What is Information Technology Infrastructure?

Information technology is the application of computers and telecommunication equipments to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. Humans have been storing, retrieving, manipulating and communicating information since the Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed writing in about 3000 BC, but the term information technology in its modern sense first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review; authors Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas L.

As information becomes a valuable resource of a digital firm, the infrastructure used to care for it is also considered as valuable resource of an organization. This Chapter will examine all of the components that comprise todays and tomorrow‘s IT infrastructure and how it can be managed in best way.

IT infrastructure refers to the composite hardware, software, network resources and services required for the existence, operation and management of an enterprise IT environment. It allows an organization to deliver IT solutions and services to its employees, partners and customers and is usually internal to an organization and deployed within owned facilities. Typically, a standard IT infrastructure consists of the following components:

Hardware: Servers, computers, data centers, switches, hubs and routers,
Software: Enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), productivity applications and
Network: Network enablement, Internet connectivity, firewall and
Persware: Human users, such as network administrators, developers, designers and generic end users with access to any IT appliance or service are also part of an IT infrastructure, specifically with the advent of user- centric IT service

To round out the list of IT infrastructure components we need to add the following services to computing hardware and software:

Computing services: Provide platforms that ensure a coherent digital environment
Telecommunications services: Determine appropriate data, voice, and video that connect employees, customers, and suppliers
Data management services: Not just store, but manage massive amounts of corporate data and make it available for users to analyze
Application software services: Enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, supply chain management and knowledge management systems
Physical facilities management services: Physical installation of computing, telecommunications, and data management services
IT management services: Plan and develop infrastructures, coordinate IT services among business units, account for IT expenditure, and provide project management services
IT standards services: Develop policies that ensure interoperability of all IT infrastructure components
IT education services: Train employees to properly use IT investments and educate managers about planning for and managing the investments
IT research and development services: Research future IT projects and investments