IT Infrastructure and
Platforms
6.1
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
OBJECTIVES
• Define IT infrastructure and describe the
components and levels of IT infrastructure
• Identify and describe the stages of IT
infrastructure evolution
• Identify and describe the technology drivers of IT
infrastructure evolution
6.2
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
OBJECTIVES (Continued)
• Assess contemporary computer hardware
platform trends
• Assess contemporary software platform trends
• Evaluate the challenges of managing IT
infrastructure and management solutions
6.3
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
Hong Kong’s New World Telecommunications Case
• Challenge: fragmented, high-cost IT
infrastructure slowed down market and
customer response times
• Solutions: integrated storage area network to
enable the flow of information among different
types and brands of computer servers
• Reduce number of servers from 107 to 70
• Illustrates the importance of IT infrastructure
for achieving business objectives
6.4
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Defining IT Infrastructure
• Includes hardware, software, and IT services or any
other components which are need to deliver IT
services to customers
• A set of physical devices and software applications
that are required to operate the entire enterprise
• Your firm is largely dependent on its infrastructure for
delivering services to customers, employees, and
suppliers.
6.5
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IT infrastructure Categories
• Purchased software's : ERP, RDMS , OS office
tools
• IT infrastructure hardware: machine ,desktops,
server ,Communication devices.
• S/W development
• S/W maintenance ( corrective ,perfective )
• IT services : S/W setup, help desk, computer
administration)
• Human resource : staff
6.6
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
The Connection between the Firm, IT Infrastructure, and
Business Capabilities
6.7
Figure 6-1
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Levels of IT Infrastructure
Three major levels of infrastructure:
• Public
• Enterprise
• Business unit
6.8
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Levels of IT Infrastructure
6.9
Figure 6-2
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Evolution of IT Infrastructure: 1950–2005
• Electronic accounting machine era: (1930–1950)
• General-purpose mainframe and minicomputer
era: (1959 to present)
• Personal computer era: (1981 to present)
• Client/server era: (1983 to present)
• Enterprise internet computing era: (1992 to
present)
6.10
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
IT INFRASTRUCTURE
A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N-tier)
6.11
Figure 6-4
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Seven Key Infrastructure Components
• Computer Hardware Platforms
• Operating System Platforms
• Enterprise Software Applications
• Data Management and Storage
6.12
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Seven Key Infrastructure Components (Continued)
• Networking/Telecommunications Platforms
• Internet Platforms
• Consulting and System Integration Services
6.13
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Management Information Systems
IT Infrastructure and Platforms
INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
The IT Infrastructure Ecosystem
6.14
Figure 6-11
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS
Networking/Telecommunications Platform (Continued)
• Enterprise networking almost entirely Linux or
UNIX
• Cisco, Lucent, Nortel, and Juniper Networks
continue to dominate networking hardware.
• The telecommunications services market is
highly dynamic with MCI, AT&T, and Sprint
providing most trunk line services for both phone
and Internet.
• Growth of non-telephone Wi-Fi and Internet
telephony
6.15
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Grid Computing:
• Involves connecting geographically remote
computers into a single network capable of
working in parallel on business problems that
require short-term access to large computational
capacity
• Rather than purchase huge mainframes or super
computers, firms can chain together thousands
of smaller desktop clients into a single computing
grid.
6.16
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Grid Computing (Continued)
• Most computers in the world are loafing, and at
night they are sleeping.
• It is estimated that from 25% - 50% of the
computing power in the United States is unused.
• Grid computing saves infrastructure spending,
increases speed of computing, and increases the
agility of firms.
• Examples: Royal Dutch/Shell Group and the
National Digital Mammography Archive
6.17
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
On-Demand (Utility) Computing:
• Firms off-loading peak demand for computing
power to remote, large-scale data processing
centers
• Developed by IBM, SUN, and HP
• Firms pay only for the computing power they use,
as with an electrical utility.
6.18
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
On-Demand (Utility) Computing: (Continued)
• Excellent for firms with spiked demand curves
caused by seasonal variations in consumer
demand, e.g. holiday shopping
• Example: Harry and David use IBM’s On-Demand
computing
• Saves firms from purchasing excessive levels of
infrastructure
6.19
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Autonomic Computing:
• Computer systems (both hardware and software)
have become so complex that the cost of
managing them has risen.
• Thirty to fifty percent of a company’s IT budget is
spent preventing or recovering from system
crashes.
• Operator error is the most common cause of
crashes.
6.20
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
CONTEMPORARY HARDWARE PLATFORM TRENDS
Autonomic computing is an industry-wide effort
to develop systems that can:
• Configure, optimize, and tune themselves
• Heal themselves when broken
• Protect themselves from outside intruders and
self-destruction
• Example: Windows XP and Max X OS
automatically download patches and updates.
6.21
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Management Information Systems
Chapter 6 IT Infrastructure and Platforms
MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND SOLUTIONS
Total cost of ownership of technology assets:
When calculating the costs of systems, be sure to
include all the costs:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6.22
Hardware acquisition
Software acquisition
Installation
Training
Support
Maintenance
Infrastructure requirements
Downtime
Space and energy
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Design of IT infrastructure
• Design of data centre and server room
• Design of IT network
• Hardware and software specifications of servers and
desktops and laptops
• Details of access ,controls to be implemented to access
critical IT assets
• Internet bandwidth ,security devices and applications
• E-mail service to be set up
• Design of backup and disaster recovery mechanism
6.23
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IT infrastructure services includes:
• Active directory design: structure ,geographic
spread of organization. Design of directory
,deployment of domain controllers ,global
catalogue servers ,single master role servers.
• Migration to new release of infrastructure
products
• protecting the Enterprise: security risk
• Network : LAN and WAN ,hub switch ,routers
• And configuration of servers
6.24
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6.25
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