A set of documents IT infrastructure of the enterprise. What does the IT infrastructure of an enterprise include? Corporate branch network

IT infrastructure is a complex of interconnected information systems and services that ensure the functioning and development of the means of information interaction of an enterprise.

IT infrastructure is not just the foundation for the existence of any modern company, IT is now becoming a strategic asset that is driving force business. Building a reliable IT infrastructure that satisfies the company's business processes is a difficult task, practically unsolvable on their own IT department of the company. Most importantly, the IT infrastructure must meet the needs of the company's business. In order to organize a truly reliable, high-performance and scalable IT infrastructure, you need to have a large number of highly qualified specialists, as well as considerable experience in building IT infrastructures.

A corporate information system (CIS) is an integral part of the IT infrastructure, which includes information centers, databases, communication and collaboration systems. When building a corporate information system (CIS), a number of important factors must be taken into account. So, for example, a common mistake of many companies is that the ERP system is first implemented, and then the companies face the fact that the infrastructure is not ready to serve this system. The IT infrastructure is the core of all other information systems or business applications. And the work of all other applications, ERP systems, databases, and, as a result, the business as a whole, will depend on how the IT infrastructure is built, how reliable and productive it is.

Simplified diagram of a corporate information system (CIS)

Stages of creating the company's IT infrastructure:

Development and approval terms of reference. Terms of Reference (TOR) is a document that includes all customer requirements for the information system being created.

Project development. After the approval of the terms of reference, a working draft is developed - a document containing technical description implementation of the requirements specified in the terms of reference.

Implementation. At the implementation stage, the physical implementation of the developed project takes place.

Creation of executive documentation. The final step in creating an IT infrastructure is the creation of as-built documentation. Executive documentation contains a detailed description of the IT infrastructure required for the use and maintenance of the created corporate information system.

At the stage of implementation of the IT infrastructure of the enterprise, LanKey produces:

Creation of engineering systems and SCS (Structured Cabling System). SCS is a combination of low-current and power (electrical) networks. As part of the creation of engineering systems, cable routes are laid, installed, sockets are installed, patch panels are crossed, electrical networks are wired and connected, server room equipment is created, ventilation and air conditioning systems are installed, and centralized uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems are installed.
Creation of network infrastructure. Installation of active network equipment, creation of wireless networks WiFi. For large rooms and buildings, Wi-Fi networks are built on the basis of CISCO or 3COM WLAN controllers, which provide client roaming and access point management. In small spaces wifi network is built on the basis of WDS technology.
Installation of PBX (Automatic telephone exchange). Installation and configuration of the PBX, programming of the operation logic, connection to city telephone networks or IP-telephony service providers are carried out.
Supply of hardware and software . In accordance with the working draft, equipment is supplied and software.
Installation of server hardware. Server equipment, data storage systems, backup systems are being installed and connected, commissioning is being carried out.
Implementation of server virtualization systems. Server virtualization implies the simultaneous operation of several virtual machines on one physical server. Virtualization can significantly reduce hardware and software costs, simplify the information system, increase the flexibility and reliability of the IT infrastructure, and reduce energy and maintenance costs. As virtualization systems, we are implementing Microsoft Hyper-V and .
Implementation of basic network services based on the TCP/IP protocol. DHCP, DNS, WINS services are being installed. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - a protocol that allows you to automatically configure the network settings of all devices connecting to the network, assigns an IP address, mask, gateway, DNS, etc. DNS (Domain Name System) - a server that provides domain name resolution in an organization. WINS (Windows Internet Name Service) is a NetBIOS computer name resolution server.
Implementation of Windows Domain and Active Directory Directory Services. The Active Directory directory service is the core of the information system. It provides storage and management of information about all users and devices. Active Directory is a single point of authentication and authorization for users and applications throughout the enterprise. The domain structure is built on the basis of business needs, security policy requirements, applications planned for implementation, the number of departments, and subsidiaries and much more. A site structure is created, replication mechanisms are configured depending on the geographical location of the company's offices. In accordance with administrative requirements, the structure of organizational units is built, users are combined into domain groups based on belonging to a particular department of the company, etc. Group policies are assigned to all users and computers, with the help of which security policies are distributed, printers are assigned, applications are installed, and so on. The directory service is deployed on the basis of the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system.
Deployment of file servers. File servers store shared company documents and provide access to them for all users of the enterprise. A tree-like structure of folders is created, each of which corresponds to certain departments of the company, and has unique permissions. Based on domain groups, access is limited to folders. Windows-based file servers are accessed using the SMB (CIFS) protocol. File servers are deployed on the basis of Windows Server 2003 R2 or Windows Server 2008 operating systems.
Implementation of print servers. Print servers manage all the printers in an organization and also provide printer access to company users. Printers are grouped by department, by location, grouped into pools by ownership to ensure load distribution. Print servers store and manage print queues. Print servers are deployed based on Windows Server 2003 R2 or Windows Server 2008 operating systems.
Implementation of database management systems (DBMS). DBMS provide storage, access and management of application databases. The main products in the database management systems market are Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. For applications such as 1C Enterprise, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft CRM, SQL Server is implemented, optimized and configured taking into account the specifics of a particular application. Taking into account the needs of the business, data replication between servers in the company's branches is configured accordingly.
Implementation of servers for managing and protecting Internet traffic. These servers protect the corporate network from Internet attacks, control and manage user access to the Internet, and provide access to internal network resources via the Internet. Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) (formerly ISA Server) is being implemented as the main solution for protecting and managing Internet traffic. As the best application layer firewall, TMG provides the highest level of protection for corporate resources. Access rules are configured for user groups, allowed and prohibited protocols (ICQ, POP3, FTP, etc.) are assigned, certain sites are allowed or prohibited. Site-to-Site VPN channels are configured with remote offices and branches of the company. For small businesses, alternative solutions are also being implemented, such as Kerio WinRoute Firewall, Linux / FreeBSD and SQUID or SOHO class routers based on CISCO, 3COM, Dlink, LinkSys equipment and others.
Implementation of mail servers. Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 is being introduced as the main solution for organizing the exchange of mail messages on an enterprise scale. Exchange Server is the leader among corporate mail systems, in addition to the wide possibilities for working with mail, Microsoft Exchange Server provides a set of tools for collaboration, such as: calendars, contacts, tasks, diaries, address books and shared folders. The structure of the Exchange server is built in accordance with the topology of sites and the hierarchy of domains. Anti-spam filters and mobile access capabilities are being configured. Exchange Server services are securely published on ISA Server, services are published: SMTP, OWA, ActiveSync, IMAP4, POP3 (depending on customer requirements). Additional anti-virus and anti-spam solutions are installed, such as GFI MailSecurity and MailEssentials, Kaspersky, Microsoft Forefront. For small businesses, we offer the Exchange 2013 cloud service.
Implementation of unified communications. The use of unified communications enhances communication among company employees by providing users with the ability to exchange text messages, audio calls, video calls, audio conferencing, and video conferencing. Unified communications allow you to save significant money, replacing the need for travel and business trips with the possibility of holding web-conferences, online seminars, saving on long-distance telephone communications. We offer leading solutions from market leaders - Microsoft Lync Server 2013, and Cisco CallManager.
Implementation of terminal servers. Terminal servers provide remote access to the server desktop or to a specific application. In fact, an image from the server is transmitted to the user's computer screen, and keystrokes on the keyboard and mouse movements made by the user are transmitted to the server. Scenarios for using terminal servers can be different: accessing the desktop via the Internet, working with resource-intensive applications installed on the server, remote work with business applications. Often, some departments of the company use only terminal access for their daily work using thin clients. Terminal servers are installed and configured, the necessary business applications are deployed to them, and access rights are assigned. Microsoft Terminal Server and Citrix are used as terminal servers.
Implementation of backup servers . Backup servers provide protection for all electronic information of the enterprise. The main backup solutions are Symantec BackUp Exec and Microsoft SystemCenter Data Protection Manager . To back up virtual machines, we offer Veeam BackUp & Replication deployment. Backup servers are installed, network storages, disk arrays and tape libraries are connected and configured. Backup agents are installed on all redundant servers (Domain controllers, file servers, SQL servers, Exchange, etc.). Schedules and backup methods are configured in accordance with the backup policy. Data backup and recovery mechanisms are being tested.
Implementation of anti-virus protection servers. Anti-virus protection servers provide enterprise-wide deployment, management and updating of anti-virus software. Anti-virus protection servers are installed, anti-virus protection agents are deployed, action rules are configured when viruses are detected, and anti-virus signature updates are configured. The main antivirus products are Kaspersky, Symantec, Eset NOD32 and Microsoft Forefront.
Installation of client workstations. Installation and configuration of workstations, laptops, phones and other equipment with which users will work. All necessary applications are installed, computers are added to the domain and the user environment is configured.
Installation of peripheral equipment. Installation, connection and configuration of printers, copiers, scanners, multifunctional devices, etc. Network settings for devices are configured, printers are installed on print servers, scanners and faxes are configured to store copies on file or mail servers. Monitoring and control tools for peripheral equipment are installed.

Benefits of working with LanKey:

IT infrastructure is created in a complex and on a turnkey basis. LanKey is one of the few companies that does all the work on its own from start to finish, from installing the SCS and deploying clusters to connecting the mouse to the secretary's computer and setting up the director's iPhone for synchronization with Exchange. All work is carried out within the framework of one project, at the end of which the customer receives a fully prepared and functioning IT infrastructure. The customer does not have to control the performance of work by one or another contractor and resolve conflicts between them. The customer will not be in a situation where something does not work, and contractors blame each other, refusing to solve the problem.

The work is carried out by professionals. All work is carried out by certified engineers with extensive experience in implementation in large projects. LanKey employs certified engineers Microsoft MCSE (MCITP), GFI, Kaspersky, Symantec, CISCO, 3COM, Allied Telesis, D-Link, Panasonic, APC, EuroLan Nexans, Exalan+, Belconn, Molex. All works are carried out in accordance with state and international standards (GOST/ISO). All works are licensed and certified.

The highest level of quality and reliability. LanKey offers high-quality and proven solutions based on equipment and software from the world's leading manufacturers. LanKey is a partner of HP, Dell, IBM, Intel. LanKey is a Microsoft Gold Partner.

Further maintenance of IT infrastructure. LanKey is always ready to provide further support and development of the created IT infrastructure. The customer does not have to collect a large number highly paid specialists, the customer does not have to look for an IT outsourcing company that can maintain the information system at the proper level. No one can do this better than us.

LanKey has been building corporate information systems for several years. During this time, the specialists of our organization have created IT infrastructures of varying complexity in many companies and enterprises, in various industry sectors of the market. LanKey offers solutions for both large and small and medium businesses, as well as for state enterprises. In addition, we offer a full range of services in the following areas:

IT consulting
Comprehensive audit of information systems
Audit information security
IT outsourcing services
Comprehensive data center building services
cloud services. Rent of virtual servers. Hosted Exchange, Microsoft Lync in the cloud.

LanKey is a leading supplier of hardware and software .

SW-CMM - for software products, SE-CMM - for systems engineering, Acquisition CMM - for procurement, People CMM - for human resource management, ICMM - for product integration. In 2002, SEI published a new CMMI model (Capability Maturity Model Integration), which combines previously released models and takes into account the requirements of international standards.

chaotic;
reactive;
proactive;
service;
benefit.

Chaotic the level is characterized by multiple support services, an undeveloped maintenance service.

commodity (goods);
utility (resource);
partner (partner);
enabler (support).

In the profile commodity the enterprise sees IT services as its main investment to automate fundamental administrative functions at minimal cost. When optimizing the IT infrastructure in organizations with this profile, the focus is on reducing costs.

For profile utility companies that are initially cost-focused but recognize the importance of building relationships with customers. For these businesses, IT infrastructure optimization serves as a means of meeting service level agreements, reducing response time, availability, and other customer service related parameters.

Profile partner involves considering the IT infrastructure of the enterprise in terms of impact on the business. Although cost reduction is always relevant, the main focus is on getting the economic effect of investments in Information Technology. In these situations, business units work with IT to improve the overall quality of the IT service and achieve end points. activity goals enterprises.

In companies this profile enabler IT infrastructure serves as an important element of a business development strategy. IT initiatives are the main driving force behind business development and are seen as a necessary condition for competitiveness.

In the Microsoft methodology for optimizing the IT infrastructure, the levels of maturity of the IT infrastructure of enterprises are distinguished. The IT infrastructure maturity model developed by Microsoft includes four levels [ 6.4 ] :

base;
standardized;
rationalized;
dynamic.

A basic level of The maturity of the IT infrastructure is characterized by the presence of a large number of manual processes, minimal centralization of management, the lack of standards and policies for security, backup, and system image management. The management of the enterprise and the IS service is poorly oriented in the capabilities of the existing IT infrastructure and its potential to improve business efficiency. At the same time, the costs of managing the IT infrastructure are high, as are the risks of ensuring the quality of the provision of IT services.

Enterprises with basic maturity level IT infrastructures can improve business efficiency when moving to a standardized level, by reducing costs by implementing the following areas:

development of standards and policies, as well as strategies for their application;
reduce security risks by creating defense in depth;
automation of many manual and time-consuming operations;
implementation of best practices.

Standardized Level the maturity of the IT infrastructure involves the introduction of control points based on standards and policies for the administration of desktop computers and servers, the definition of rules for connecting machines to the network, the maturity of the IT infrastructure of the enterprise, the costs of managing desktop computers, servers and network switching equipment are minimized, and support processes and IT service delivery is starting to play important role in support and expansion of business. When ensuring information security, the focus is on preventive measures, and any security threats the enterprise responds quickly and predictably.

The enterprise uses fully automated deployment, with minimal operator involvement. The number of software system images (images) is minimal, and management process desktop computers is minimized. The IS service maintains a database of configuration items with comprehensive information.

dynamic level The maturity of the IT infrastructure of an enterprise implies an understanding of the strategic value for efficient business conduct and gaining competitive advantages. This level assumes that all costs of the IS service are transparent and under full control, users have access to the data necessary for their work, an effective teamwork at the level of both employees and departments, and mobile users receive almost the same level of service as in the offices.

The processes of support and provision of IT services are automated. This is implemented using specialized and built-in software tools that allow you to manage information systems in accordance with changing business requirements. Investment in Information Technology give a quick and pre-calculated return for business.

For this level of maturity of the IT infrastructure of the enterprise, it is typical effective management support and delivery of IT services and continuous optimization of service support levels.

Enterprises with dynamic maturity level IT infrastructures have the ability to adopt the new IT technologies needed to sustain business growth, the benefits of which far outweigh additional expenses.

Implementation of 1C systems

Wireless networks

IT infrastructure management systems, ITSM.

IT infrastructure is a complex multicomponent integrated system, which is a complex information technologies(software and hardware) and ensures the activities of the organization. Computer equipment, software, network services, services, e-mail, monitoring systems, information security policies, control systems, data backup and storage systems, office equipment, telephony, etc. - all these are components of the IT infrastructure of the enterprise.

An example of an IT infrastructure diagram:

Depending on the business model of the organization and the size of the company IT infrastructure can be very different. To date, there are a large number of different technologies and solutions from different manufacturers. Their choice for building an IT infrastructure should be based on the solution of the main task IT infrastructure- meet business needs, ensure business continuity, data availability and security.

Creation of IT infrastructure

Creation of an effective IT infrastructure is a rather complex process requiring a high level of competence in various directions IT. It is necessary to analyze a large amount of information in order to ultimately obtain an effective IT infrastructure that meets the needs of the business.

IT infrastructure planning

In order to start planning for the future IT infrastructure necessary:

Conduct an analysis of the organization's business processes;

If during the operation of the IT infrastructure in an organization new business processes arise, existing ones change, the organization changes, we develop, there may be a need to modernize the IT infrastructure.

Modernization can mean almost any change in the IT infrastructure, the purpose of which is to increase the availability, security and efficiency of its use:

increasing capacity in connection with the development of the organization (acquisition of computers, servers, licenses, disks, memory, etc.);
introduction of new systems, services, services into the existing infrastructure due to changes in business needs (collaboration tools, CRM, ERP, document management system, two-factor authentication, etc.);
introduction of information security tools in connection with changes in legislation or the emergence of new lines of business (the need to ensure the safety of personal data, banking secrecy, state secrets, etc.).

Get expert advice

We have the necessary competencies and resources to implement IT infrastructure projects of any scale. We can help at any stage from planning to implementation and maintenance of IT infrastructure and ensure a high level of performance. Submit a description of the problem your business needs to solve. We will offer possible options for its solution and estimate the cost of its implementation.

Modern companies with an efficient IT infrastructure are getting serious competitive advantage strategic level. And continuous development business, such as expansion branch network, entering new markets, the complication of processes, entails a continuous complication of the company's software and hardware complex. Therefore, the need for sound IT management, especially for large structures, comes to the fore.

An important feature of modern big companies is the efficiency, accuracy and work with a huge amount of information that needs to be stored and protected. The IT infrastructure of such organizations, which consists of a large number of components - applications, communication services, server infrastructure, workstations and data storage systems, information security systems, network and engineering infrastructure - requires a systematic approach to management. The key tasks are the competent choice of software and hardware solutions, adequate management of all company systems, ensuring uninterrupted and safe operation.

Traditionally requirements various companies IT infrastructure depends on the specifics of the business.

For example, for large trade enterprises the ability to quickly scale up is critical retail network: open new stores and warehouses and quickly integrate them into the overall IT system. In this regard, the IT infrastructure of retail chains is characterized by scale and large territorial distribution.

In the banking sector, priorities are traditionally shifted towards security: great importance is attached to the protection of financial and personal information. Banks have always used the practice of reserving data centers at a remote site and a deeply echeloned data access system.

Modern business development trends large companies providing mass services cause a number of requirements for IT infrastructure, regardless of the specifics of their activities.

The transition to personal work with each client requires the storage, processing and protection of huge amounts of information. If for banks working with personal data of customers has always been one of the key processes, then for retail chains this new trend. The mass issue of discount and bonus cards, the launch of various promotions and other loyalty programs allows trading companies collect and analyze the personal data of buyers, which also need to be stored and protected.

The need to provide mass services in full and of the same quality at all service points requires centralized management of a distributed IT system. Transparency of operations throughout the entire network of the bank and the same high level of customer service in all its branches and branches, regardless of the territorial location, are becoming the standard of the banking business.

The rapid development of mobile and Internet technologies forces companies to make decisions and respond to changes very quickly. Internet and mobile sales, RFID tags, contactless payment technologies, self-checkouts (Self Checkout) - in the struggle for the modern "advanced" customer, companies are constantly coming up with new technological ways of selling. Similar processes can be observed in the banking sector: if earlier the launch of a new banking product on the market took several weeks, then with the development of new technologies this time is reduced to several hours.

Such trends make the following requirements for IT infrastructure especially significant (see figure):

uninterrupted work;
scalability;
safety;
the rate of change;
transparency and manageability;
adequate cost of ownership.

Let's consider how the listed requirements are reflected in the necessary IT properties of modern large companies.

Uninterrupted work

First of all, IT infrastructure should not interfere with business processes. IT of modern large companies is required to work 24x7; even short-term failures lead to downtime of critical business processes, to large financial and reputational losses.

Failures occur for two main reasons: equipment failure and various errors - user or software.

The problem with the equipment can be solved by duplicating or combining several instances of devices into a cluster. Then, if one of them fails, the rest will do its job. In particular, the virtualization mechanism allows you to further expand the possibilities of duplication.

To protect against user errors and software failures, companies create a backup and recovery system that allows you to restore up-to-date data in a short time.

Possible problems and failures are better prevented or stopped at an early stage than corrected. For these purposes, large companies use proactive monitoring systems that inform administrators about problems in the IT infrastructure before these problems lead to unpleasant consequences and stop business processes.

Scalability

Proactive monitoring is also necessary to timely identify bottlenecks in the IT infrastructure that limit business scalability. With regular tracking and “spreading” of such places, the likelihood that, as a result of business expansion, the entire IT infrastructure of the company will have to be rebuilt is greatly reduced.

To improve scalability, unified solutions are used - from the same configurations of operating systems and software to templates and scripts for deploying the infrastructure of entire branches (for example, new bank branches or retail stores). The more processes in an IT infrastructure are automated, the better, as a rule, its scalability and manageability.

Unified solutions also increase the speed of IT change in response to business developments. It's faster to change a common template once than to make changes to each instance. The simplest example of such an IT tool for replicating solutions is Group Policy. Once we change the policy setting on the central server, we are freed from having to change them on each server or workstation.

Safety

The more complex the infrastructure, the more different systems it includes, the more vulnerable it is. The volume of data and the complexity of business processes directly affect the architecture of information security systems.

Behind the information processed in banking systems, there is real money. Obviously, access to such data can lead to serious losses. This feature dramatically expands the circle of potential intruders and increases security requirements.

The information security system in banks necessarily includes access rights management, encryption of communication channels, total monitoring, and detailed logging.

To a lesser extent this question concerns retail chains, but here, too, the importance of financial and personal information, as well as an increase in electronic payments expose almost the same security requirements as in the banking sector.

The rate of change

Competition forces companies to constantly improve the level of service and the quality of services provided. Changing business processes should be supported by IT infrastructure services: if a decision is made to change, then it should be implemented as soon as possible.

An example is the development of Internet and mobile sales and banking: banks and retail chains strive not only to follow new technologies and be “no worse than competitors”, but to work “ahead of the curve”, trying to be the first and offer customers ever new technological services and services .

Transparency and manageability

The simpler and more transparent the infrastructure, the easier it is to manage, the fewer errors, and the cheaper the maintenance. The transparency and manageability of the IT infrastructure means predictable IT response to business changes. This ensures an informed assessment of whether the infrastructure is capable of supporting the necessary business changes, and if so, in what time frame and at what cost. Transparency is achieved by collecting data about the company's information system. These can be reports on the operation of hardware and software, information about changes in the architecture, accounting for licenses - everything that allows you to predict the behavior of IT with any changes. The more information about the processes and the state of the IT infrastructure is taken into account, the more accurately we can predict its behavior and, therefore, the more effectively we can manage it. But just getting information at a certain point in time is not enough. You need a history of state changes, a history of events that took place in IT. It is impossible to obtain such information without constant infrastructure monitoring. If each event is not only recorded, but also described and evaluated, this will make it possible to obtain a more complete forecast in case a problem occurs in the future, as well as reduce the time and financial costs of solving it.

Adequate cost of ownership

It should be borne in mind that the main costs of a large company are not for the purchase or creation of infrastructure, but for its support, which implies constant adjustment to the current needs of the business. For today's large companies with complex business processes, change in and of itself is not cheap. And multiplied by the scale, they often amount to astronomical amounts. Therefore, the requirement of a reasonable cost of ownership of IT infrastructure becomes especially important.

Modular structure allows you to change parts of the infrastructure, add new functionality and get rid of obsolete components with minimal cost, and common and proven technologies make it cheaper to integrate with other systems and make it easier to find support specialists. Therefore, initially the IT infrastructure should be built on a modular basis and based on mainstream technologies: this will make it possible to make changes to it in short time and at minimal cost.

So, modern tendencies are such that for large companies the specifics of the business in relation to the IT infrastructure goes by the wayside. Business is becoming more technological, there are many new tools, which inevitably leads to the complexity of the IT infrastructure. If earlier IT only supported business processes, now they are becoming an integral part of the business, the very essence of innovation.

To ensure the successful operation of an enterprise, its IT department develops an information infrastructure (applications, servers, disk arrays, networks) that allows it to provide a service of the appropriate level.

The historically established way of building IT departments fully reflects the structure of the information systems used. At the same time, each specific unit supports a certain information system. With this approach, as a rule, there is no effective system of interaction with business users and there are problems with determining the quality of the services provided.

Along with the first information systems, there was a need to manage corporate infrastructure.

Information technology in companies is usually understood as a set of information systems that support and automate existing business processes.

IT that is used in the service differ in a number of features:

The variety of applied IT, which is associated with the presence of a large number of subject areas related to the service sector, and their diversity.
IT intelligence. The service must implement the whole range of intellectual services related to individualization, i.e. with a more efficient operation of the product in the specific conditions of its use by this consumer (or with the expansion of the sphere of usefulness of the product for him).
Unification and standardization, the need to take into account Russian and international standards governing the use of IT in the service sector.
Individualization of IT, focus on a specific user. The success of service activities is determined by the demand for the service offered and by how accurately and in a timely manner the service company is able to determine the needs and individual preferences of each of its customers, offering a product or service at a higher level than competitors, which is possible thanks to IT.
IT scalability to meet the needs of both small and large businesses. large enterprises service.
Adaptability of IT, the ability to meet a variety of customer requests and needs, transform directly in the service process.

Information technology is a system organizational structures, ensuring the functioning and development of the information space of the enterprise and means of information interaction. The basis of information technology is IT infrastructure.

Infrastructure(lat.infra - below, under and naT.structura - structure, location) - a complex of interconnected service structures or objects that make up and / or provide the basis for the functioning of the system

Information technology infrastructure (IT infrastructure)- this is an organizational and technical association of software, computing and telecommunication means, links between them and operating personnel ensuring the provision of information, computing and telecommunications resources, capabilities and services to employees (divisions) of an enterprise (organization) necessary for the implementation professional activity and solving relevant business problems.

IT infrastructure includes a set of various applications, databases, servers, disk arrays, network equipment and provides consumers with access to information resources. IT infrastructure becomes a technological component of any service and ensures its provision in accordance with agreed rules and procedures.

Enterprise IT infrastructure- this is a single complex of software, technical, communication, information, organizational and technological means of ensuring the functioning of the enterprise, as well as means of managing them.

To ensure efficient operation, modern enterprises need an IT infrastructure consisting of an integrated set of systems, programs and services. IT infrastructure must be integral, as reliable as possible, well-designed, have a large margin of safety, correspond not only to the current state of the business, but also take into account its development in the future.

The underlying IT infrastructure is the technological underpinning for the operation of other layers of the corporate architecture. Proper design allows you to:

Reduce IT costs;
Simplify the modernization of existing infrastructure;
Minimize the likelihood of downtime or system failure;
Maintain the security of the organization's infrastructure at the proper level;
Provide simple IT infrastructure management;
Improve the reliability of the organization's IT infrastructure.

One of the conditions for the effectiveness of the functioning IT infrastructure is the established practice of its operation. The operation of the IT infrastructure should be based on policies and procedures developed and established as corporate standards. The distribution of functions and tasks within the IT department should ensure timely Maintenance all elements of the IT infrastructure.

Maintenance is a set of measures of the software and hardware level, carried out at the stage of production operation and aimed at ensuring the required reliability and efficiency of the information system.

At the moment, we can distinguish the following group of tasks solved by the IT department:

Ensuring efficiency, accessibility, confidentiality of processed information.
Ensuring the operation of the IT infrastructure.
Prevention and elimination of failures.
Planning crisis situations and their management.
Providing automatic monitoring of IT health.
Ensuring the reliability of the IT infrastructure.
Ensuring information security.
Modernization of equipment.
Minimize the cost of maintaining the IT infrastructure.

Ideally, IT infrastructure responds to environmental changes

functioning, increasing load, tightening business requirements, while maintaining its functionality, integrity, readiness, and the agreed level of security. The development of the market forces the organization to change business models, which, in turn, requires adequate changes in the IT infrastructure.

Enterprise IT Infrastructure Components

Over time, the composition of the IT infrastructure has changed.

In the days of mainframes, the infrastructure was:

communication lines,
modems,
power supply systems,
conditioning.

During the development local networks the infrastructure has remained the same, but the structure of its elements has become more complex.

Transition to global networks further complicate the concept.

At the same time, the complexity increased:

by increasing the number of elements,
connections between them
due to the complication of the internal structure of the elements, the redistribution of functions between them.

For example: channel management programs have moved to network device management. That is, in parallel with the complexity of the equipment, mathematics became more complicated - infrastructure management programs

The standard network complex infrastructure of any company includes the following components:

The physical composition includes:

wiring, routers,
switching devices,
servers, desktops,
cable system;
passive and active network equipment;
client jobs;
additional equipment (printers, fax machines, authorization devices);
system software ( OS(OS), information security tools, device drivers);
standard application software (processing tools spreadsheets, work with texts, email, files);
network services (DNS servers, packet protection, authorization, Internet access and application servers - database management systems (DBMS), mail services);
technical support services, dispatching and quality control center.

Organizational and administrative components:

instructions for setting up a server and client software site, work schedule;
rules for dividing the network into areas in accordance with the needs of security and performance;
special software focused on providing certain business processes (design, inventory control, accounting, interaction with suppliers, production management).

Information infrastructure of various levels (global, national, industry, organizations, etc.) contains:

distributed informational resources, including web resources (websites, portals, etc.), banks and databases (including those with remote access), digital libraries, electronic journals;
distributed computing resources, including shared computing centers, supercomputer centers, network computing resources of organizations, individual computers;
telecommunications resources that ensure the interaction of remote users with information and computing resources.

Types of IT infrastructure

IT types infrastructure tours	Specifications
	lack of coordination, manual accompaniment, scattered workplaces.	building a server infrastructure; introduction of a directory service for authentication; establishing services for automatic updates; application of anti-virus protection; traffic protection; implementation of basic scenarios of network technology (DNS, DHCP).
standardized	centralized management of IT infrastructure, the presence of automated basic processes, a directory service for authentication, updates are automated, workplace anti-virus protection; backup system for critical servers; central firewall; internal DNS, DHCP.	updating software at workplaces for the latest versions of the OS and office applications; active use of System Management Server; application of solutions for centralized backup and recovery after failures; organization of remote access to VPN networks; isolation of critical servers through the use of the IPSec protocol (for Active Directory / Exchange).
rational	centralized managed and consolidated IT	implementation of technologies for automating identity management;

infrastructure, use of the directory service and group policies for centralized administration; automation of control / monitoring of the functioning of software and hardware;

server monitoring; backup and recovery for all servers and workstations; remote access (VPN, Remote Desktop); server isolation with IPSec.

use System Management Server to manage servers; checking applications for compatibility;

workstation image management;

deployment / management of firewalls in the workplace;

organization of secure wireless network access via Internet Authentication Service (IAS) and Active Directory directory services.

dynamic

fully automated IT infrastructure, full provision of user needs in heterogeneous environments; automatic control server updates; automated application compatibility testing and automated workstation image management; firewalls - on servers and workstations; secure wireless connections.

solution for automatic distribution of server images; solution for determining the load level;

support for the quarantine of workplaces;

workplace performance monitoring;

readiness to switch to a new version of the OS;

tools for effective transition to new software versions; isolate Active Directory domains using IPSec.

It might be useful to read: