The majority of businesses are digital in 2022, which means attention must be paid to implementing a high-quality IT infrastructure. This runs further than choosing decent hardware, you need to have the correct network configurations, powerful security, appropriate storage, and much more. Throughout this article, we’ll guide you through all of the elements that make up a business IT infrastructure.Â
Table of Contents
Networking
If you don’t have sufficient network capacity, you may as well drop the ball now and dissolve your business. As well as having powerful speeds, you will need quality routers and plenty of wireless access points. When your current ISP (Internet Service Providers) isn’t fulfilling your networking needs, consider switching to a local provider like Wyyerd. Additionally, your business property will need fiber or copper cabling, which is used to communicate with ISPs. Â
Storage and Servers
Whether you only access the internet to host a website or you’re providing a digital service, you’ll need to store personal and business data. Therefore, you need to have powerful servers with enough space. Additionally, you should have all on-site storage backed up to the cloud, which will allow you back online if anything goes wrong.Â
SecurityÂ
Without proper security measures, all of your data can be easily exposed by hackers. If your business suffers a data breach, you’ll have to pay compensations to effective parties and you may lose revenue from downtime. To mitigate cyberattacks, you must have a high-quality security suite, which will keep out anything malicious.Â
Software
Depending on your business setup, you will be running software to provide services and manage projects. For example, customer relationship management (CRM) software pulls all customer service streams into one place, making it easier for your team to manage. Additionally, you can utilize content management systems (CMS), which let you create and publish content across all platforms. The software you need goes beyond management tasks. For example, you may need to use design tools like Photoshop.Â
Devices and Access
Having a decent IT setup is pointless if you don’t have devices, which allow you to access the internet and provide services. Your office will likely need the following:
- CCTV.Â
- Digital signage.Â
- Printers.Â
- Scanners.Â
- Tablets, laptops, and desktops.Â
- Labeling machines.Â
- Audio-visual (AV) devices.Â
Not every business will need all of the above, and you don’t need to spend a fortune. The hardware you invest in only needs to complement the limits of your IT infrastructure. For example, there’s no point in buying the best computer on the market if your internet speed only sits at 20Mbps.Â
Professional Services
Once an IT infrastructure is in place, it needs constant maintenance. However, this can be difficult to manage in-house because it requires hiring talent. Therefore, you will likely outsource this to third parties.Â
Conclusion
When every aspect of an IT infrastructure complements each other, there should be no real limit to a business’ functionality. However, this is very rarely the case, which is why businesses need to focus on constant improvements and infrastructure gap-plugging.