What makes a good IT infrastructure?

When you think about the IT infrastructure in a company, the clean and extensive implementation is mostly underestimated. Many companies are aware that IT in general is an important factor for an efficient way of working, but the technology is not used to establish themselves in the market and to grow as a company. Are you one of those companies that only use IT to increase internal efficiency or do you want to make technological and economic progress with your IT development? Many larger and smaller companies use more digitally developed services and processes, which puts the IT infrastructure under more pressure than ever before. The unpredictable and rapidly changing markets force companies to adapt to modern conditions twice as quickly. As a result, the provision of services in the IT sector will have to be reconsidered and modernized by companies in the near future.

With regard to the digital transformation , we already saw in our article on the «COVID-19 Digital Engagement Report» of May 6, 2021 that communication development in companies around the world has increased massively since the beginning of the pandemic. This means that the IT infrastructure in today's telecommunications is also undergoing a transformation and affects companies in all areas. If you don't go along now, you are missing out on a great digital opportunity that will be difficult to catch up later.

In order to bring your IT infrastructure up to scratch and to show the aspects of a good IT infrastructure in the telecommunications sector, we have created the following article for you.

The digital excellence

The big catchphrase on this topic is: digital excellence. In short, it is about providing the IT services and digital services in your own business that the company needs, so that security, efficiency and internal and external development are guaranteed. This can be done via your own IT infrastructure or via the so-called public cloud.

Some sub-areas as examples from the IT industry in relation to digital excellence are listed below:

• Automation in the relevant business areas
• Orchestration and AIOps
• Software-defined infrastructure
• DevOps- and API-centric development
• Hybrid multi-cloud
• Digital trust and governance
• Real-time data to support the business

The above keywords are often used in IT jargon by experts, but whether they are fully implemented in the company is questionable. Because the provision of these aspects is what makes a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure . However, only a quarter of the companies have integrated this at this level. The following graphic shows the extent to which companies have already introduced any key elements into their IT infrastructure:

As we can see, only a few companies have the aspects of a modern IT infrastructure well under control. However, there is still a lot to do to build a real digital platform . The transformation of a modern IT infrastructure from mostly manually managed areas into a cloud-based surface requires considerable effort and extensive investment.

The necessary modernization of the IT infrastructure

The first question is how well our data centers are set up. Because high-quality and high-performance data centers represent the basic basis for the installation of new services and work processes, such as the introduction of extensive AI systems. Make sure that your data centers are modern, efficient and, above all, ready for the latest adjustments and integrations. Because if the data centers are not modernized, new digital projects and later technical adaptations are even more expensive.

As soon as the basic basis with high-performance data centers has been laid, the key step is now to develop a suitable IT infrastructure. The following question arises: What else can you do to change your IT infrastructure from “good” to “excellent”? The most important measure to improve your IT infrastructure is to think critically about what will really generate revenue and benefits for the company. Based on these economic aspects and criteria, the connections to technical requirements can now be made. Does your company develop excellent products and / or services that suit your customers or do you even offer your own data centers and cloud-based IT infrastructures for your customers? With this in mind, you have to build the IT infrastructure and invest in the relevant digital areas so that you (along with your main business) continuously learn to become an optimal IT provider. In addition, services from data center platforms (such as prefabricated digital platforms, digital marketplaces, IT as a service, etc.) can provide you with some advantages.

Always keep in mind that digital transformation should improve your sustainability, automate your business processes, increase efficiency, save costs and minimize digital risks. Because ready-made application platforms can transform your IT infrastructure and thus your digital operations so that your requirements are met and you can concentrate on your core business without reinventing the wheel.

Final reflexion

A modernized and business-optimized IT infrastructure not only improves internal and external efficiency, but also makes the entire company more marketable and technologically mature. The digital transformations begin in the IT area, network the entire business and are currently more in demand than ever. As we have already learned in this article, many companies still have a lot of catching up to do, especially in this area. We hope that with this article we have been able to give you the necessary input so that you too can rethink your IT infrastructure and adapt it for the future. Because if you are already involved in the digital transformation today, you will already gain a certain advantage tomorrow. Restructuring the IT infrastructure is therefore worthwhile.

Not to be forgotten, the optimization of the IT infrastructure also affects the telecommunications industry and thus also internal and external communication in your company. This was reinforced many times over in the course of 2020, which is currently motivating many companies to develop further in this area. We at Winet naturally offer our established and state-of-the-art Cloud PBX Ayrix , which includes precisely this telecommunications development and offers the flexibility and digital orientation that are required in current times. If you would like to optimize your telephone system or set it up from scratch, please do not hesitate to contact us . We are happy to support you in the implementation of the optimal virtual telephone system and thus offer a contribution to the further development of your IT infrastructure.