What is IT Infrastructure Modernization? Top Benefits of Updating

IT infrastructure modernization is a process involving optimizing and updating IT systems, including hardware, software, and physical spaces to improve performance, flexibility, and security.

The push to modernize is being driven by rapid technological advancements, increased pressure for businesses to compete in changing market conditions, evolving cybersecurity threats, and a need to reduce costs through improved efficiencies. In fact, 4 out of 5 executives are pursuing modernization to keep up with these demands.

What Does IT Infrastructure Modernization Mean?

IT infrastructure modernization means that businesses are looking at every piece involved in their infrastructure, including data centers, networks, and IT systems, to replace and refresh what isn’t as efficient, safe, or advanced as it could be. This could include one or all of the following, done in phases or as part of a larger project:

• Replacing outdated hardware for more powerful and efficient models
• Upgrading networking technologies to improve performance, security, and reliability
• Migrating to cloud technologies, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Adding automated workflows and automation tools to reduce manual tasks and make processes more efficient
• Adopting emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and Internet of Things (IoT) devices

Examples of IT Infrastructure Modernization Initiatives

Here are some more specific examples of IT modernization initiatives businesses may choose to take on, including embracing cloud computing and upgrading different segments of the IT environment.

Cloud Computing Adoption

With cloud computing adoption, organizations can choose between the type of cloud computing they want to incorporate and the level of resources they need. For example, IaaS gives businesses on-demand access to computing resources such as servers, networking, and storage, whereas PaaS allows IT teams to easily develop, test, and run applications on a cloud-based platform. SaaS services are common and accessible to everyday users, providing access to cloud-based applications with an internet connection.

Public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multicloud environments all come with certain benefits, and which makes sense for your applications and workloads you plan to store and access in the environment, the level of security and performance you’re looking for, your budget, the amount of integration you need between the cloud and other environments, and so on.

For example, public cloud providers, such as AWS and Microsoft Azure, can be highly scalable, cost-effective, and flexible, but they may not be well-suited for workloads that come with highly specific compliance requirements. For these workloads, private cloud might be a better fit. Hybrid cloud solutions combine private and public environments, and multicloud environments use multiple public cloud providers to improve redundancy and avoid vendor lock-in.

Data Center Modernization

Within a data center, organizations can modernize by implementing more energy-efficient technologies, upgrading cooling systems (such as using liquid cooling instead of air cooling), and improving physical security measures to reduce the risks of attacks and disruptions.

Consolidating your workloads across fewer data centers may reduce operational costs and improve management efficiencies. However, if you’re looking for geographical diversity to decrease the likelihood of risks from downtime during a natural disaster or cyber outage, colocation across multiple data centers may be a better option. Colocation allows businesses to place their equipment in a shared data center, renting physical space and sharing infrastructure and resources with other companies. High-density colocation, designed to support high-performance computing like GPUs, is also becoming more common.

Network Modernization

Networks can be modernized through software-defined networking (SDN), network virtualization, and creating a secure access service edge (SASE), among other things. SDN can centralize management and network control to automate processes and make networks more agile and flexible. Network virtualization can create virtual networks within a given physical infrastructure to isolate certain workloads. This can improve security and make resource allocation easier. SASE provides secure access to applications and data regardless of the environment using security tools such as firewalls and secure web gateways.

Application Modernization

Containerization, microservices architecture, and cloud-native development can all be parts of an organization’s cloud modernization efforts. With containerization, applications and their dependencies are packaged into containers to make them perform more consistently across environments. This also makes them more portable and scalable. Similarly, microservices architecture takes large applications and breaks them into smaller, more independent services that make them easier to maintain and scale.

It can be difficult to modernize with applications built for legacy environments. Cloud-native development means that applications are built specifically for cloud environments, which can make it easier to leverage other cloud-native technologies.

IT Operations Modernization

Repetitive, manual tasks can occupy time that could otherwise be spent on more modernization projects or other strategic initiatives. By implementing automation tools, businesses can streamline their IT processes.

DevOps teams can also improve efficiency by combining developers and IT operations specialists into one unit. This improves collaboration in the development and deployment process and can accelerate the delivery of applications and services.

Server and Storage Modernization

Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) combines servers, networking, and storage into one integrated system. Solid-state drives (SSDs) are higher-performance replacements for traditional hard disk drives.

For those who do not want to utilize an HCI architecture, Storage area networks (SANs) offer a modernized option for storage that centralizes and boosts performance around data access.

Benefits of IT Infrastructure Modernization

Users expect businesses to keep pace with the speed of technological advancements. Teams that choose to do this can expect several benefits from IT infrastructure modernization, including performance efficiencies, greater scalability, cost savings, better security, and gaining a competitive advantage over businesses that haven’t yet modernized.

Performance and Operational Efficiency

When infrastructure is modernized, it can deliver information at faster speeds with reduced latency. The increased responsiveness means that user experiences are also improved. From an internal standpoint, updated and redundant systems are also more reliable, minimizing downtime and reducing the risk of revenue losses. Operational efficiencies, such as automated tasks, optimized resource utilizations, and more efficient processes, can improve productivity, reduce operational costs, and eliminate some manual tasks.

Agility and Scalability

Market changes can move quickly. Modernized infrastructure can make it easier to rapidly develop and deploy applications. Better scalability means that infrastructure can increase or decrease based on changes in business demands. Modernized infrastructure is also more adaptable to new technologies and evolving trends.

Cost Savings and Optimization

Modernization can reduce operational costs through lower energy consumption, less frequent hardware maintenance, and simpler IT management. By optimizing resource utilization in the cloud, for instance, businesses can reduce wasted spending and improve their ROI. Cloud-based services also offer more control with predictable pricing models and pay-as-you-go plans.

Security and Compliance

On-premises legacy infrastructure can be hard to update sufficiently to protect against emerging threats. IT modernization can help businesses incorporate advanced security measures, including intrusion detection systems, firewalls, and encryption that better protect sensitive data. Updated infrastructure can also make it easier to meet compliance requirements.

Competitive Advantage

Without being tethered to legacy frameworks, modernized IT infrastructures are able to innovate and experiment more freely, making it easier and faster to develop new services, products, and business models.

When done right, IT modernization can optimize performance, security, and reliability, leading to a better customer experience and providing a competitive edge.

Challenges of IT Infrastructure Modernization

When modernizing IT infrastructure, businesses can run into challenges with legacy system integration, data migration, skills gaps, budget constraints, and business continuity.

Legacy System Integration

Differences in technology, data formats, and interfaces between modern systems and legacy applications mean that businesses may have to navigate complexities they didn’t anticipate. To counter this, it’s important to evaluate your current environment and how you’d like to modernize to understand how you’ll be able to bridge the gap.

Data Migration

Data migration can be tricky, especially with large datasets or diverse data sources. Businesses may struggle with ensuring data is accurate, complete, and consistent during the process, while also mitigating the risks of data loss and downtime. IT teams must carefully plan and execute the migration to protect sensitive data, meet compliance requirements, and prevent unauthorized access or breaches. Proper planning is essential to minimize disruptions and maintain business continuity.

Skills Gaps and Training

Challenges often stem from skills gaps within organizations, where employees may lack expertise in data migration, security, or IT modernization. Addressing these gaps may involve upskilling and training existing staff or bringing in external experts, which equip the business to navigate the complexities of IT transformation within an evolving digital landscape.

Budget Constraints

If modernization had no cost, every business would do it. It’s important to balance what will improve the customer experience, increase ROI, and reduce complexity without going beyond set budgets. It can also be difficult to justify the cost of modernization projects if decision-makers are only evaluating short-term benefits and not the long-term potential of these initiatives.

Business Continuity During Transition

During modernization projects, businesses may experience interruptions. Downtime can be extremely damaging to organizations, costing anywhere from $36,000 per hour to $600 per second. It’s important to identify the processes that are critical to operating as usual so that you can plan and execute the transition in a way that keeps these processes intact.

Does Your IT Infrastructure Need to be Updated?

While most businesses can likely benefit from some form of modernization, you may wonder if going down that road is worth the effort right now. A few signs that may mean it’s time to update your infrastructure include:

• Frequent outages or system crashes
• Complaints about slow performance from employees or end users
• Inability to effectively patch systems for the latest vulnerabilities
• High costs associated with maintaining aging hardware and software
• Difficulties with integrating new applications and technologies with the current framework
• Inability to scale resources
• Challenges with meeting regulatory requirements in the current environment

6 Steps for IT Infrastructure Modernization

If you’re seeing one or more of the following signs in your current infrastructure, it may be time to start modernizing. Here are some basic steps you can expect to go through in the modernization process.

1. Assess Current Infrastructure

Start by conducting a comprehensive audit of your environment, making note of the performance, scalability, the age of your equipment, and security of your current systems. Establishing a baseline is important to understanding which initiatives will help you reach your goals and are worth the money and effort to pursue.

2. Set Clear Goals and Objectives

What are you trying to achieve through your modernization project? Starting with your baseline, set clear goals such as improved performance, reduced costs, or enhanced security. Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) based on these goals so you can decide what a suitable improvement would look like.

3. Choose the Right Technologies

Having baselines and goals in hand, evaluate available technologies and the benefits they might bring to your environment. Don’t just think about the present, but also keep the potential for future growth in mind when making these evaluations. The technologies your business chooses should also be compatible with the existing infrastructure and systems.

4. Thoroughly Evaluate Vendors

If your modernization project includes vendors, such as cloud or colocation providers, understand their expertise, experience, and capabilities. If possible, read case studies or gather feedback from other organizations that have engaged in similar projects with these vendors.

5. Develop a Modernization Roadmap

Modernization projects don’t have to be done all at once. Breaking the desired process into manageable steps can minimize disruption and make modernization easier on your budget. The roadmap should include a realistic timeline that details each phase of the project, resources needed, and estimated budget.

6. Plan for Ongoing Monitoring and Optimization

Once phases of your modernization project are complete, the monitoring starts. Use monitoring tools to identify issues early, track system performance, and continue to optimize resource allocation. Revisit the effectiveness of your efforts using the KPIs you established earlier and make adjustments until you reach your desired goals.

Ready to Start Your IT Transformation Journey?

If your current IT infrastructure is slowing you down, IT modernization can help you speed past the competition. You don’t have to navigate these complex projects alone. TierPoint’s Cloud solutions can help your organization plan the projects and phases that will work best for your current environment and your future goals. Learn more and contact us to start the modernization conversation today.