To ensure the successful operation of an enterprise, its IT department develops an information infrastructure (applications, servers, disk arrays, networks) that allows it to provide a service of the appropriate level.
The historically established way of building IT departments fully reflects the structure of the information systems. At the same time, each specific unit supports a certain information system. With this approach, as a rule, there is no effective system of interaction with business users and there are problems with determining the quality of services provided.
Along with the first information systems, there was a need to manage corporate infrastructure.
Information technology in companies is usually understood as a set of information systems that provide support and automation of existing business processes.
IT that is used in the service differ in a number of features:
- The variety of applied IT, which is associated with the presence of a large number of subject areas related to the service sector, and their diversity.
- IT intelligence. The service must implement the entire complex intellectual services associated with individualization, i.e. with a more efficient operation of the product in the specific conditions of its use by this consumer (or with the expansion of the sphere of usefulness of the product for him).
- Unification and standardization, the need to take into account Russian and international standards regulating the use of IT in the service sector.
- Individualization of IT, focus on a specific user. The success of a service activity is determined by the demand for the service offered and by how accurately and timely the service enterprise is able to determine the needs and individual preferences of each of its customers, offering a product or service at a higher level than competitors, which is possible thanks to IT.
- IT scalability to meet the needs of both small and large businesses. large enterprises service.
- Adaptability of IT, the ability to meet a variety of requests and needs of customers, transform directly into the service process.
Information technology is a system of organizational structures that ensure the functioning and development of the information space of an enterprise and means of information interaction. The basis of information technology is IT infrastructure.
Infrastructure(lat.infra - below, under and naT.structura - structure, location) - a complex of interconnected service structures or objects that make up and / or provide the basis for the functioning of the system
Information technology infrastructure (IT infrastructure)- this is an organizational and technical association of software, computing and telecommunications facilities, communications between them and operational personnel, ensuring the provision of information, computing and telecommunications resources, capabilities and services to employees (divisions) of an enterprise (organization) necessary for the implementation professional activity and solving relevant business problems.
IT infrastructure includes a set of various applications, databases, servers, disk arrays, network equipment and provides consumers with access to information resources. IT infrastructure becomes a technological component of any service and ensures its provision in accordance with agreed rules and procedures.
Enterprise IT infrastructure- this is a single complex of software, technical, communication, information, organizational and technological means of ensuring the functioning of the enterprise, as well as means of managing them.
To provide efficient operation modern enterprises need an IT infrastructure consisting of an integrated set of systems, programs and services. IT infrastructure must be integral, as reliable as possible, well-designed, have a large margin of safety, correspond not only to the current state of the business, but also take into account its development in the future.
The underlying IT infrastructure is the technological underpinning for the operation of other layers of the corporate architecture. Proper design allows you to:
- Reduce IT costs;
- Simplify the modernization of existing infrastructure;
- Minimize the likelihood of downtime or system failure;
- Maintain the security of the organization's infrastructure at the proper level;
- Provide simple IT infrastructure management;
- Improve the reliability of the organization's IT infrastructure.
One of the conditions for the efficient functioning of the IT infrastructure is the established practice of its operation. The operation of the IT infrastructure should be based on policies and procedures developed and established as corporate standards. The distribution of functions and tasks within the IT department should ensure timely Maintenance all elements of the IT infrastructure.
Maintenance is a set of software and hardware level measures carried out at the stage production operation and aimed at ensuring the required reliability and efficiency of the information system.
At the moment, we can distinguish the following group of tasks solved by the IT department:
- Ensuring efficiency, accessibility, confidentiality of processed information.
- Ensuring the operation of the IT infrastructure.
- Prevention and elimination of failures.
- Crisis planning and management.
- Providing automatic monitoring of IT health.
- Ensuring the reliability of the IT infrastructure.
- Security information security.
- Modernization of equipment.
- Minimize the cost of maintaining the IT infrastructure.
Ideally, IT infrastructure responds to environmental changes
functioning, increasing load, tightening business requirements, while maintaining its functionality, integrity, readiness, and the agreed level of security. The development of the market forces the organization to change business models, which, in turn, requires adequate changes in the IT infrastructure.
Enterprise IT Infrastructure Components
Over time, the composition of the IT infrastructure has changed.
In the days of mainframes, the infrastructure was:
- communication lines,
- modems,
- power supply systems,
- conditioning.
During the development local networks the infrastructure has remained the same, but the structure of its elements has become more complex.
Transition to global networks further complicate the concept.
At the same time, the complexity increased:
- by increasing the number of elements,
- connections between them
- due to the complication internal structure elements, redistribution of functions between them.
For example: channel management programs have moved to network device management. That is, in parallel with the complexity of the equipment, mathematics became more complicated - infrastructure management programs
The standard network complex infrastructure of any company includes the following components:
The physical composition includes:
- wiring, routers,
- switching devices,
- servers, desktops,
- cable system;
- passive and active network equipment;
- client jobs;
- additional equipment (printers, fax machines, authorization devices);
- system software (operating systems (OS), information security tools, device drivers);
- standard application software (spreadsheet processing tools, word processing, email, files);
- network services (DNS servers, packet protection, authorization, Internet access and application servers - database management systems (DBMS), mail services);
- technical support services, dispatching and quality control center.
Organizational and administrative components:
- instructions for setting up a server and client software site, work schedule;
- rules for dividing the network into areas in accordance with the needs of security and performance;
- special software focused on providing certain business processes (design, inventory control, accounting, interaction with suppliers, production management).
Information infrastructure of various levels (global, national, industry, organizations, etc.) contains:
- distributed information resources, including web resources (websites, portals, etc.), banks and databases (including those with remote access), digital libraries, electronic journals;
- distributed computing resources, including shared computing centers, supercomputer centers, network computing resources of organizations, individual computers;
- telecommunications resources that ensure the interaction of remote users with information and computing resources.
Types of IT infrastructure
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IT types infrastructure tours |
Characteristics |
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lack of coordination, manual accompaniment, scattered workplaces. |
building a server infrastructure; introduction of a directory service for authentication; establishing services for automatic updating; application of anti-virus protection; traffic protection; implementation of basic scenarios of network technology (DNS, DHCP). |
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standardized |
centralized management of IT infrastructure, the presence of automated basic processes, a directory service for authentication, updates are automated, workplace anti-virus protection; backup system for critical servers; central firewall; internal DNS, DHCP. |
workplace software updates latest versions OS and office suite; active use of System Management Server; application of solutions for centralized backup and recovery after failures; organization of remote access to VPN networks; isolation of critical servers through the use of the IPSec protocol (for Active Directory / Exchange). |
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rational |
centralized managed and consolidated IT |
implementation of technologies for automating identity management; |
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infrastructure, use of the directory service and group policies for centralized administration; automation of control / monitoring of the functioning of software and hardware; server monitoring; backup and recovery for all servers and workstations; remote access(VPN, Remote Desktop); server isolation with IPSec. |
use System Management Server to manage servers; checking applications for compatibility; workstation image management; deployment / management of firewalls in the workplace; organization of secure wireless network access via Internet Authentication Service (IAS) and Active Directory directory services. |
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dynamic |
fully automated IT infrastructure, full provision of user needs in heterogeneous environments; automatic control server updates; automated application compatibility testing and automated workstation image management; firewalls - on servers and workstations; secure wireless connections. |
solution for automatic distribution of server images; solution for determining the load level; support for the quarantine of workplaces; workplace performance monitoring; readiness to move to new version OS; tools for effective transition to new software versions; isolate Active Directory domains using IPSec. |
Modern companies with an efficient IT infrastructure gain a serious competitive advantage strategic level. Moreover, the constant development of business, for example, the expansion of the branch network, entering new markets, the complication of processes, entails the continuous complication of the company's software and hardware complex. Therefore, the need for sound IT management, especially for large structures, comes to the fore.
An important feature of modern large companies is efficiency, accuracy and work with huge amount information that needs to be stored and protected. The IT infrastructure of such organizations, which consists of a large number of components - applications, communication services, server infrastructure, workstations and data storage systems, information security systems, network and engineering infrastructure - requires a systematic approach to management. The key tasks are the competent choice of software and hardware solutions, adequate management of all company systems, ensuring uninterrupted and safe operation.
Traditionally, the requirements of various companies for IT infrastructure depend on the characteristics of the business.
For example, for large trading enterprises, the ability to quickly increase retail network: open new stores and warehouses and quickly integrate them into the overall IT system. In this regard, the IT infrastructure of retail chains is characterized by scale and large territorial distribution.
In the banking sector, priorities are traditionally shifted towards security: great value given to the protection of financial and personal information. Banks have always used the practice of reserving data centers at a remote site and a deeply echeloned data access system.
Modern business development trends large companies providing mass services cause a number of requirements for IT infrastructure, regardless of the specifics of their activities.
Such trends make the following requirements for IT infrastructure especially significant (see figure):
- uninterrupted work;
- scalability;
- safety;
- the rate of change;
- transparency and manageability;
- adequate cost of ownership.
Let's consider how the listed requirements are reflected in the necessary IT properties of modern large companies.
Uninterrupted work
First of all, IT infrastructure should not interfere with business processes. IT of modern large companies is required to work 24x7; even short-term failures lead to downtime of critical business processes, to large financial and reputational losses.
Failures occur for two main reasons: equipment failure and various errors - user or software.
The problem with the equipment can be solved by duplicating or combining several instances of devices into a cluster. Then, if one of them fails, the rest will do its work. In particular, the virtualization mechanism allows you to further expand the possibilities of duplication.
To protect against user errors and software failures, companies create a backup and recovery system that allows you to restore up-to-date data in a short time.
Possible problems and failures are better prevented or stopped at an early stage than corrected. For these purposes, large companies use proactive monitoring systems that inform administrators about problems in the IT infrastructure before these problems lead to unpleasant consequences and stop business processes.
Scalability
Proactive monitoring is also necessary to timely identify bottlenecks in the IT infrastructure that limit business scalability. Regular tracking and patching of these locations greatly reduces the likelihood that a company's entire IT infrastructure will have to be rebuilt as a result of business expansion.
To improve scalability, unified solutions are used - from the same configurations of operating systems and software to templates and scripts for deploying the infrastructure of entire branches (for example, new bank branches or retail stores). The more processes in an IT infrastructure are automated, the better, as a rule, its scalability and manageability.
Unified solutions also increase the speed of IT change in response to business developments. It's faster to change a common template once than to make changes to each instance. The simplest example of such an IT tool for replicating solutions is Group Policy. Once we change the policy setting on the central server, we are freed from having to change them on each server or workstation.
Safety
The more complex the infrastructure, the more various systems she turns on, the more vulnerable she is. The volume of data and the complexity of business processes directly affect the architecture of information security systems.
Behind the information processed in banking systems, there is real money. Obviously, access to such data can lead to serious losses. This feature dramatically expands the circle of potential intruders and increases security requirements.
The information security system in banks necessarily includes access rights management, encryption of communication channels, total monitoring, and detailed logging.
To a lesser extent, this issue concerns merchant networks, but here, too, the importance of financial and personal information, as well as the increase in the volume of electronic payments, exposes almost the same security requirements as in the banking sector.
The rate of change
Competition forces companies to constantly improve the level of service and the quality of services provided. Changing business processes should be supported by IT infrastructure services: if a decision is made to change, then it should be implemented as soon as possible.
An example is the development of Internet and mobile sales and banking: banks and retail chains strive not only to follow new technologies and be “no worse than competitors”, but to work “ahead of the curve”, trying to be the first and offer customers ever new technological services and services .
Transparency and manageability
The simpler and more transparent the infrastructure, the easier management, fewer errors and cheaper maintenance. The transparency and manageability of the IT infrastructure means predictable IT response to business changes. This ensures an informed assessment of whether the infrastructure is capable of supporting the necessary business changes, and if so, in what time frame and at what cost. Transparency is achieved by collecting data about the company's information system. These can be reports on the operation of hardware and software, information about changes in the architecture, license accounting - everything that allows you to predict the behavior of IT in case of any changes. The more information about the processes and the state of the IT infrastructure is taken into account, the more accurately we can predict its behavior and, therefore, the more effectively we can manage it. But just getting information at a certain point in time is not enough. You need a history of state changes, a history of events that took place in IT. It is impossible to obtain such information without constant infrastructure monitoring. If each event is not only recorded, but also described, evaluated, this will provide a more complete forecast in case a problem occurs in the future, as well as reduce the time and financial costs of solving it.
Adequate cost of ownership
It should be borne in mind that the main costs of a large company are not for the purchase or creation of infrastructure, but for its support, which implies constant adjustment to the current needs of the business. For today's large companies with complex business processes, change in and of itself is not cheap. And multiplied by the scale, they often amount to astronomical amounts. Therefore, the requirement of a reasonable cost of ownership of IT infrastructure becomes especially important.
Modular structure allows you to change parts of the infrastructure, add new functionality and get rid of obsolete components at minimal cost, while common and proven technologies reduce the cost of integrating with other systems and make it easier to find specialists who provide support. Therefore, initially the IT infrastructure should be built on a modular basis and based on mainstream technologies: this will make it possible to make changes to it in short time and at minimal cost.
So, modern tendencies are such that for large companies the specifics of the business in relation to the IT infrastructure goes by the wayside. Business is becoming more technological, there are many new tools, which inevitably leads to the complexity of the IT infrastructure. If earlier IT only supported business processes, now they are becoming an integral part of the business, the very essence of innovation.
Not every successful leader can give an accurate definition IT infrastructure. Simply put, we are talking about the complex of software, hardware and telecommunications resources that are necessary to ensure the functioning of the company and the performance of tasks by personnel using various applications.
We can say that the simplest IT infrastructure is at least one PC with installed software and Internet access, if necessary for effective work office or company. Now imagine how difficult it is to organize the smooth functioning of a large and branched company with representative offices not only in Moscow, but also in other cities.
What is IT infrastructure for?
In modern realities, the success and profitability of a business, the efficiency of a company, its competitive advantages is largely determined by the level of development, stability and security of the IT infrastructure. In fact, it is one of the company's most important assets. The priority aspect is the compliance of the IT structure with the needs and characteristics of a particular business.
A computer network is a tool that helps a company make money. It must be properly selected, always in good condition and updated in a timely manner.
So, for a large retailer in Moscow, it is important to be able to quickly integrate new warehouses into the system and outlets. The banking sector is more inclined towards security, protection of personal data and information about the movement of financial flows.
Regardless of the specifics of the activities of a particular company, the key task when working with many clients (customers):
- ensuring the continuity of business processes, risk assessment, timely identification and elimination of problems;
- application of unified solutions for easy business scalability;
- maintaining a high level of security and protection of key data;
- the ability to quickly make changes to the work;
- transparency and convenience of the management system;
- reducing the cost of creating and maintaining assets.
What are the options for creating an IT infrastructure
Among the main scenarios for creating an IT infrastructure, it is worth highlighting the following options:
- creation of IT from scratch;
- modernization of the existing infrastructure to optimize costs, improve security parameters, reduce risks;
- implementation of reorganization measures taking into account specific business tasks (implementation of new services for clients, definition and addition of new elements, improvement of service quality).
Who should build IT and why is it so important
predict long-term goals?
Creation of a complete and efficient infrastructure is a very complex process. It is associated with significant material costs and requires the involvement of highly qualified and experienced specialists.
That is why the development of the project, its implementation (physical implementation), the choice of computer hardware and software, the creation executive documentation instruct specialized company. Ideally, the same company can also deal with.
In order to avoid problems in the future, it is important to collect as much information as possible about organizational structure enterprise and its needs, ongoing business processes, development prospects. This will allow you to lay a reserve of resources, properly distribute and control them.
One of the most common mistakes is the desire to save on costs and create the most simple IT infrastructure, violating the sequence of process implementation. So, quite often the manager begins the implementation in the company ERP systems, and only after that he finds out that the company's IT infrastructure is categorically not ready for this.
Another bad decision is an attempt to work with server business applications at the level of the entire company (1C Enterprise, etc.), neglecting the creation of a fault-tolerant server IT infrastructure and / or a proper backup system.
With the "correct" development scenario, business processes proceed without failures. The problem of equipment failure is solved either by duplication or by combining devices into a cluster.
To level out software failures and data corruption, backup and recovery systems are created. Even at the design stage, they provide for the possibility of introducing new users into the system and implementing changes in business processes in the shortest possible time. (For example, quick release of banking products, price monitoring of competitors and prompt change of price tags).
What do you need to know about IT risks?
Along with the benefits and new opportunities of IT infrastructure for business, there are certain risks. Risks are defined as all Negative consequences caused by various threats. First of all, these include viral and hacker attacks, all kinds of theft and / or deliberate damage to equipment or data.
It should be noted that the more perfect the IT infrastructure (errors are excluded at the design, implementation and maintenance stages), the lower the risks for the business. High-quality design, implementation and maintenance allows you to reduce business risks to almost zero.
We are accustomed to using many modern technologies and developments, but often we do not fully understand their essence, and we use the names at all, as they say automatically. In order to understand and understand the content of this term, one should first disassemble it in parts. If we talk about the origin of the word infrastructure, then it came to us from the Latin language and in literal translation sounds like the structure of something, the location. The modern and adapted understanding is somewhat different. Infrastructure is commonly referred to as complexes or objects that are cumulative or interconnected and ensure the correct operation of the entire system. IT is a multicomponent system of disciplines, fields of activity that belong to methods for managing and processing data. However, under this term recent times most often understood for the most part Computer techologies, although they are only part of the scope of IT.
Combining the two terms, we get the following full meaning. IT infrastructure is the unification of the technical and organizational nature of separate software, computing and telecommunications facilities, as well as the links between them and service personnel, which makes the provision of this resource and services available. Here it is worth remembering the introduction of a monitoring system: you can read about it in the corresponding article. Its main task is to collect and provide certain data for their subsequent processing and analysis from the standpoint of business workflows and for further maintenance of efficiency.
On the this moment organization of IT infrastructure http://www.alp.ru/itsm/security is essential for a company of any type and size. In other words, you have your own personal computer on which some software is installed and there is access to the Internet. This whole complex is used by you for work, therefore, you have a small, but personal IT infrastructure. What does it give? The main thing is that now you can easily understand and evaluate what place it occupies in your business, how fully it is built and the effectiveness of its use.
One issue is the total cost of the components of this infrastructure. The structure of the constituent components for a small company will include the following groups of expenses:
- for office equipment (computers, servers, office equipment, etc.) including the cost of installation and installation;
- for consumables (cartridges and drums, as well as paper);
- to the software, including including configuration settings and installation;
- for hardware and software maintenance services, including system updates;
- for the remuneration of employees who are engaged in setting up equipment and maintaining it in working condition;
- for repairs and materials for scheduled maintenance;
- for communication services;
- for training IT staff and ordinary users.
- for rent or taxes for the premises where the server is located, as well as the costs of the air conditioning and ventilation system in it.
- For electricity and depreciation.
- For the loss of time with personal participation in the organization of the IT infrastructure, as well as from its downtime due to malfunctions.
Thus, the creation of such an infrastructure is not a simple and lengthy business, requiring special knowledge and material investments. Total cost possession of it in practice is much higher than the heads of organizations think. However, the introduction of an IT infrastructure into the work of a company provides significant benefits and increases efficiency. Therefore, it is important to find the perfect balance point between these three factors.
IT infrastructure- system of functioning of automated Information technologies enterprise, which includes a complex of interconnected data transmission and processing systems, both hardware and software information systems, control systems, personal computers (workstations), servers, network and / or peripheral devices, data storage and backup systems, software, communication systems and telecommunications, security systems and schemes for organizing the work of the enterprise personnel.
Today it is already impossible to imagine a modern office, a successfully developing business without the use of Information Technology (IT). Successful development modern business is impossible without the effective (stable and safe) functioning of the IT infrastructure, its compliance with the tasks and high-quality IT Services.
IT company InetComp individually for each customer, depending on his requirements and wishes, offers a range of services in the field of design, installation, modernization of the existing IT infrastructure and its maintenance (IT outsourcing):
- Audit of the IT infrastructure of the existing or newly developed infrastructure of the customer;
- design - development of technical documentation;
- coordination of the estimated cost and the list of equipment, development of a work plan for implementation or modernization;
- supply of computer equipment, installation and configuration, as well as software;
- commissioning IT infrastructure;
- training of the customer's personnel in the management and maintenance of equipment;
- warranty and post-warranty service support.
As part of building and maintaining Enterprise IT infrastructure InetComp offers its services for following directions: design, supply, installation, implementation and maintenance of the following systems, services and information system equipment:
Corporate data networks:Communication systems. One of the business directions of the company InetComp is the sale, installation, configuration, maintenance of office automatic telephone exchanges, built both on the basis of traditional solutions and IP telephony.
The constant increase in business requirements for IT systems entails a continuous complication of the IT infrastructure. Therefore, the need to rationally manage the costs associated with building and maintaining an IT infrastructure comes to the fore.
It must also be remembered that failures in the operation of any IT tool can lead to significant financial and reputational costs for the company. Troubleshooting can be complicated by the distribution of IT components and the heterogeneity of the technologies used, which increases the total cost of operating the IT infrastructure.
Having developed partnership relations with various Russian and international IT companies, we are ready to offer the most modern and diverse competitive solutions in the IT market.
InetComp has significant experience in solving complex infrastructure and organizational problems. We offer the most modern technologies building Enterprise IT infrastructure, reliable equipment of the world's leading manufacturers, high-quality after-sales service.
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