IT Infrastructure

IT Infrastructure is composed of seven major components. Briefly describe any four of those
components which are required by a firm for its operations.

IT infrastructure constitutes of the physical devices and software which enables the smooth
operations of the enterprise. There are seven main components that make up IT Infrastructure:

1. Computer Hardware platform

These entails the physical components of IT infrastructure. It compromises of client
computers, server computers, hub, switch and other equipments. The top firms that provide
such equipments are IBM, Dell, HP and Sun Microsystems. Selecting the right hardware is
essential as it determines the scalability, efficiency and reliability of the IT infrastructure.

2. Operating system platforms

An operating system is a software that is in charge of managing the computer’s hardware
and the programs installed on the computer. It controls the computer’s memory, the CPU
and the other connected devices. The main function of an operating system is controlling
how the programmes interact with each other to complete a task and coordinates the
software (allow communication) with the hardware. Examples of operating software include
the following:
a. Windows – developed by Microsoft. Latest version is windows 11.
b. MacOS – developed by Apple and works on MacBook.
c. IOS – developed by Apple and works for mobile phones produced by Apple.
d. Linux
e. Android – developed by Google and works on mobile phones.
f. Google Chrome OS – developed by Google and works on Chromebook devices.

3. Enterprise software applications

Enterprise applications are needed to link and manage business processes across the firm.
The four main applications are CRMS, SCMS, ES and KMS. SAP and Oracle are the two main
enterprise application providers. Such applications are required to improve efficiency in the
business processes by automating routine tasks and also by providing analytical tools to take
informed decisions.

4. Data management and storage

Data management and storage solutions are required to store, manage and retrieve data.
Effective data management helps in having easy access to data, better security and also can
preserve the integrity and reliability of the data. Examples: Database Software (Oracle,
Microsoft (SQL server), IBM(DB2), MySQL); Physical data storage (Seagate, Maxtor, Western
Digital); Storage area networks (Amazon S3).
5. Networking and telecommunication platforms
Networking and telecommunications pertains to the technology systems that allows
communication and sharing of information from computers to other devices. The networking
and telecommunication platforms enable the exchange of information within the firm and
with external stakeholders. They include the hardware (routers, switch and cables) and
protocols that support the transmission of data. Common network operating systems include
Window server, Novell, Linux and Unix and network hardware provides include Cisco, Nortel
and Jupiter Network.

6. Internet platforms
Internet platforms include the hardware, software, intranet, extranet, web servers, web
development frameworks and cloud services. These technologies enable the business to
operate on a global level. It enables the firm to have an online presence, to transact online
and also to manage the enterprise through cloud systems. Popular providers of internet
hardware server market include DELL, HP and IBM.

7. Consulting and System Integration Services

Consulting and system integration services allows businesses to align their IT infrastructure
with their strategic goals. These services provide expertise in planning, implementing and
managing IT environments. Thus, it ensures that the new technology integration is smooth
and add value to existing setup. Businesses can stay abreast with technological advances and
comply with industry standards and regulations. Accenture, IBM Global services and EDS are
popular firms that provide consulting and system integration services.
“Dealing with platform and infrastructure change is a major challenge when managing IT
infrastructure and management solutions”. Elaborate on the above statement and provide some
recommendations on how to address the related challenges.

IT infrastructure constitutes of a set of hardware and software that make up the IT environment of an
organisation to ensure the smooth running of the business. IT infrastructure is the backbone that
supports an organisation’s communication and digital activities.

Challenges and solution when changing IT infrastructure:

1. Employee resistance: Employees may resist changes in IT infrastructure, which could arise
mainly due to skill gaps. New technologies would require new skills which the employees
might not necessarily possess. Moreover, it requires significant time and resources to
understand and work with the new IT infrastructure which can result into demotivation of
workers.
Solution: Management should invest in training programs to help the employees adapt to
the new technology. Through continuous support and resources, there can be easier
transition and lower resistance to change. This also ensures that end-users have the
necessary skills to work with the technology. Moreover, management should gather
feedback from end-users to address any issues and monitor the performance of the new
technology.

2. Compatibility and integration issues: New hardware or software may not be fully compatible
with the existing IT infrastructure which can lead to integration issues. For instance, it may
happen that some of the existing hardware/software are outdated which be a cause of
hindrance for the adoption of new technology. Moreover, data needs to be migrated to new
platform which can be risky.
Moreover , there can be disruptions in the operations as replacing or updating infrastructure
can lead to network downtime
Solution: Management should conduct testing to ensure compatibility and functionality.
Testing with the existing systems would help identify any security vulnerabilities in times of
transitions. Moreover, management should ensure that the data is cleaned to ensure
integrity and reliability of data in the new system. In order to minimise disruption, the
management should consider implementing the changes in phases. Such incremental
changes would help to address issues more easily as they arise.

3. Costs of implementing the new technology: Changing the infrastructure involves significant
financial investment in the hardware, software and related services. Moreover, since it is a
significant investment, management would not be easily replacing the vendors and would
have to rely on them for support, maintenance and update.
Solution: Management should evaluate the financial implications of implementing the new
infrastructure and try to reduce upfront investments. Management should carefully evaluate
the reliability and reputation of the vendor. There should be close collaboration and
communication with the vendors to provide support during transitions.
What are the technology drivers of infrastructure evolution?

Evolution of IT infrastructure

1. General purpose mainframe and minicomputer era (1959 to present)

This is started with the introduction of IBM’s first mainframe in 1958 and DEC minicomputers
in 1965. In this period, the organisation moved towards large-scale, centralized computers.
2. Personal computer era (1981 to present)
Began with the introduction of IBM PC in 1981 which led to the widespread adoption of
personal computers
3. Client server era (1983 to present)
Desktop clients were connected to network servers and the processing workload is
distributed between clients and servers. Such network could be two-tiered or multitiered.
4. Enterprise computing era (1992 to present)
It involves integrating various networks and applications using internet standards and
enterprise applications, to improve productivity in organisation.
5. Cloud computing (2000 to present)
It represents a shift towards obtaining computing power and software applications via the
internet or other network and it is the fastest growing form of computing

Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution

1. Moore’s law and micro processing power: it posits that every 18 months (2years), the
computing power (number of transistors on a microchip) doubles. Nanotechnology has
helped in advancing the Moore’s Law since it enables to shrink the size of transistors to that
comparable to the size of a virus.

2. Law of Mass Digital Storage: This law suggests that the capacity of digital storage devices
doubles approximately every year. Thus, the exponential growth in digital storage opens up
the opportunity to store more volume of data and retain information at lower costs.
Therefore, organisations are able to scale out to meet growing organizational demands.

3. Metcalfe’s Law and network economics: This law suggests that the value of a network
depends on the number of network members. An exponential growth in the value or power
of the network can be anticipated as the number of network members grow. As there are
more network members, there will be increased demand for the network access which will
lead to an increase it the value of the network.

4. Declining communication costs and the Internet: Communication costs have declined
significantly due to technological advances in telecommunications, network infrastructure
and data processing capabilities. With an estimated 1.5 billion people online, the Internet
has been a cornerstone of modern infrastructure, propelling a better overall landscape of
global IT infrastructure.

5. Technology standards and network effects: The evolution of IT infrastructure is heavily

dependent on the technological standards and the resulting network effects. Technology
standards are the agreed-upon specifications that ensure compatibility among various
products and systems which are vital to ensure effective communication and interoperability
 within and across networks. Network effects is the resulting change in value of a product or
service as the number of users changes. It is anticipated that as there are more users of a
particular standard technology, the more valuable the network becomes to each user. Thus,
it can affect the rate of adoption of a particular technology.
6.
What are the contemporary hardware platform trends?

Emerging mobile digital platforms

1. Cell phone/smartphones – data transmission, web surfing, email

2. Notebooks – small low-cost ones for wireless communication and core computing tasks
3. Tablets
4. Networked e-readers

Grid computing

Grid computing entails integrating multiple geographically remote computers into a single network. A
virtual supercomputer is created by combining the processing power which can tackle large-scale
problems. It can reduce capital expenditure by maximizing the use of existing hardware rather than
buying new ones. Moreover, with grid computing processing power, organisations’ tasks are
addressed swiftly. It allows the organization to adjust and allocate resources based on changing
needs.

Virtualization

Virtualization allows a single physical resource to operate as multiple virtual resource, each capable
of running its own instance of an operating system. Thus, this reduces the need for physical hardware
which ultimately lead to cost savings in terms of hardware and power consumption. It allows
centralization of hardware which optimizes IT operations and improve scalability and flexibility.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing refers to the delivery of services online through the Internet which includes data
storage, servers, networking and software. These services can be broadly categorized into 3 groups
which is as follows:

1. Infrastructure as a service – offers virtualised computing resources over the internet such as
virtual servers and storage
2. Platform as a service – offers hardware and software tools over the internet for application
development
3. Software as a service – offers software applications over the internet through a browser and
is managed by a service provider

Cloud services can be offered through public (Amazon Web Services) or private network (Open
Stack).

Advantages of cloud computing:

1. Scalability in cloud services – allows organisations to adjust their demand of IT resources

which allows the organisations to pay for only the resources they actually use. This
eliminates the need to invest in physical infrastructure. Such flexibility allows companies to
adapt to changes in business environment.
2. Cost efficiency – Organisations can significantly reduce expenditure by integrating cloud
services in their operations. Costs associated with purchase and maintenance of physical
hardware in reduced as well as the power consumption. Thus, this minimizes financial risks.
3. Accessibility from cloud services – Users can access information from any location at any
time through a device that can connect to the internet. This facilitates remote work and
global operations.
Drawbacks of cloud services:

1. Security – the organisation stores sensitive data on external servers which may raise some
security concerns. Management should ensure that the provider of the service has enough
security measures set in place to avoid unauthorized access and data breaches.
2. Reliance on cloud services – this creates a vulnerability as in the case of power outage or
service downtime, the business operations will be disrupted.
3. Subscription fees and usage charges – small and medium firms may find it expensive to
extensively invest in cloud services owing to the subscription fees and usage charges which
imposes a burden on their finances.

Green computing

Green computing entails the technology and practices aimed at mitigating the negative effects of
computing and networking hardware on the environment. This approach focuses on minimizing
energy consumption, employing sustainable materials and reducing electronic waste. Adopting green
computing principles would enable the organisation to reduce their carbon footprints and contribute
to a more sustainable and environment friendly IT industry.

Linux and open source

It pertains to a collaborative approach to software development where programs are created and
maintained by a community of programmers rather than a single entity. Open-source software is
available to users and they are allowed to freely modify and configure the software according to their
needs. For instance, by adopting Linux, which is one of the prominent examples of open-source
software enables the organisation to benefit from costs savings, flexibility and drive innovation.
Assess contemporary software platform trends.