Every commercial building needs a solid IT infrastructure to manage daily building traffic, security, and operations.
Have you begun the planning process for your critical infrastructure? You must understand the latest information on best practices and new technologies.
Keep reading as we discuss the best practices to futureproof critical infrastructure. This guide will discuss how to evaluate your needs, along with the top tools and technologies for your critical infrastructure.
How To Plan A Futureproof IT Infrastructure
Here are some best practices to follow when planning a future-proof IT infrastructure.
Identify Your Needs
Before you begin planning and executing your IT infrastructure, it’s essential to clarify your current needs and the potential requirements of the future. You should create a defined list of the applications and tools for daily building operations. You should also assess any vulnerabilities within these systems that you must cover.
While identifying your needs, you must evaluate these needs in line with your budget, ensuring that you have the resources to cover your essential infrastructure tools and technologies. During this time, it’s a good idea to identify any plans for future growth and expansion and how well your IT infrastructure can scale to meet your future needs.
Conduct An Assessment
You must assess your current IT infrastructure to identify any need for improvement. Here are some of the areas to cover in your assessment:
- Identify any needs for upgrades – if you are operating using outdated and redundant technologies, updating these technologies will help you to futureproof your IT systems.
- Identify scalability issues – if your IT infrastructure is complex and time-consuming to scale as your business grows, opting for a more scalable solution will likely be beneficial.
- Identify security vulnerabilities – cybersecurity is essential to protect your critical infrastructure and valuable data, avoiding breaking GDPR compliance.
- Identify cost-saving opportunities – maintaining your IT infrastructure can be draining when working with outdated systems. Modernising your infrastructure could result in cost savings.
Best Practices For Futureproofing Your Critical Infrastructure
Below are some best practices to consider when planning and implementing new critical infrastructure tools and technologies.
Switching To Cloud-Based Technologies
Cloud-based systems can resolve many of the issues present with on-premise alternatives. To help you understand the importance of cloud-based technologies, let’s discuss the benefits of cloud-based security tools compared to on-premise options.
Physical security is an essential part of your building and IT infrastructure. It helps secure your facility’s digital resources while facilitating daily building use. If you’re operating using an on-premise security system, you might encounter the following issues:
- Maintenance – when your on-premise security tools need repairs, you must call a service engineer to visit your premises. You could experience system downtime for days during this time.
- Storage – you must allocate space for server storage for your security data, which will detriment the ROI you receive on your space investments.
- Scalability – an on-premise system requires complex wiring systems to connect security hardware to servers, such as business CCTV systems. This makes it extremely challenging and time-consuming to scale your security system as your business needs increase.
For the above reasons, many businesses opt for cloud-based alternatives to their on-premise security tools. With cloud-based security tools, you gain the following advantages:
- Over-the-air updates – cloud-based security systems come with PSaaS, allowing your service provider to troubleshoot and update your system remotely.
- Remote management – using a mobile device, you can manage your security and view security data from anywhere.
- Cloud storage – you do not need to rely on servers for data storage, as your security data is stored in the cloud.
- Wireless connectivity – cloud-based systems are easier to scale because they do not require complex wiring infrastructure. They communicate using wireless methods to ensure easy deployment and scalability.
For the above reasons, many businesses are switching to cloud-based alternatives to their on-premise infrastructure – for security, office platforms, and more.
AI and Automation
Automation is the key to reducing manual and time-consuming tasks within a facility. By planning a critical infrastructure with AI and automation, you can reduce the potential for human error and eliminate repetitive tasks. Opting for cloud-based systems grants you access to open API integrations that allow you to apply AI and analytics software to automate processes and ensure smoother management.
DevOps
By creating better communications between your development and operations teams, you can ensure that the software you create and implement serves to improve daily operations. A DevOps strategy will ensure that software tools are deployed and created with the daily user experience in mind.
Summary
Strategies that centre around cloud migration are helping businesses to modernise their critical infrastructure and resolve any future issues surrounding scalability. Open API integrations allow for more automation with AI and analytics tools, and DevOps strategies ensure software aligns with the daily user experience. Consider implementing these tools and practices to ensure your critical infrastructure is prepared for the future of your business needs.