Today it is complex to imagine that most companies can operate without a reliable, safe, and flexible IT infrastructure. By having a well-structured and managed IT infrastructure with the right technologies, scalability can be generated in terms of administrative operations, productivity, and communication.
Around the world there are many companies that are implementing robust IT infrastructures in their business strategies, but to guarantee compliance in terms of security, flexibility, and sustainability requirements, it is necessary to carry out its correct management. Beyond wanting to build a modern infrastructure, the focus must be on how to manage it.
In an IT infrastructure, the technological elements that make its development and operation possible, the set of services, physical devices, and software applications, among other components that integrate it, are not the only important things. It’s true value is in how an adequate administration is projected and managed. That is why an IT infrastructure cannot be the same for all companies. To make each organization satisfy its needs and expectations, it is necessary to structure a personalized and directed infrastructure with its own objectives.
In a way, companies today are not considering the above. That is why some of them haven’t been successful in their transformation attempts, having an IT infrastructure based on legacy resources, data centers, and inefficient networks. They lack the initiative to go beyond the obvious and adopt trends that positively impact their business. They should consider it, understanding that the market is increasingly demanding.
We must be realistic; competition is increasing; technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, and systems and hardware are evolving rapidly. We must understand that, if nobody in the company, especially those in charge of areas, focuses on understanding the composition of the infrastructure and knowing how to manage it correctly, this can guarantee the IT system not meeting the projected demands, resulting in a failure to meet the business objectives.
This is a situation that no company would like to experience, especially when significant investments are incurred. Misalignment remains a problem that needs to be solved urgently. That is why it is key to understand that an IT strategy does not advance without an infrastructure that supports it, but neither without a trained staff to manage it properly.
How to make a correct management of IT infrastructure?
It could be made under a management model exclusively oriented to the monitoring and control of the performance of the infrastructure. Like any project, it requires proper management related to planning, organization, and definition of responsibilities, in terms of meeting the objectives of all those involved.
There are certain key factors that must be considered. All focused on a single goal: to achieve the overall effectiveness of processes, data, human resources, and equipment. It is about being proactive and not reactive. By managing the infrastructure correctly, it is possible to overcome adversities or disasters that can affect performance during its execution, or even in later periods. A functioning IT infrastructure is nowadays the heart of a company.
Identification and proper management of incidents, emergencies, and crisis.
Similarly, factors that may negatively affect the development of the project must also be considered, such as the advancement of technology during the structuring and execution of the project, changes that impact security and new dependencies or risk factors that may affect the performance of hardware, software, networks, and information.
Crisis can be costly for companies, not only financially, but also in terms of image, and reputation. Comprehensive management is a guarantee of being able to overcome crises successfully. That is why it is essential to also have comprehensive incident management in the IT infrastructure. For this it is necessary to understand the difference between incident, emergency, and crises. So, how can we identify them?
Incidents are at the beginning of a chain of not-so positive situations. Technology is not perfect, sometimes it fails, also human beings many times make mistakes. The truth is that if the damage is not repaired in the short term, these incidents become an emergency. If this emergency is not solved in the mid-term, it becomes a crisis, which would trigger a loss of customers trust, abandonment and of course, crisis in the return on investment by not meeting the objectives.
If the faults are identified in time, they can be repaired in time. That is why people and technology must go hand on hand. Management requires technical abilities as well as the capacity to direct teams, projects, and processes. To succeed, we need to understand very well the fundaments of security, storage and analysis of information, networks, hardware, software, and management frameworks. Not only each of them separately, but also the operation of all together to offer value to the business.
Methodologies for the management of incidents, emergencies, and crises:
There are several management methodologies, such as ITOM, ITSM and ITAM, that stand out for the results they offer related to the correct coordination of the resources, systems, platforms, people, and IT environments.
How are they different and why bringing them together will be one of the best decisions an organization could make?
IT Asset Management – ITAM: consist of registering and counting the hardware and software assets that make up the IT infrastructure, including servers, routers, networks, operational technology, internet-connected (IoT) devices, and software running on these devices. It is a process to implement, update and dispose of IT assets, and monitor its use throughout the life cycle.
IT Services Management – ITSM: it is the way to manage the delivery of IT services to satisfy the IT needs of an organization. It includes monitoring tasks related to design, creation, delivery, and support of services, change and settings management, and recovery of infrastructure in the event of crisis that may arise. Standardize processes by reducing IT costs and risks.
IT Operations Management – ITOM: technically, ITOM is a subset of ITSM. It monitors events and the performance of internal activity processes. It is a management monitoring to carry out daily tasks related to technologies and applications in the operation of the IT infrastructure. Control and function processes, scalable practices, change management, operations, measurement, and control.
For these models to be effective, it is critical that organizations know their IT in depth. Integrating these models allows organizations to become more resilient and proactive to better support strategic needs. If combined consistently and aligned with the organization’s IT needs and objectives, they can deliver better and greater benefits such as:
- Leveraging automation to eliminate service interruptions and increase resiliency.
- Data and IT assets visibility in search for better decision making.
- Cost savings by enhancing the use of automation.
- Greater agility by responding quickly to changes, minimizing risks.
- Operatic efficiency due to the automation of operations and services.
- Tranquility and security by getting a complete mapping of assets and vulnerabilities.
Integrating the models requires proper planning. It is not easy, but once it is achieved it brings scalability to the value and agility of the business. Combining them can be a revolutionary and risky solution, but where the results will be given as long as the models are well managed. It is important to consider that customers are only concerned about how quickly their problems are solved and not on what application or infrastructure it is being used. So, making the right decision from the beginning will avoid headaches in the future.
To conclude, we can say that the success of an IT infrastructure in organizations is determined by the management in which it is developed. You must align well, not only within the company, but also with the customers. And we must focus on management, beyond just implementing technologies or strategies without foundation.
What do you think is best for your company? To improve productivity and offer a competitive advantage in the market, or face security, connectivity, and productivity problems due to the lack of management? Right, no one would like to face situations from the second scenario. That is why, if your company is considering structuring an IT infrastructure, the best option is to look for an expert ally backed by a team of professionals who can offer you adequate management to have a modern, effective, and standardized IT infrastructure to support your operations.
At Interfaz, we have the services, experience, and certified staff to deliver the results you are looking for and take your IT infrastructure to the next level. Contact us.