Monday, March 19, 2012

Chapter 5: IT Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies

When you mention the phrase “information technology infrastructure", most people immediately think of just hardware and software. However, there is more to it than just those two. By broadening the definition to that of service-based, you are then bringing into the discussion the services generated by the first two components.

Some of the services to consider are: connecting employees, customers, and supplier; managing large amounts of data for internal and external use; and training employees how to use systems.

A typical company IT infrastructure can be divided into three major levels: public, enterprise and business. Each level has its own unique hardware, software, and service components.  Public includes the internet, networks, cellular phones. Enterprise includes email, intranets, and extranets. Business concentrates on components that serve: sales and marketing; production and manufacturing; finance and human resources.

One of the biggest drivers of technology evolution is declining communication costs and the internet. The exploding use of computers is directly attributed to the Internet. It is cheaper every day to connect to the Internet because of the declining costs. As more and more users connect to the Internet, businesses must find ways to meet the expectations and demands of users.

What is trending in Hardware and Software Platforms? The microprocessor is the heart of any computing device no matter how small or large. Microprocessing chips are produced by two companies: Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The use of networks and mobile handheld devices has created the following hardware trends: mobile digital platforms, grid computing, virtualization, cloud computing, and green computing.

Since the network is becoming so commonplace and the heart of computing, network service providers must have the server backbone in place to meet the increased demand. Blade servers are meeting the needs of service providers easier than big-box servers.

Integrating applications into seamless processes across the organization is the goal of enterprise software application. The largest providers of enterprise application software are SAP and Oracle. Microsoft is making moves to focus on small and medium-sized businesses. The evolution of software platforms has created: Linux and open source software, Java and Ajax, Web Services, Software outsourcing and cloud services.

It’s extremely hard to figure out ahead of time how much computing capacity a company will need. It’s like gazing into a crystal ball and trying to analyze the future. Managers need to design scalability into their systems so that they don’t under or over build their systems. A company should examine its IT strategy, infrastructure, and cost for the next five years then decide the direction to go with technology.

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