IT infrastructure
IT infrastructure = the foundations that run the software
IT infrastructure is the set of hardware, network and software resources that allows an organization to run its applications and digital services.
It is made up of several layers:
- hardware: servers, storage, workstations, datacenters
- network: routers, firewalls, connectivity, DNS
- core software: operating systems, virtualization, databases, monitoring tools
It can be hosted on premises, in the cloud or in a hybrid setup. The underlying trend is to manage it as code (infrastructure as code): resources are described in versioned files, then tools create and configure them automatically.
Well-designed infrastructure is judged on availability, security, ability to absorb growth and cost. When it works, nobody notices it; when it goes down, the whole business stops.
Why it matters when hiring
Infrastructure roles have changed a lot: the system administrator who managed servers by hand is giving way to DevOps, SRE or Platform Engineers, who automate. In a job ad, specify whether the infrastructure is on premises, cloud or hybrid: these are not the same profiles. The strong signal: having handled incidents in production, not just set up environments.