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Infrastructure Management 101: Key Concepts and Terminology

February 15, 2023 / by Frederid Palacios

In our last blog, we broke down the basics of what infrastructure management is and why it matters for organizations. While it’s important to understand an overview of this practice, it’s time to get into the details. Here, we’ll go in-depth into the key concepts and terminology to know regarding infrastructure management. 

infrastructure management 101

Infrastructure management is the systematic and organized approach to the planning, design, provision, operation, maintenance, and retirement of the physical and virtual components that support critical processes and services of an organization. 

 

Key Concepts

 

Asset Management

Asset management is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of physical and virtual assets, from procurement to decommissioning. This includes tracking, monitoring, and reporting on the status, location, and configuration of assets and ensuring they’re used efficiently and effectively.

 

Configuration Management

Configuration management is the process of maintaining the consistency and integrity of IT systems, applications, and services over time. This includes controlling changes to the environment, tracking and documenting changes, and ensuring that the systems and services are configured correctly and consistently. 

 

Capacity Management

Capacity management is the process of ensuring that the IT infrastructure has enough capacity to meet the demands of the business and that it’s used efficiently and effectively. This includes forecasting future demands, planning for capacity, and monitoring performance to ensure that the infrastructure can meet the needs of the business. 

 

Availability Management

Availability management is the process of ensuring that IT systems, applications, and services are available and accessible when needed. This includes planning for availability, monitoring and reporting on availability, and implementing procedures to ensure that systems and services are available when needed. 

 

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

Disaster recovery and business continuity are critical components of infrastructure management and are concerned with ensuring that IT systems and services are available–even in the event of disaster or outage. This includes developing plans for disaster recovery, conducting regular testing and simulations, and implementing procedures to ensure that systems and services are available in the event of a disaster. 

 

Infrastructure Management Terminology

When it comes to infrastructure management, it can be easy to get lost in the jargon. For that reason, we’re defining the need-to-know terminology to help you become a pro in infrastructure management. 

  • ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a widely used framework for IT service management and provides a structured and systematic approach to the delivery and support of IT services. ITIL defines best practices, processes, and procedures for IT service management and provides a common language and understanding of IT service management.
  • SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a contract between an IT service provider and a customer which defines the level of service that will be provided and the expectations of both parties. An SLA specifies the service levels that are expected, such as response times, availability, and performance. It also provides a means for monitoring and reporting on service levels. 
  • RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is the maximum amount of time that an IT system or service can be unavailable before it becomes critical for the business. The RTO is an important factor in determining the level of investment required for disaster recovery and business continuity. 
  • RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is the maximum amount of data loss that is acceptable in the event of a disaster or outage. The RPO is an important factor in determining the level of investment required for disaster recovery and business continuity, as well as designing the backup and recovery solutions required. 
  • NOC (Network Operations Center) is a central location where IT services and systems are monitored, managed, and maintained in real-time to ensure the reliability, performance, and availability of an organization’s network infrastructure. The NOC plays a critical role in monitoring and detecting network issues, as well as resolving network-related problems and outages. 

 

Best Practices in Infrastructure Management

Now that you can speak the infrastructure management language, it’s time to put your knowledge into practice. 

 

1. Documenting Infrastructure

Documenting the IT infrastructure is an important best practice in infrastructure management. This includes documenting the configuration, topology, and interconnections of the infrastructure, as well as the roles, responsibilities, and procedures for managing the infrastructure. Accurate and up-to-date documentation is critical for ensuring the efficient and effective management of the infrastructure, as well as for supporting disaster recovery and business continuity. 

 

2. Regular Maintenance and Upgrades

Regular maintenance and upgrades of the IT infrastructure are essential for ensuring its reliability, availability, and performance. This includes ensuring that hardware and software are up-to-date and secure and that the infrastructure is regularly patched and maintained. Regular maintenance also helps to identify and resolve potential issues before they become major problems and ensure that the infrastructure is aligned with the evolving needs of your business. 

 

3. Monitoring and Reporting

Monitoring and reporting are essential for ensuring that the infrastructure is performing as expected, as well as for identifying and resolving issues quickly. This includes monitoring the performance, availability, and utilization of the infrastructure, in addition to reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) and SLAs. Monitoring and reporting also provide valuable data and insights that can be used to optimize the performance and availability of the infrastructure. 

 

4. Communication and Collaboration Between Teams

Effective communication and collaboration between teams are crucial for ensuring the success of infrastructure management. This includes establishing clear roles and responsibilities, communicating changes and updates, and collaborating on projects and initiatives. Effective communication and collaboration ensure that the infrastructure is aligned with the needs of the business and that all teams are working together to achieve a common goal. 

 

These best practices are essential for ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of an organization’s IT systems. By following these practices, organizations can improve the performance, availability, and security of their infrastructure, as well as support the achievement of their IT goals. 

 

Infrastructure Management Questions: Answered

While we’ve broken down the basics of infrastructure management, don’t be surprised if you’re not an expert yet. If you have more questions to be answered, check out our FAQ page, where we break things down further. Or, if you’re looking for a more in-depth guide, get it directly from the source. Intertec International is expertly skilled in infrastructure management and is prepared to guide your business through the process. If you’re interested, contact one of our team members today!

 

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Tags: Project Management, Infrastructure

Frederid Palacios

Written by Frederid Palacios

Fred Palacios is a seasoned software architect with more than 20 years of experience participating in the entire software development cycle across a host of different industries--from automotive and services to petroleum, financial, and supply chain. In that time, his experience working closely with high-level stakeholders has provided him with a strategic vision for developing the right solutions to flexibly meet critical business needs. As CTO of Intertec, he's continuing to focus on the creation of business-critical applications for large enterprise projects, particularly those that handle high concurrency and large datasets. He is passionate about using technology as a tool to solve real-world problems and also mentoring technical teams to achieve their maximum potential and deliver quality software.

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