Choosing the Right IT Infrastructure for Your Organization

Part of creating an effective IT department is choosing the right infrastructure for your organization. Of course, right is a subjective quality that varies from one organization to another. Although a custom IT solution benefits your organization in the long run (rather than settling for a one-size-fits-all approach), it can be overwhelming to choose the infrastructure you need, especially if you’re unsure where to begin.

That said, let’s break down the decision-making process in finding the right IT infrastructure for your organization.

Types of Available IT Infrastructure

There are multiple solutions available in the market for IT infrastructure, including:

• On-site: a solution custom made in your office with the latest hardware and software available that houses your data and applications.
• Hosted: a solution that is managed by a third-party expert so you don’t have to worry about maintenance.
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): a form of cloud computing that hosts its resources over the Internet.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): a service that provides a platform on which software can be developed and deployed.
• Software as a Service (SaaS): a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet.
• Public cloud: computing services offered by third-party providers over the public Internet, making them available to anyone who wants to use or purchase them. They may be free or sold on-demand, allowing customers to pay only per usage (CPU cycles, storage, or bandwidth).
• Private cloud: a cloud computer model whose resources are provisioned over private IT infrastructure for use by a single organization.
• Hybrid cloud: a combination of private and public cloud customized for a client’s specific needs.

Clearly, there are several options available to your organization. And to complicate matters even further, some of these options can be combined depending on your organization’s goals.

Factors to Consider

The most important factors to consider in the infrastructure decision process are your company’s goals. From there, you can ask yourself what your company wants in terms of:

• Risks—what are the anticipated risks associated with the infrastructure?
• Ownership—do you want to pay for a subscription or to own the infrastructure outright?
• Manageability—do you want to have full control of the infrastructure or delegate some responsibilities to a third party?
• Features—what kinds of things does your company need from the computing environment to allow users/departments/processes to run more effectively and efficiently?

Although this decision will directly impact how your IT department functions, choosing infrastructure is not always solely an IT decision—really, it’s about your business as a whole and what’s most appropriate for your company’s efficiency.

How Do I Know Which Option Is Right?

As we explored above, there are several different types of IT infrastructures available, as well as various factors to consider in this decision-making process. So with all of those details in mind, how do you know which option is right for you?

The best way to start this conversation is by identifying your business needs. From there, you can weigh the options based on the information we discussed and determine which one is the best fit. You might also consider the following questions:

• What is the intent and need of the infrastructure?
• Are we trying to scale our business?
• Are we trying to protect ourselves against risk? What is that risk?
• Are we looking to reduce IT overhead?
• Where are the current efficiencies within technology used in the organization?

Though this isn’t an exhaustive list, it’s a great place to start.

Avoiding the “FUD:” Partnering with a Third Party

Partnering with an expert third-party organization like CTI can help your team muddle through the “FUD:” the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that comes with making this important decision.

CTI has the capabilities, tools, and expertise to develop the requirements you need for infrastructure based on your company goals. From there, we can help you sort through your options to determine the best match for your situation. As your IT solutions partner, CTI sees you through the process from identification and architecture to implementation and support.

Contact us today for more information on and assistance in choosing the infrastructure that’s right for your organization’s needs.