and maintaining reliable communication with customers.
IT infrastructure: components
The components of an enterprise's infrastructure environment can be divided into three types: network components, hardware components, and software. These three components interact with each other to create a functional and effective IT infrastructure that supports the enterprise's activities and provides its needs in communication, processing and data storage.
Hardware component
The hardware part includes servers and individual computers. Servers, which are more powerful than regular PCs, are used as control machines. They are often equipped with special components that ensure continuous operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These components include a powerful uninterruptible power supply that protects equipment from power surges and unexpected power outages. In addition, the hardware part includes server rooms and other equipment such as switchboards, air conditioners, ventilation and others that are placed in them.
Program component
Software used to operate and manage the hardware includes operating systems, drivers, utilities, libraries, databases and other services such as site management systems (CMS) and customer relationship management (CRM), email clients and others .
Network component
Network IT infrastructure includes everything needed to run an internal and external network, including routers, switches, firewalls, server hardware, and software. A network can consist of software and hardware components (often referred to as "iron", metaphorically referring to physical components consisting of metallic elements, similar to the components of an iron structure).
IT infrastructure: types and models in the company
The choice of the type and model of the technical infrastructure depends on the needs of the company, its budget, flexibility and security. Each model has its advantages and limitations, so it is important to carefully consider all aspects before making a decision. There are several options for the company's technical infrastructure:
- The traditional model is that companies purchase their own equipment and place it inside the office or with a provider.
- Cloud model — infrastructure components are hosted by a cloud provider that provides technical support and management remotely.
- Combined model — part of the infrastructure is placed on the company's side, and part is in the cloud.
IT infrastructure: approaches to selection
Some companies prefer to have their own IT infrastructure, especially if they need complete control over hardware and data. The choice of model depends on the nature and size of the company's business, with a proprietary IT system usually available only to large organizations that can afford significant equipment and maintenance costs.
Other companies, including micro-businesses and large organizations, increasingly prefer the IaaS (infrastructure as a service) model. As part of IaaS, the provider provides ready-made server resources that the client can use and configure at his own discretion. This avoids capital expenditure on equipment and maintenance as the ISP handles these tasks. In addition, the service provider provides the network infrastructure and offers ready-made operating system images for quick launch.
The IaaS model is especially suitable for companies that want to move from capital costs to operating costs, experience difficulties in purchasing their own equipment, do not have enough specialists to maintain the infrastructure within the company, or face a variable load on servers.
In addition, IaaS enables the interoperability of physical and cloud resources, which is especially useful for enterprises with distributed infrastructure. As a result, the right choice of the IT infrastructure model depends on the specifics of the company, and IaaS can be the optimal solution to meet the basic needs of the business.
Hence
Based on the features of the IT infrastructure, we came to the conclusion that the choice of model depends on the unique needs and features of the company's work. However, when making a decision, it is also necessary to take into account the development prospects - the long-term prospects of the company's development, which is the basis of OneCloudPlanet's work principle, providing high-quality services of cloud solutions for each client. When the use of own infrastructure becomes impractical, IaaS (infrastructure as a service) can be the optimal solution, which allows you to meet the basic needs of the business.
It is a flexible and efficient solution that frees the company from worries about physical equipment and provides the necessary resources for development. Moreover, OneCloudPlanet is instant availability, elasticity and automation with our platform, providing Cloud Instances in Ukraine and abroad on a pay-as-you-go basis.