ICT Infrastructure
ICT, or information and communications technology (or technologies), is the
infrastructure and components that enable modern computing.
Infrastructure means the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g.
buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
Although there is no single, universal definition of ICT, the term is
generally accepted to mean all devices, networking components,
applications and systems that combined allow people and organizations
(i.e., businesses, nonprofit agencies, governments and criminal
enterprises) to interact in the digital world.
Components of an ICT system
ICT encompasses both the internet-enabled sphere as well as
the mobile one powered by wireless networks. It also includes
antiquated technologies, such as landline telephones, radio and
television broadcast -- all of which are still widely used today alongside
cutting-edge ICT pieces such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
ICT is sometimes used synonymously with IT (for information
technology); however, ICT is generally used to represent a broader,
more comprehensive list of all components related to computer and
digital technologies than IT.
The list of ICT components is exhaustive, and it continues to grow.
Some components, such as computers and telephones, have existed for
decades. Others, such as smartphones, digital TVs and robots, are more
recent entries.
ICT commonly means more than its list of components, though. It also
encompasses the application of all those various components. It's here
that the real potential, power and danger of ICT can be found.
Components of ICT
The term information and communications technology (ICT) is generally accepted to
mean all technologies that combine, allow people and organizations to interact in the
digital world.
ICT's societal and economic impact
ICT is leveraged for economic, societal and
interpersonal transactions and interactions. ICT has drastically changed
how people work, communicate, learn and live. Moreover, ICT
continues to revolutionize all parts of the human experience as first
computers and now robots do many of the tasks once handled by
humans. For example, computers once answered phones and directed
calls to the appropriate individuals to respond; now robots not only can
answer the calls, but they can often more quickly and efficiently handle
callers' requests for services.
ICT's importance to economic development and business growth has
been so monumental, in fact, that it's credited with ushering in what
many have labeled the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
ICT also underpins broad shifts in society, as individuals en masse are
moving from personal, face-to-face interactions to ones in the digital
space. This new era is frequently termed the Digital Age.
For all its revolutionary aspects, though, ICT capabilities aren't evenly
distributed. Simply put, richer countries and richer individuals enjoy
more access and thus have a greater ability to seize on the advantages
and opportunities powered by ICT.
Consider, for example, some findings from the World Bank. In 2016, it
stated that more than 75% of people worldwide have access to a
cellphone. However, internet access through either mobile or fixed
Broadband remains prohibitively expensive in many countries due to a
lack of ICT infrastructure. Furthermore, the World Bank estimated that
out of the global population of 7.4 billion people, more than 4 billion
don't have access to the internet. Additionally, it estimated that only 1.1
billion people have access to high-speed internet.
In the United States and elsewhere, this discrepancy in access to ICT
has created the so-called digital divide.
The World Bank, numerous governmental authorities and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) advocate policies and programs that
aim to bridge the digital divide by providing greater access to ICT
among those individuals and populations struggling to afford it.
These various institutions assert that those without ICT capabilities are
left out of the multiple opportunities and benefits that ICT creates and
will therefore fall further behind in socio-economic terms.
The United Nations considers one of its Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG) to "significantly increase access to information and
communications technology and strive to provide universal and
affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020."
Economic advantages are found both within the ICT market as well as
in the larger areas of business and society as a whole.
Within the ICT market, the advancement of ICT capabilities has made
the development and delivery of various technologies cheaper for ICT
vendors and their customers while also providing new market
opportunities. For instance, telephone companies that once had to build
and maintain miles of telephone lines have shifted to more advanced
networking materials and can provide telephone, television and internet
services; consumers now enjoy more choices in delivery and price
points as a result.
The significance of ICT in enterprises
For businesses, advances within ICT have brought a slew of cost
savings, opportunities and conveniences. They range from highly
automated businesses processes that have cut costs, to the big
data revolution where organizations are turning the vast trove
of data generated by ICT into insights that drive new products and
services, to ICT-enabled transactions such as internet shopping
and telemedicine and social media that give customers more choices in
how they shop, communicate and interact.
But ICT has also created problems and challenges to organizations and
individuals alike -- as well as to society as a whole. The digitization of
data, the expanding use of high-speed internet and the growing global
network together have led to new levels of crime, where so-called bad
actors can hatch electronically enabled schemes or illegally gain access
to systems to steal money, intellectual property or private information
or to disrupt systems that control critical infrastructure. ICT has also
brought automation and robots that displace workers who are unable to
transfer their skills to new positions. And ICT has allowed more and
more people to limit their interactions with others, creating what some
people fear is a population that could lose some of what makes it
human.
ICT permeates all aspects of life, providing newer, better, and quicker ways for
people to interact, network, seek help, gain access to information, and learn.
Besides its presence everywhere, Information and Communication Technology has an
immense economic significance.
What Does Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
Mean?
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is technology that is used to
handle communications processes such as telecommunications, broadcast media,
intelligent building management systems, audiovisual processing and
transmission systems, and network-based control and monitoring functions.
Although ICT is often considered an extended synonym for information technology (IT),
its scope is, in some ways, more broad. ICT is often used to describe the convergence of
several technologies, and the use of common transmission lines carrying very diverse
data and communication types and formats.
Techopedia Explains Information and Communications
Technology (ICT)
In a very simplified sense, ICT is used to talk about all of the technologies that
facilitate communications.
With that in mind, the term ICT has had several differing definitions applied to it.
It's generally associated with consolidating and managing telecom infrastructure
and converging technologies that have common transmission lines.
In some cases, ICT is also associated with delivering telecommunication services
to underserved areas, or promoting more vibrant telecommunications and IT
networks and services to facilitate career development.
To look at how this works, let's consider a given carrier that might offer a
modern hybrid cloud model based on various principles or philosophies such as
connectivity, security and unified channels. This type of integration of telecom
and wireless services would sit in the category of ICT.
In a more traditional example, converging technologies that exemplify ICT might
include the merging of audiovisual, telephone and computer networks through a
common cabling system. Internet service providers (ISPs) commonly provide
internet, phone and television services to homes and businesses through a single
optical cable, so that is considered an example of ICT implementation.
ICT and Unified Communications
A discussion of ICT should also include a discussion of the term “unified
communications.”
Unified communications basically refer to the broader delivery of diverse services
through multiple device or platform types. Instead of the “bundling” that so often
characterizes ICT, UC may rely on a much different paradigm.
In some cases, experts suggest that where ICT, refers to the convergence of
technologies on common transmission lines, Unified Communications has more
to do with a single private network platform that consolidates telecom and
communication services.
In general, unified communication is a goal and a concept that's being applied to
enterprise IT. Where unified communications is a an objective, ICT will often
have relevance.
ICT and VoIP
A discussion of ICT might also not be complete without a discussion of utilizing
VoIP to innovate telecom.
Voice over IP is replacing traditional wired telecom for voice. Increasingly, users
are able to utilize desktop phones or other endpoints to get on a voice call
through the Internet, instead of over traditional landlines or even more modern
cellular telephony channels.
Here, ICT may be instructive. These types of ICT networks may involve unifying
messaging and social structures as well.
As an additional example, some ICT structures may have other infrastructure
goals, such as reducing costs of communication transmission and channel
unification. All of it can live under the banner of ICT, as we move forward with
innovations such as UC, virtualization, AI and the Internet of Things, which begs
for more evolved networking systems. ICT will represent that category that
addresses modern communications in every new era.
Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure
What are the components of IT infrastructure
Hardware
Hardware includes servers, datacenters, personal computers, routers,
switches, and other equipment.
The facilities that house, cool, and power a datacenter could also be
included as part of the infrastructure.
Software
Software refers to the applications used by the business, such as web
servers, content management systems, and the OS—like Linux®. The
OS is responsible for managing system resources and hardware, and
makes the connections between all of your software and the physical
resources that do the work.
Networking
Interconnected network components enable network operations,
management, and communication between internal and external
systems. The network consists of internet connectivity, network
enablement, firewalls and security, as well as hardware like routers,
switches, and cables.
Types of IT infrastructure
Traditional infrastructure
With a traditional infrastructure, the components—like datacenters, data
storage, and other equipment—are all managed and owned by the
business within their own facilities. Traditional infrastructure is often
thought of as expensive to run and requires large amounts of hardware,
like servers, as well as power and physical space.
Cloud infrastructure
Cloud infrastructure describes the components and resources needed
for cloud computing. You can create a private cloud by building it
yourself using resources dedicated solely to you. Or you can use
a public cloud by renting cloud infrastructure from a cloud
provider like Alibaba, Amazon, Google, IBM, or Microsoft. And by
incorporating some degree of workload portability, orchestration, and
management across multiple clouds you can create a hybrid cloud.
Hyperconverged infrastructure
Hyperconverged infrastructure allows you to manage your compute,
network, and data storage resources from a single interface. With
software-defined compute and data storage bundled together, you can
support more modern workloads with scalable architectures on industrystandard hardware.
IT infrastructure management
IT infrastructure management is the coordination of IT resources,
systems, platforms, people, and environments. Here are some of the
most common technology infrastructure management types:









OS management: Oversees environments running the same OS
by providing content, patch, provisioning, and subscription
management.
Cloud management: Gives cloud admins control over everything
running in a cloud—end users, data, applications, and services—
by managing resource deployments, use, integration, and disaster
recovery.
Virtualization management: Interfaces with virtual environments
and the underlying physical hardware to simplify resource
administration, enhance data analyses, and streamline
operations.
IT operations management: Also known as business process
management, this is the practice of modeling, analyzing, and
optimizing business processes that are often repeated, ongoing,
or predictable.
IT automation: Creates repeatable instructions and processes to
replace or reduce human interaction with IT systems. Also known
as infrastructure automation.
Container orchestration: Automates the deployment,
management, scaling, and networking of containers.
Configuration management: Maintains computer systems,
servers, and software in a desired, consistent state.
API management: Distributes, controls, and analyzes the
application programming interfaces (APIs) that connect apps and
data across enterprises and clouds.
Risk management: Identifies and assesses risks and creates
plans to minimize or control those risks and their potential
impacts.
Learn more about IT infrastructure management
Why build your IT infrastructure with Red Hat
Red Hat offers software and support for every enterprise IT need, from
infrastructure to platforms, data storage to containers, and management
to automation. The result is a standardized platform across physical,
virtual, private cloud, and public cloud environments, with solutions that
work as well with one another as they do with your existing technologies
and processes.
Simplicity is the key to a more efficient, more secure IT ecosystem. By
deploying an infrastructure built on open source technologies, you can
simplify your IT stack while still maintaining your ability to do whatever
you want now, and prepare for where you want to go in the future.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure are the basic systems that undergird the structure of the economy.
Examples of infrastructure include transportation facilities, telecommunications networks,
and water supplies.
The term infrastructure refers to the basic physical systems of a
business, region, or nation. These systems tend to be capital intensive
and high-cost investments, and are vital to a country's economic
development and prosperity. In economic terms, infrastructure often
involves the production of public goods or production processes that
support natural monopolies. Examples of infrastructure include
transportation systems, communication networks, sewage, water, and
electric systems. Projects related to infrastructure improvements may
be funded publicly, privately, or through public-private partnerships.
KEY TAKEAWAYS





Infrastructure are the basic systems that undergird the structure of
the economy.
Examples of infrastructure include transportation facilities,
telecommunications networks, and water supplies.
Large scale infrastructure is usually produced by the public sector or
publicly regulated monopolies
Infrastructure can often be produced on a smaller scale by private
firms or through local collective action.
Infrastructure investment tends to be less volatile than some other
asset classes and is sometimes sought as an investment.
Understanding Infrastructure
Applicable to large- and small-scale organizational frameworks, infrastructure
includes a variety of systems and structures as long as physical components are
required. For example, the electrical grid across a city, state or country is
infrastructure based on the equipment involved and the intent to provide a
service to the areas it supports.
The physical cabling and components making up the data network of a company
operating within a specific location are also the infrastructure for the business in
question, as they are necessary to support business operations.
Because infrastructure often involves the production of either public goods or
goods that lend themselves to production by natural monopolies, it is typical to
see public financing, control, supervision, or regulation of infrastructure. This
usually takes the form of direct government production or production by a
closely regulated, legally sanctioned, and often subsidized monopoly.
Infrastructure can also often take on the characteristics of club goods or goods
most readily produced by localized monopolies when it comes to much smaller
scales. As such, it can be provided within the context of a private
company producing infrastructure for use within the firm or provided by localized
arrangements of formal or informal collective action.
Special Considerations
The term infrastructure first appeared in usage in the late 1880s. The word
comes from French, with infra- meaning below and structure meaning building.
Infrastructure is the foundation upon which the structure of the economy is
built—often quite literally.
In 1987, a panel of the U.S. National Research Council adopted the term “public
works infrastructure” to refer to functional modes including highways, airports,
telecommunications, and water supplies, as well as the combined systems that
these elements comprise.
The following are a few of the classifications of infrastructure:
IT Infrastructure
Many technical systems are often referred to as infrastructures, such as
networking equipment and servers, due to the critical function they provide
within specific business environments. Without the information technology (IT)
infrastructure, many businesses struggle to share and move data in a way that
promotes efficiency within the workplace. If IT infrastructure fails, many business
functions cannot be performed.
Infrastructure as an Asset Class
Infrastructure is also an asset class that tends to be less volatile
than equities over the long term and provides a higher yield. As a result, some
companies and individuals like to invest in infrastructure funds for their defensive
characteristics, such as funds involved in transportation or water infrastructure.
Private Investment in Public Infrastructure
Sometimes private companies choose to invest in a country's infrastructure
development as part of a business expansion effort. For example, an energy
company may build pipelines and railways in a country where it wants to refine
petroleum. This investment can benefit both the company and the country.
Cintra entered into a 99-year lease with the City of Chicago in 2004 to operate
and maintain the Chicago Skyway Bridge. As part of the agreement, Cintra
receives all toll and concession revenue generated by the bridge, while the city
benefited from a $1.82 billion cash infusion and is no longer responsible for
maintaining the bridge.
Individuals may also choose to fund improvements to certain pieces of public
infrastructure. For example, an individual may fund improvements to hospitals,
schools, or local law enforcement efforts.
Types of Infrastructure
There are several different types of infrastructure. We've listed some of the most
common categories below.
Soft Infrastructure
Soft infrastructure makes up institutions that help maintain the economy. It
usually requires human capital and helps deliver certain services to the
population. Examples include the health care system, financial institutions,
governmental systems, law enforcement, and education systems.
Hard Infrastructure
This kind of infrastructure makes up the physical systems that make it necessary
to run a modern, industrialized nation. Examples include roads, highways,
bridges, as well as the capital/assets needed to make them operational (transit
buses, vehicles, oil rigs/refineries).
Critical Infrastructure
This type of infrastructure is comprised of assets that are defined by a
government as being essential to the functioning of a society and economy,
such as facilities for shelter and heating, telecommunication, public health,
agriculture, etc. In the United States, there are agencies responsible for these
critical infrastructures, such as Homeland Security, the Department of Energy,
and the Department of Transportation.
Along with the aforementioned sectors, infrastructure includes waste disposal
services, such as garbage pickup and local dumps. Certain administrative
functions, which are often covered by various government agencies, are also
considered part of the infrastructure. Educational and health care facilities may
also be included, along with specific research and development (R&D) functions
and necessary training facilities.
A media access control (MAC) address is a unique identifier assigned to a
network interface controller for use as a network address in communications
within a network segment. This use is common in most IEEE 802 networking
technologies, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.