Introduction

We are now in an era where IT systems are the backbone of every growing business. All enterprises, be it small, medium or large, spend proportionately on their IT infrastructure. IT infrastructure can range from something as simple as one computer loaded with the right software to something as large as a network of 2000-5000 spread across floors. Managing the computing, networking, storage, and maintenance of such a huge number of systems is a humongous task. To make the situation worse, the technology is constantly moving ahead, making it impossible to use the old and outdated resources. Without any experts to help, technology becomes more of a hindrance and less of an enabler.

To help business meet these challenges, we need skilled professionals who can help make technology relevant to the business. There is a growing need for experts in management of IT infrastructure.

Current Scenario

The domain of IT infrastructure services is currently dominated by giants like Wipro, Cognizant, and Tech Mahindra. But gradually, many small players are realizing the untapped potential of this field and are now making their mark. There is also an increasing trend where large enterprises prefer to have an in-house team of IT infrastructure Management Professionals who can take care of all the technical requirements of their business. This strategy saves the bottom line costs and has proved to be efficient in the long run. The technical team can help strategize long-term plans about integrating the latest technological solutions available in a way that is most efficient for the business.

Key Responsibilities

The work of an IT manager dealing in IT infrastructure can be broadly categorized into three categories.

The first one is about installation and setup. This largely involves setting up work stations, network, server installation, storage, information security and implementing protocols from scratch. This may be considered as the most fundamental responsibility of an IT manager.

The second one is about integrating new or advanced technology solutions to the existing system with minimal downtime. This includes upgrades, maintenance, backup and recovery, crisis management, etc. This requires in-depth know how of the existing systems work as there are many compatibility issues to deal with.

The third category is about consulting firms about IT infrastructure: finding and developing the best solution suited for the business. Analyzing the data from current usage and predicting future requirements, optimizing the current infrastructure, understanding the need gaps, training the technical staff in advanced technology, and developing solutions as per the business need are some of the tasks that one can expect at an advanced level from an IT manager.

Who Should Take Up This Job

If the field excites you and you want to pursue a career in this domain, it is important to know what skills you will require to become the best here.

1. Background in IT – Basic know how of the IT domain is important to help you grasp the concepts quickly and efficiently
2. Agile working – The technology is changing fast. Before you know it, the new upgrade is around. It is important to keep a quick check on business needs and stay updated always.
3. Crisis Management – Any problem in infrastructure can lead to a huge loss in productivity, thereby leading to financial losses. Crisis management thus becomes an important skill.
4. Team Player – To create and maintain huge infrastructures, it is important to keep the team together.
5. Analysis and forecast – Find the need gaps in the current system and anticipate the required changes.

What Will You Learn

Most of the courses start from the basics of computer systems and then move to advanced topics in technology and management, as follows:

• IT Basics – Operating systems, Application basics
• Networking Essentials – Client server and WAN, Implementation, Maintenance of Network infrastructure
• Networking solutions by Microsoft and CISCO- windows server 2003, windows vista.
• Enterprise Security, Data Centre Management
• Remote Monitoring and Reporting Tools
• ITIL Fundamentals (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)
• Open source solutions – Linux 124, 135,255
• Unix Essentials, Sun Solaris System Administration, Hardware & Storage Systems
• Enterprise Data Management, Back-Up & Recovery Solutions
• Disaster Recovery Solutions
• Project Management methodology

Future of IT Infrastructure Management

The domain is largely industry driven. The courses in Infrastructure management and specializations in IT infrastructure Management were started after the industry saw a need for this. Hence most of the courses are 100% placement linked. The industry training gives the much required finesse to the skill set developed during the course. The courses also prepare students for the certification courses like CCNA, MCITP by Cisco and Microsoft respectively. These certification courses boost the career growth further. The large potential of this domain is still largely untapped. There are still businesses that see technology as a hindrance and not an enabler. To bridge this gap, we need more experts who develop, maintain and constantly upgrade the infrastructure so that technology becomes more relevant to the businesses.