Introduction to IT Infrastucture Management
- Nov
- Feb 8, 2018
- 3 min read
Infrastructure is a fundamental system which support a service runs upon it. Then, when we talk about IT software, it has a fundamental system (not software itself) which supports the application to run appropriately. Almost all software systems in this world cannot live without the role of infrastructure.
Those infrastructures have characteristics:
The usage of the infrastucture has larger meaning than the software system supported.
The infrascture can stand permanently and statically, rather than the software system supported.
The infrastructure is physically linked to the software system supported, and called as support system.
It is managed by the different organizations from the software system supported.
The following figure will give us the whole system that explain how infrascture completes the software system.
In other words, the software system apparently cannot stand by not only the IT infrastucture, but also other infrastucture. As the example, given an ATM application in ATM machine. We cannot use that application if the application is not installed upon the machine, and machine itself must be located in the area that can be reach by the people, such as Bank, public library, super/hyper/mini market, etc. We can say that the components consist of:
application, in this case ATM application.
Software, such as middleware/API to get bank data, or temporary database inside the application, and the operating system runs inside the machine.
hardware, can be servers, ATM machine, ATM cable plugged to the electricity power, etc.
Data Center, it keeps the data inside the bank, because the ATM typically doesn't save the data inside the ATM machine or the ATM application itself. Bank also has rack to save the server, the fire control to keep the server securely runs, and the access security.
Building, in this case is the chamber to access the ATM machine, or bank itself.
The important thing is the infrastructure talks about the whole system and the components which directly involved to run a system, not only software system. In the future, the requirement to run the system may grow progressively, not restricted to the components as mentioned.
What went wrong?
There are so many infrastructure planned improperly, because the most case company doesn't assume that the infrastructure isnot included in the business strategic planning. Then, the infrastructure expertise isnot involved from the beginning when the system project starting. The infrastructure runs as ad-hoc system, which is made based on the new technology without a standardization. Downtime is almots happen during Go Live.
Infrastructure which has high complexity doesn't focus on the proper job, with the high operation and maintentance cost makes business process stops.
what else?
What is the solutions?
It maybe a classic theory, but it is so important to do.
we must holistically plan the infrastructure, which involve the whole company or the organization, and the whole structure level
desire the future infrastructure needs by accommodating the change and the growth
Maximalize the reuse of the infrastructure component, not ignore the human resource component
Choose the proper technology such as open-standard to ensure the interroperabilities and the interesting from the vendors, also look for the suitability of the business needs and the company ability in applying the technology.
Apply the standardization in planning and managing the infrastructure.
Key points of IT infrastructure:
Availability
availability is the portion of time that an application or service is available to internal or external customer for productive work
example:
Reliability
Reliability represents the probability of a component or system not encoutering any failures over a time span. Reliability is a measure of "not breaking down, once it is put in use.". The focus is on making the component or system unbreakable.
What are the others?
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