7 Reasons Why You Should Be Involved in the Design and Implementation of Your IT Infrastructure

Imagine hiring contractors to build you a house but you don’t have a clue on their working strategy, raw materials, their level of experience or even how long it will take. You will possibly end up with a house plan you never wanted, some home systems you can’t operate, or even a poorly-built house.

IT infrastructure design and implementation are like building a house. You should get involved in every stage. You should know what strategy is going to be used, which part of the system is going to be upgraded or fully replaced, how experienced are the people doing this and everything else about the project.

From computers to servers and software, your IT infrastructure is one of the building blocks of your productivity. Therefore, you should ensure the design and implementation project is as perfect as possible and this calls for your involvement.

What’s IT Infrastructure?

IT infrastructure refers to the combined elements required to manage and operate IT and operations based on IT. Such elements include hardware, software, data storage, operating systems, and networks.

The hardware includes computers, switches, routers, data centers among others while the software is the applications you use such as CMS (content management systems) and web servers.

The network involves all the components interconnected in a network to enable management, communication between the internal and external systems. They include internet connection, hardware like routers and switches, security and firewalls among others.

Types of IT Infrastructure 

1. Traditional Infrastructure

This requires the business to have its servers on the premises. The computers are connected to this server. All the employees with access to the server can access the data. However, this type of infrastructure is expensive as it requires buying extra hardware as the business grows.

Additionally, you’ll also need an IT department to manage and operate it not to mention the extra space required to house the server.

2. Cloud Infrastructure

These are components required for cloud computing, to enable hosting of applications and services on the cloud. They include storage facilities, servers, software, and network devices.

Instead of purchasing expensive hardware and spending on IT specialists to operate the servers, companies are preferring cloud solutions offered by cloud providers like Google Cloud, IBM, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure.

Apart from saving you space, these providers offer flexible cloud infrastructure, networking, modern computing, and storage services.

3. Hyper-Converged Infrastructure

This is an IT framework that combines computing, networking, and storage into a single system to increase scalability and reduce the complexity of data centers.

With virtualized computing, virtualized network, and software-defined storage, you can manage more workloads and support modern applications without compromising on data security.

Benefits of Optimizing Your IT Infrastructure

Optimizing your IT infrastructure will help your business grow and thrive in your niche. Other benefits are:

• Provide your clients with better services

• Increase productivity

• Boost composability

• Strengthen servers

• Reduce downtime

• Scale easily

• Maximize your revenue

• Efficient resolution of issues and communication

• Easier IT management

Design and Implementation of IT Infrastructure

This is the art of designing and the building process of your It infrastructure. The design should be specific to your organization, operational requirements, and evolving needs.

More importantly, it should be done by professionals with a proven track record. Your involvement is also paramount to the success of the project. Remember the IT professionals you task with the project may not know the ins and outs of your business, desired functionality and user experience as well as future goals.

Reasons Why You Should Be Involved in the Design and Implementation of Your IT Infrastructure

1. To assess the infrastructure you’ve chosen

You will need to assess the type of infrastructure you’ve chosen. Is it scalable? Can it sustain the growth of your business? How is your organization now, and how might that be different in the future after implementing this infrastructure.

You will need to ask yourself these questions to determine whether your business can handle the changes and grow.

2. Ensure the cooperation between your team and the developers

The professionals offering Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to your business cannot work alone. They will need a person or a team to provide the required details like the desired functionality and the user experience.

3. Provide the required resources

The process will require resources such as funds and data. It is your responsibility to provide them to the contractors to ensure the successful completion of the project.

4. Provide details about the future goals of the business

What you need to achieve in the future will determine how your IT infrastructure will be designed and implemented. Every business is unique and so is the infrastructure.

The contractors will need a clear set of goals and where you want your business in the future so that they can know what will work best for you.

5. To oversee the process

When you hire the contractors, it’s your job to ensure the process is learning smoothly by following up and getting to know the progress. It’s not a one-day job but that does not mean you be ignorant of the time it takes. Additionally, monitoring the progress ensures the contractors don’t sleep on the job.

6. To learn how to operate the new infrastructure and how it will change the course of your business

For optimal productivity, you and your team need to learn how to operate and work with the newly implemented infrastructure.

Whether it’s a new or upgraded system, software or hardware, no matter how good it is, if you can’t operate it, it won’t add any quality to your business.

7. Ensure a smooth transition 

During implementation, you'll be moving from the old to the new infrastructure. Sometimes, it might be confusing because you were used to the old one. Your employees may not even know how to use it.

Arranging for training and workshops will enable a smooth transition as well as ensure your productivity and revenue is not affected.

Conclusion

The design and implementation of IT infrastructure is a complex and delicate process that should only be left for professionals. Any slight mistakes might cost you heavily. It’s only wise that you’re involved in the process to ensure it’s correctly done to suit your business needs.