In a Nutshell

The term “IT infrastructure” covers all components of an IT environment
A high-performance infrastructure can be provided as an in-house solution or purchased externally
Typical types of infrastructure range from classic data centers to hybrid clouds
A good infrastructure must be secure, powerful and flexibly scalable
Virtualized versions of corporate IT are often more economical than classic on-premise solutions

What is IT Infrastructure?

The term IT infrastructure refers to all the components that companies need to operate and manage IT environments. Part of this information technology infrastructure is hardware (e.g. servers/clients) and software (e.g. operating systems/applications). Companies can provide this infrastructure themselves or purchase it from specialized providers.

Access to a modern IT infrastructure is already a key competitive factor across all industries. If the IT environment is outdated or poorly implemented, automated information processing in the company can suffer considerably on several levels.

Possible consequences include lower efficiency, higher security risks, rising operating costs and an increased likelihood of interruptions and failures. However, such scenarios can be effectively prevented and the competitiveness of companies in their respective industry environment strengthened by an IT infrastructure that is planned and competently implemented in line with requirements.

Important Components of the IT Infrastructure

When looking at the infrastructure of your own information technology, it is first important to define what exactly we are talking about. In practice, we are talking about numerous hardware and software solutions whose resources are bundled in a common system. The hardware provides all physical resources that are used and managed for various processes with the help of software (operating systems, etc.).

Hardware Components

The following components are assigned to the hardware area:

Servers
PCs / Clients
Routers
Storage
Hubs
Switches
Peripherals
Data Centers

The physical systems and facilities in which the IT infrastructure is located are often also categorized as hardware. These protect the IT from the effects of the weather, ensure the power supply and guarantee sufficient cooling for the continuous operation of the server systems (air conditioning technology).

Software Components

The following components are assigned to the software area:

Web Server
Operating Systems (OS)
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Other Applications

Servers: Servers are an essential part of the IT infrastructure. They enable access to a wide range of resources in the network using software. Servers are often used in large numbers in data centers.

Storage: This hardware component includes all storage systems that are available within the IT infrastructure for storing data. These are usually mechanical hard disks (HDD / Hard Disk Drive) or storage media with non-volatile flash memory (SSD / Solid State Disk)

Network: The network or several networks are based on the above-mentioned IT hardware (servers / switches / cables / routers). These enable the exchange of information in the local network (LAN) or across data centers (WAN). The correct execution of processes and their security is in turn ensured by software (firewalls).

To ensure that all these components are well coordinated and together offer maximum performance, our customers receive individual IT infrastructure consulting.

We work with you to determine what your priorities are, how to achieve the best possible performance and how all these components can be implemented in a tailored manner. Our experts will be happy to advise you on this.

IT Infrastructure Types at a Glance

There are different types of IT infrastructures on the market today, which are used in a wide variety of companies and industries. In simple terms, a distinction can be made between the following two types.

Traditional Infrastructure

Companies with a traditional IT infrastructure usually maintain all components themselves. From the data center to servers and data storage to all software solutions, everything is purchased, set up and subsequently administered by the company. Installation is usually on-premise and the respective resources are exclusively available to the company itself.

For some companies, however, such a traditional IT infrastructure is no longer profitable. Server systems, for example, take up a lot of space and have to be cooled at great expense and continuously supplied with power. In addition, all administration and maintenance services have to be provided by the company itself or purchased. If redundancies are also required to ensure business continuity, further costs are incurred.

Cloud Infrastructure

When companies rely on a cloud-based IT infrastructure, they no longer primarily obtain the IT resources required for business operations via an in-house solution. Instead, cloud computing enables access - thanks to virtualization, all IT resources are conveniently available via the internet.

There are several established cloud providers on the market, such as Microsoft (Azure), Google (Cloud) and Amazon (Web Services / AWS). These provide public cloud IT resources that companies can use for a fee. Depending on the company's IT situation, this type of public cloud infrastructure can also be combined with an existing company cloud (private cloud) to create a hybrid infrastructure. This is then referred to as a hybrid cloud.

The advantage of such a setup for companies is that they can significantly reduce their hardware and software costs compared to a traditional IT infrastructure. Resources no longer have to be purchased at a high price, but can now be rented as required and used in line with demand.

The Importance of IT Infrastructure for Companies

IT infrastructure is of great importance in today's world. Well thought-out IT has a particularly beneficial effect on the following areas.

Flexibility

A modern IT infrastructure enables companies to respond flexibly to a wide range of requirements in their day-to-day business. This goes far beyond digital workflows: new business opportunities and strategies in the IT sector can be evaluated without sunk cost problems. This reduces business risks and, in the best case scenario, enables companies to tap into new business areas at a low threshold.

Reliability

Whether it's your own employees accessing servers or customers visiting your website - uninterrupted and fast availability is an absolute must. Companies need to be certain that their IT services are available around the clock. This creates a good user experience for customers and ensures that employee productivity is not affected by faulty IT.

Scalability

Nowadays, if companies need large amounts of IT resources at short notice, they no longer need to purchase and connect their own server systems. Thanks to specialized cloud IT providers, access to additional data storage, servers or software licenses can be scaled as required. This means that companies usually get exactly the IT infrastructure they need within a very short space of time.

Security

Modern IT system solutions have a wide variety of mechanisms to ensure the security of data and processes, even in the event of security-relevant incidents. These mechanisms include general security concepts as well as redundant systems (failover clusters), regular backups and high-performance load balancing.

Compliance

The requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) oblige companies to take great care when collecting, storing and managing data, among other things. This also includes protecting this data, for example against misuse by third parties. A cleverly designed and correctly implemented IT infrastructure simplifies compliance with such legal regulations, reduces the risk of data leaks and thus protects companies and customers from potential damage.

Challenges in the Area of IT Infrastructure

Despite all the opportunities that a modern IT infrastructure offers, particularly in terms of cost efficiency and performance, companies also face a number of significant challenges. These range from correct planning and dimensioning to administration and secure operation.

Complex Structures / Cybercrime

Corporate IT is becoming increasingly complex and is far more difficult to understand today than it was several years ago. Suddenly, for example, employees from all over the world can access a company network and exchange data with each other. These new access points also increase the number of potential points of attack for cyber criminals.

However, the increasing professionalization of attackers means that not only large companies but also SMEs are potentially at risk. It is therefore important to sensitize all levels of the company to the issue of cloud security at an early stage.

IT Infrastructure Management

More interfaces and applications, simple virtualization of resources, possibilities for automation - companies must define for themselves how they want to use the potential of a modern IT infrastructure both efficiently and profitably. After all, the rapid availability of IT resources is not an end in itself, but a factor that needs to be taken into account when dimensioning IT, for example.

With holistic IT infrastructure management, it is possible to scrutinize all information technology processes and examine them critically and with an open mind. This can help to define and manage the ideally dimensioned infrastructure for a company, taking into account all influencing factors (security / availability / scalability / performance).

From comprehensive advice on all aspects of your IT to individual cloud hosting and more - our GFOS Cloud & IT-Infrastructures GmbH will be happy to support you with your project. Let us advise you on your options without obligation.

Trends

The most important current trends in the IT infrastructure sector include:

Cloud Computing: Companies are increasingly moving their IT infrastructure to the cloud in order to improve flexibility, scalability and cost efficiency. Cloud services offer particularly fast provisioning and global access to resources - regardless of company locations and workstations.
Virtualization: Virtualization technologies can be used to create multiple virtual machines on one physical hardware. This maximizes resource utilization, reduces hardware costs and simplifies the management of IT resources.
Containerization / container orchestration: Container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes are revolutionizing application deployment and management. They enable efficient use of resources and simple scaling at the same time. The portability of applications across different environments is also an option.

IT Infrastructure made to Measure - with the Help of GFOS

The information technology infrastructure of companies is constantly changing - in addition to ever new opportunities, new risks are also constantly arising against which an IT landscape must be prepared. GFOS is the right partner for this - together with you, we will make you fit for the future. From on-premise solutions to fully virtualized services in the cloud, we provide tailor-made systems - secure, high-performance and tailored to your needs. We would be happy to provide you with more information.