The Growing Need for IT Infrastructure Services

The Growing Need for IT Infrastructure Services

In the first generation mainframe era IT Infrastructures were based on local data centre in large corporate
offices. Hardware of early computer systems was complex to operate and maintain, and therefore required a
special environment to operate. Many cables were necessary to connect all the components and methods to
accommodate and organize these were devised, such as standard racks to mount equipment, elevated floors,
and cable trays (installed overhead or under the elevated floor).

During that time even old computers required a great deal of power, and had to be cooled to avoid
overheating. An important consideration during that time was security because computers were expensive,
and were often used for military purposes. Basic design guidelines for controlling access to the computer room
were therefore devised.

Today, IT Infrastructure management of an enterprise includes wide range and variety of servers, storage
devices, network devices, security devices and software components. Large enterprise have multiple sets of
data centers connected together over variety of technologies such has dedicated link, VPN links, MPLS etc.

Cloud Computing & Data Centers

Cloud computing is basically the concept where computing is "in the cloud" i.e. that the processing (and the
related data) is not in a specified, known or static place(s). This is in contrast to the traditional computing
where the processing takes place in one or more specific servers that are known. However, it must be noted
that, the server location, place and controls are still known to someone who is a part in service delivery chain.

Cloud computing has enabled the availability of inexpensive networking equipment, coupled with new
standards for network cabling and made it possible to use a hierarchical design that put the servers in a
specific room inside the company. Cloud computing has also helped data centres to gain popular recognition.

Data centers gained more importance when companies needed fast Internet connectivity and nonstop
operation to deploy systems and establish a presence on the Internet. Installing such equipment was not
viable for many smaller companies. Many companies started building very large facilities, called Internet data
centers (IDCs), which provide businesses with a range of solutions for systems deployment and operation.

New technologies and practices were designed to handle the scale and the operational requirements of such
large-scale operations. These practices eventually migrated towards datacenter hosting, and were adopted
largely because of their practical results. Network consulting services provide datacenter services that can
deliver more than ten times the network capacity of a large corporate city building. This capacity, coupled with
highly specified environmental controls, can offer considerable savings on long-term capital and operational
costs to enterprises.

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