Is Infrastructure Consolidation Right for You?

The amount of data and IT assets stored outside corporate data centers has risen significantly, and IT managers are now looking to consolidate their IT infrastructure. The reasons to consolidate IT infrastructure, which includes files, email, applications, databases, and backup infrastructure, are wide-ranging. Some of the key drivers are mentioned below:

• Simplify IT management – As server sprawl increases, IT organizations are forced to spend more time on basic administrative tasks supporting, maintaining, and troubleshooting distributed resources. This inhibits IT’s ability to work on more proactive, strategic projects to improve infrastructure and service levels, deploy new applications, and align more closely with the business. With fewer locations to support, and servers to backup and manage, consolidation leads to an increase in productivity for IT operations. It also allows for the best use of the available staff resources. High-cost manpower resources are often poorly utilized in IT environments because their skills are stretched over multiple technologies and locations.

• Cost Reduction – With consolidation, IT organizations can reduce the number of a company’s physical servers and related infrastructure overhead, resulting in a dramatic reduction in physical infrastructure costs. The cost of purchasing hardware as well as software licensing for servers previously located in remote sites is eliminated. In addition, organizations realize other cost savings in terms of floor space, power consumption, cooling, and maintenance. Consequently, IT administrators become more productive in terms of the amount of resources they can effectively manage, and companies achieve additional cost savings by not having to staff remote offices for support.

• Data Protection and Security – Consolidation addresses many of the issues surrounding data protection and archiving. Data consolidation eliminates the need for backup infrastructure in remote sites and minimizes the number of people who have physical access to IT assets. As a result, companies can reduce the risk of data breaches and exposure to enhance their overall security posture.

Infrastructure consolidation can offer significant benefits for both IT and business operations. The cost savings and administrative efficiencies are the main reasons why organizations are looking to consolidate and move to a virtual infrastructure. Sikich is a Chicago IL Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Microsoft Inner Circle member serving the Midwest specializing in the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics® GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics SL and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Follow us on Twitter at @Sikich_Tech.

By Sikich, St. Louis Microsoft Dynamics GP partner

Is Infrastructure Consolidation Right for You? is a post from: ERP Software Blog

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