The technology infrastructure of an organization includes
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IT infrastructure is the combination of hardware, software, network and human resources that allow an organization to deliver information technology services to people within an organization. There are several key components in IT infrastructure. The most obvious is hardware. Without any hardware, it’s impossible to have any IT services at all. An organization needs desktop computers, servers, routers, switches and other equipment. Hardware is useless without software. Software is just as important to IT infrastructure as hardware. Typical software in an organization includes productivity applications, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM). Some of these applications might be bought off the shelf and others might be developed by the IT department, depending on the needs of the organization. The internet is essential to conducting modern business. That’s why network connectivity has become essential, since employees depend on email, web access, even their phone service through VoIP. A network connection is an absolute must. Plus, think of how many other machines have to be connected together. That means running wires and setting up networking hubs, switches and routers. The most important is the human element, also jokingly called “meatware.” This refers to the people in charge of all the other parts of IT infrastructure. IT professionals, whether developers, system administrators or network administrators, look at an organization’s needs and determine what hardware and software will do the job. Can they just buy an existing solution or would they have to develop something from scratch? Should they pick an on-premises solution or go to the cloud? These are the kinds of questions that IT people should know how to answer. Every one of these components in an IT infrastructure depends on another. An organization needs hardware, software and networking to function and the other components are useless without humans to buy them, configure them and keep them running smoothly. TagsDavid Delony is a Bay Area expatriate living in Ashland, Oregon, where he combines his love of words and technology in his career as a freelance writer. He's covered everything from TV commercials to video games. David holds a B.A. in communication from California Sate University, East Bay. More Q&As from our experts
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Related Articles I like to think of infrastructure as everything from wall jack to wall jack. Thinking of infrastructure in this manner enables effective conversations with those who are less familiar with the various components. The term IT infrastructure is defined in ITIL as a combined set of hardware, software, networks, facilities, etc. (including all of the information technology related equipment) used to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control, or support IT services. Associated people, processes, and documentation are not part of IT Infrastructure. SwitchingA network switch is the device that provides connectivity between network devices on a Local Area Network (LAN). A switch contains several ports that physically connect to other network devices, including:
Early networks used bridges, in which each device “saw” the traffic of all other devices on the network. Switches allow two devices on the network to talk to each other without having to forward that traffic to all devices on the network. RoutersRouters move packets between networks. Routing allows devices separated on different LANs to talk to each other by determining the next “hop” that will allow the network packet to eventually get to its destination. If you have ever manually configured your IP address on a workstation, the default gateway value that you keyed in was the IP address of your router. FirewallsFirewalls are security devices at the edge of the network. The firewall can be thought of as the guardian or gatekeeper. A set of rules defines what types of network traffic will be allowed through the firewall and what will be blocked. In the simplest version of a firewall, rules can be created which allow a specific port and/or protocol for traffic from one device (or a group of devices) to a device or group of devices. For example, if you want to host your own web server and limit it to only web traffic, you would typically have two firewall rules that look something like this:
The source is the originating device. In this case, ‘any’ means ‘allow any computer to communicate’. Destination is the specific IP address of your internal web server. Port/Protocol defines what type of traffic is allowed from the source to the destination. Most firewall devices allow for a description for each rule that have no effect on the rule itself. It is used only for notes. Firewall devices can get complicated quickly. There are many different types of firewalls which approach managing traffic in different ways. Detailed firewall capabilities and methods are beyond the scope of this post. ServersA network server is simply another computer, but usually larger in terms of resources than what most people think of. A server allows multiple users to access and share its resources. There are several types of servers, with the following being among the most common:
Physical plantThe physical plant is all of the network cabling in your office buildings and server room/data center. This all too often neglected part of your infrastructure usually is the weakest link and is the cause of most system outages when not managed properly. There are two main types of cabling in the infrastructure:
Each type of cabling has several different subtypes, depending on the speed and distance required to connect devices. PeopleBy the strict ITIL definition, people are not considered part of the network infrastructure. However, without competent, well-qualified people in charge of running and maintaining your infrastructure, you will artificially limit the capabilities of your organization.
Server rooms/data centerThe server room, or data center in large organizations, can be thought of as the central core of your network. It is the location in which you place all of your servers, and it usually acts as the center of most networks. Infrastructure softwareInfrastructure software is perhaps the most “gray” of all infrastructure components. However, I consider server operating systems and directory services (like MS Active Directory) to be part of the infrastructure. Without multi-user operating systems, the hardware can’t perform its infrastructure functions. Related reading
Discover the next evolution in capacity, resource, and cost optimization86% of global IT leaders in a recent IDG survey find it very, or extremely, challenging to optimize their IT resources to meet changing business demands. These postings are my own and do not necessarily represent BMC's position, strategies, or opinion. See an error or have a suggestion? Please let us know by emailing . BMC Brings the A-GameBMC works with 86% of the Forbes Global 50 and customers and partners around the world to create their future. With our history of innovation, industry-leading automation, operations, and service management solutions, combined with unmatched
flexibility, we help organizations free up time and space to become an Autonomous Digital Enterprise that conquers the opportunities ahead. You may also likeAbout the author
Joe RoushJoe Roush has managed information technology in a variety of roles in several different industries. After getting his start managing systems migrations in Banking and Manufacturing, he has spent the past 15 years providing IT services to small government and education. Joe currently serves as a senior IT leader in higher education, specializing in IT strategy and helping organizations understand the value of technology infrastructure in delivering organizational results. What is the technology infrastructure of an Organisation?Definition of IT Infrastructure: An organization's IT infrastructure (also known as information technology infrastructure) includes all of the hardware, software, and network resources that are necessary to deliver IT services within the organization.
What are the 3 types of IT infrastructure?There are essentially 3 pieces to IT infrastructures: infrastructure hardware, software and networking.
What are the 5 types of IT infrastructure?There are different types of IT Infrastructure, including software-defined, cloud, infrastructure as-a-service, composable, and converged and hyperconverged.
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