How To Remodel Your IT Infrastructure for 2024
Business needs change over time so your IT infrastructure should be able to scale effectively. Remodelling your IT infrastructure in 2024 allows you to leverage the latest technologies that enhance your business operations.
Technology is continually evolving, and newer solutions often offer improved performance, security, and efficiency. This means existing technologies could be outdated in a few years.
Consequently, remodelling IT infrastructure involves strategic planning. Not only do you want to invest in technologies that serve your business operations now, but also technologies that continue to align with your business objectives in many years to come.
The IT tools you install should first and foremost enhance performance, productivity and user experience. But you also have to consider regulatory requirements regarding data privacy and security. These may change over time.
Enhance Cybersecurity Measures
If your cybersecurity is not already in place, make data protection a priority in 2024. A recent report conducted by iomart and Oxford Economics UK businesses are being targeted by threat actors.
There was a 25% increase in cybercrime activity in 2023 compared to 2022.
Strengthening cybersecurity protocols has reached a point where it cannot be ignored. This should also include establishing processes for ensuring the quality and accuracy of data together with data retention and deletion policies in accordance with regulatory requirements.
A solid cybersecurity defensive fort should include implementing advanced threat detection systems, encryption, multi-factor authentication and access controls as standard. These technologies are typically built into cloud software.
Training staff in cybersecurity awareness is also non-negotiable. The vast majority of successful data breaches stem from phishing attacks. Employees who access your business network on personal devices can also open gateways for threat actors to exploit your network.
If third-party vendors handle your data, ensure they comply with the same data governance and security standards as you. Conduct regular security audits to make sure they are. Perform due diligence when selecting vendors and include contractual clauses related to data protection.
One of the best policies in recent years is to move towards a zero-trust security approach. This strategy means that no user or system is automatically trusted. Verify identities continuously and apply strict access controls to minimise the risk of unauthorised access.
You can learn how to implement a zero-trust policy by reading our article, How To Build A Zero-Trust Cloud Environment.
Install Hi-Speed Solutions
Remodelling your IT infrastructure should consider faster processing speeds, reduced latency, and overall better performance, contributing to increased efficiency. With the increased requirement for data processing, overburdened IT systems suffer performance lag and give end-users a reason to gripe.
Fast and reliable networks contribute to a positive user experience. This is important for both employees and customers interacting with the business’s online platforms and services.
Solutions aimed at optimising network speed and efficiency can enhance overall network performance. This is crucial for businesses that rely on fast and reliable data transfer for their daily operations.
Effective solutions often include tools for monitoring and managing the network. This helps in identifying and resolving issues proactively, reducing downtime and improving overall network reliability. Bandwidth management can be particularly beneficial for organisations with a large number of users and devices sharing the network.
Implement Edge Computing
As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, implementing edge computing can enhance processing capabilities closer to the data source. This is particularly important for applications requiring low latency and real-time processing.
Edge computing offers several benefits by bringing computing resources closer to the data source or end-users rather than relying solely on centralised cloud servers
Subsequently, the distance that data needs to travel between devices and centralised servers is minimised and reduces latency. This reduction in latency is critical for applications that require large amounts of data to be processed in real-time such as IoT devices, autonomous vehicles, and augmented reality applications.
By processing data locally at the edge, businesses can achieve better performance for applications that require quick response times. This is particularly important for industries like manufacturing, healthcare, and finance, where real-time analytics can significantly enhance operational efficiency.
Invest in AI and Machine Learning
AI is going to take over the world and make humans their slaves. So you may as well take advantage of this forward-thinking technology whilst you’re still the master.
But in all seriousness, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for predictive analytics, automation, and enhanced decision-making can significantly improve IT operations and overall efficiency.
In summary, the integration of AI and ML into business operations can eliminate mistakes, improve decision-making, enhance cost savings, and expedite the development of innovative products and services so that you get them to market faster.
The specific benefits of AI naturally depend on the industry, user case, and how effectively these technologies are implemented within the business processes.
But in almost every industry, AI and ML technologies can automate mundane and repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on more complex and strategic activities. This leads to increased efficiency and productivity.
AI and ML also excel at analysing large datasets quickly and extracting meaningful insights. Businesses can leverage these technologies to gain a deeper understanding of customer behaviour, market trends, and other critical aspects, enabling data-driven decision-making.
So for example, you can take AI data to determine customer preferences and deliver personalised experiences. This applies to various industries, from e-commerce recommendations to personalised marketing messages, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
ML algorithms can predict future trends and behaviours based on historical data. Businesses can use predictive analytics for demand forecasting, risk management, and other applications, helping them make more informed decisions.
AI technologies also have an abundance of other benefits including detecting patterns indicative of fraudulent activities, optimising supply chain operations by predicting demand, and streamlining the recruitment process by automating candidate screening to name but a few.
Implement DevOps Practices
DevOps principles can streamline collaboration between development and operations teams. Automation, continuous integration, and continuous delivery (CI/CD) can accelerate software development and deployment.
The objective for implementing DevOps practices is to deliver faster, more reliable software delivery, improve collaboration between teams, and increase adaptability to changing business requirements.
The overall impact is a more efficient and competitive organisation that is capable of responding quickly to today’s fast-paced and dynamic business landscape.
DevOps practices emphasise continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), enabling faster and more frequent releases of software. This speed allows businesses to respond quickly to market changes and deliver new features or updates to users more promptly.
Continuous testing and automated quality assurance in the DevOps pipeline help catch and fix bugs early in the development process. This results in more reliable software and reduces the likelihood of issues reaching production environments.
As a result, DevOps lowers the risk associated with each release, leading to a higher deployment success rate and minimising the impact of potential issues. Teams are also able to adapt to changing requirements and respond to customer feedback quickly.
It also encourages collaboration and communication between development and operations teams. Breaking down silos and promoting a culture of collaboration leads to better understanding, shared goals, and more effective problem-solving across departments. Moving into the cloud, DevOps is known as CloudOps.
Automation is a core principle of CloudOps. By automating repetitive tasks, such as testing, deployment, and configuration management, teams can reduce manual errors, save time, and focus on more value-added activities. This, in turn, enhances overall productivity.
Moreover, with automated testing and continuous monitoring, CloudOps practices contribute to the early detection of issues and vulnerabilities. This proactive approach helps mitigate risks associated with software releases and system changes.
The bottom line is that DevOps provides a structured approach to managing changes, making it easier for development teams to deliver a better product that improves customer satisfaction in a fraction of the time it would ordinarily take. The long-term benefits often include cost savings.
Ensure Data Governance and Compliance
In an increasingly data-driven business environment, data governance and compliance are critical for UK businesses to meet legal obligations, protect customer privacy, maintain trust, and operate efficiently
Developing comprehensive data governance policies should define how data is collected, processed, stored, and shared within the company. Since GDPR came into force in 2018, emphasis has been placed on the importance of protecting the privacy of customers.
But data protection also helps to maintain trust with consumers and avoid substantial fines for non-compliance. Last year, the Information Commissioner’s Office handed out £42m in fines. We expect it will be even more this year and even more again in 2024 (unless more businesses implement adequate cybersecurity controls).
Effective data governance includes measures to ensure data security. By implementing robust data security practices, businesses can prevent data breaches and unauthorised access to sensitive information. Data breaches not only result in financial losses but can also lead to reputational damage and legal consequences.
Businesses that operate in a global environment, necessitate the transfer of data across borders. Compliance with data protection regulations ensures that businesses can transfer data internationally without violating privacy laws. This is particularly relevant post-Brexit, as the UK may have separate data transfer agreements with different countries.
Data governance practices help identify and mitigate risks associated with the collection, storage, and processing of data. This has to be built into your operations when you remodel your IT infrastructure for 2024.
Data governance policies should include risks related to maintaining the quality and accuracy of data. Businesses rely on accurate and reliable data for decision-making, and poor data quality can lead to errors and inefficiencies.
By implementing data governance practices, businesses can ensure that their data is reliable and serves as a solid foundation for business operations. Data governance frameworks provide a structured approach to managing data throughout its lifecycle.
How Can IT Support in London Help Remodel Your IT Infrastructure?
Micro Pro has more than 10 years of providing IT support in London. Every year, we examine scores of IT networks to improve them for the coming year and the years to come.
If you’re not sure how to remodel your IT infrastructure, our IT support specialists will. We conduct a thorough assessment of the existing IT infrastructure and determine which hardware, software, networks, and security measures.
What’s more, we work closely with you to understand your business objectives. Our experienced IT support can identify pain points and areas where the current infrastructure hinders productivity, user experience and data protection.
During the remodelling process, we can also help to install and configure new technologies, software and cloud services. Our IT support team in London can actively participate in testing phases to identify potential issues and ensure that the remodelled infrastructure meets performance and usability standards.
Effective change management is crucial during the remodelling of your IT infrastructure. IT support teams can contribute by facilitating smooth transitions, managing expectations, and ensuring that users are well-informed about upcoming changes.
Our 24/7 helpdesk is also on hand to troubleshoot any issues you may experience following implementation. Not only that, but our IT support teams remain available to provide ongoing assistance, and continuously improve performance, cybersecurity and user experience.
For more information, get in touch with our senior executives for a consultation.
