As your company grows, it will inevitably face fresh challenges. And you’ll have to find ways to solve them. Technological tools and solutions can help, however, you don’t want to chop and change your tech stack to incorporate them. Neither do you want to invest in expensive infrastructure or force your team to learn new apps every few months just to keep up with evolving operations.
It’s much more efficient and practical to have an easily scalable IT infrastructure. An infrastructure that can grow and adapt to suit your changing conditions, making it easier to manage and mitigate some of the risks it sometimes brings. In short, a scalable IT infrastructure is a sound investment and the key factor behind many modern successful businesses. This guide looks at how to build it.
Why Scalable IT Infrastructure Is Essential
Your IT infrastructure encompasses everything from your physical computing hardware to the networks you run internally and externally, plus the software you run on those systems. It’s the backbone of your entire operation and supports everything from worker productivity to customer service to data security. And it’s essential to businesses in all sectors as well – finance, medicine, manufacturing, and, of course, tech.
But as your business grows, your infrastructure must grow with it. Being able to rapidly scale this infrastructure means you can add resources and reduce downtime while helping to ensure all system performance remains consistent. It helps you avoid the usual “growing pains” that many startups face as they begin to build and expand their operations.
If your infrastructure is not easily scalable, it could force your business to make some hard decisions. You may find, for instance, that your existing solutions are suddenly insufficient to meet clients’ needs, leading to drops in satisfaction and loss of business. Or you might face costly delays, bottlenecks, or even data security issues, all because of limited infrastructure that no longer meets your needs.
In short, unscalable infrastructure hampers development. It makes it more difficult for your business to grow and adjust to the new demands of that growth. You may face persistent problems with software compatibility or outdated tech that is inconsistent with new emerging industry standards.
How to Build Scalable Infrastructure – Tips, Techniques, and Best Practices
Now you know the importance of scalable infrastructure, let’s take a closer look at how to go about procuring and deploying it.
Assess Your Situation
The starting point for building a scalable infrastructure is simple: you first need to know what you’re working with, so you know what to improve and how. You’ll want to assess the following:
Servers
How much memory do they have? Are they nearly full? Are they on-site or cloud-based? Determine how much storage you have and currently use, consider your growth goals, and calculate how much you may need in the future as your brand expands.
Software
What software programs are you using? Are they scalable and expandable? Local or cloud-based? Picture your brand a few years down the line, with much more intensive operations and a greatly increased workflow. Would the apps you’re using now be able to cope with that? If not, switch to more scalable alternatives.
Network
Your network must be expandable to handle additional users, as growth often means more team members join the business. That means more devices on the network and greater demands regarding downloading, uploading, file sharing, and so on.
Thus one of the goals of an IT audit is simple: to identify the weak points of your existing infrastructure and spot the areas most suited for scalability upgrades.
Make the Most of the Cloud
The cloud is potentially your best resource for building scalable IT infrastructure. It offers easily expandable storage for data and software. Best of all, you only need to purchase a small amount of storage to begin with, but you can quickly expand your cloud storage when needed. Plus, it’s an excellent tool for teams that have remote workers, as it gives them full access to important work files, wherever they are.
But beyond scalability, using the cloud can also be financially efficient. Many cloud providers offer pay-as-you-go plans, which ensures you’re only paying for the space you need.
Adopt Virtualization
In the past, it was normal for every member of staff to have their own computer and their own copy of all the company software on their individual devices. These days, that approach is often seen as financially and resource-wasteful. These days, more and more firms turning to virtualization – the creation of virtual desktops, servers, networks, and more – as a more sustainable, scalable alternative.
This provides many of the same benefits as cloud computing. It allows you to create as many virtual machines as you require to suit your expanding workforce and growing operations, without having to physically invest in physical desktops, servers, and devices. Hardware costs are significantly lower this way, and resource utilization is dramatically more efficient.
Get the Best Possible Network
No matter how good your physical hardware, software, or cloud capability is, your IT infrastructure is only as good as your network. If your download, upload, and file transfer speeds aren’t up to scratch, workers will invariably struggle to fulfill their duties. Delays will occur, morale will suffer, and customers may look elsewhere for what they need.
Incorporating these key features into your network should help to optimize and future-proof it:
Managed Network Switches
A managed switch allows you to control your network traffic and gives you more control over what users can access and when. This improves the experience for the user. You’ll also be able to monitor the network more efficiently.
Although it is more complicated to set up than an unmanaged switch, it is easier to scale up and maintain the quality of all network connections.
Wi-Fi 6
Naturally, the latest Wi-Fi standard offers the best levels of performance, can handle more data, is faster, and more reliable. It’s essential if you want to stay at the top of your game when dealing with rapid expansion.
Software-Defined Wide Area Network
This can help you avoid bottlenecks. It automatically allocates bandwidth depending on who needs it the most. It’s an efficient way to make sure every application can do its job properly.
Remember Security
In the rush to offer the fastest possible network, it’s easy to scale up your infrastructure and forget about security. You can’t afford to do this. Your systems need good firewalls, anti-virus, encryption, and intrusion detection systems. These systems should not only meet industry regulations but in some cases should exceed them, as this will make it easier to keep up with changes as your business grows.
Focus on:
Next-Generation Firewalls
In short, the latest generation of firewalls will offer stronger security than the older version, helping you detect and block threats, maintain compliance, and avoid the consequences of crippling cyber-attacks.
Multi-Factor Authentication
This is vital for the security of any network, particularly business networks that may handle sensitive customer data and require strict access controls. Multi-factor authentication ensures that, even if IDs and passwords are stolen, it’s still not possible to get into your system
Security as a Service
Giving control of your network security to someone else – such as a third-party IT technician – can seem risky. However, investing in a trusted Security as a Service provider is often the smartest move, especially for smaller firms that may not necessarily have the money to invest in dedicated cybersecurity teams of their own. These providers often offer scalable packages you can tune up or down as your business evolves.
Monitor Regularly
Designing and implementing a scalable IT infrastructure takes time. However, it’s something that never really ends, because the goalposts are always moving.
Constant monitoring and optimization are key. You need to keep your eyes on your IT at all times, monitoring performance levels, generating and reading reports, identifying possible weak points, and addressing them in a timely fashion. That might mean making tiny tweaks to CPU usage and memory allocation, or larger-scale changes, depending on your company’s rate of growth.
Prepare for the Worst
Another crucial component of a scalable IT infrastructure strategy is to make sure you’re ready for those “worst-case scenarios” that few people like to think about. Imagine, for instance, a disaster that affects your office and physical hardware, wiping out devices and files in an instant.
Invest in scalable storage and emergency backup solutions to mitigate the risks of such a disaster. Examine the benefits of distributed storage systems and built-in redundancies throughout your infrastructure to activate and take on tasks if and when core system components fail. This will help you keep downtime to a minimum, temper the effects of emergencies, and keep availability high – all invaluable metrics for a truly scalable IT infrastructure.
Invest in Scalable IT Infrastructure Today
For tech companies, IT infrastructure is the bedrock of your business. It’s what powers your team, your operations, and the services you provide. If you hope to build up your brand and enjoy lasting, long-term success, you need infrastructure that will scale and grow by your side, every step of the way. With that in mind, make the right choice – invest in scalable solutions that won’t let you down.
