Member Article

Remote IT Infrastructure Management Techniques and Benefits

Constantly changing business dynamics call for regular change and upgradation in technology. As enterprises evolve there is a need for better and more efficient technologies that will help enterprises through the transition. But technological upgradation comes with huge spends on monetary, human resources, and time. Given the competitive business landscape enterprises have a desperate need to save on costs and time while getting efficient operationally. A plausible and effective solution under such circumstances is Remote Infrastructure Management—the process of outsourcing IT infrastructure requirements of an enterprise.

**Why is Remote Infrastructure Management Necessary? **

Post the first millennial decade Information Technology (IT) has become a key business enabler to all enterprises as more and more enterprises rely heavily on IT. Changing market and business dynamics necessitate a change in IT infrastructure so enterprises adapt to changing conditions and remain competitive.

**What are the benefits of RIM?**Customized and Required Support: Enterprise may not need all kinds of IT support or services. RIM is the perfect fit as it provides a suite of services from which enterprise can choose those which are relevant. For example, an enterprise could choose to outsource services such as network, service maintenance, and management while having an in-house team for desktop management. **All round Support: **IT infrastructure is vulnerable to breakdowns and breakdowns need to be addressed immediately to ensure a smooth process. Hiring specialist engineers for such purposes can be a cost burden owing to their non-continual requirement and work process. On the other hand RIM service providers have a team of engineers and specialists to ensure round the clock support for enterprise IT infrastructure so the daily work routine is not stalled. These providers also collaborate with many related service providers to ensure a one-stop shop destination for all enterprise issues. Unrivalled Expertise: IT infrastructure management requires more expertise and experience than is assumed. It becomes difficult for an enterprise to hire and manage a team that has relevant experience whereas RIM providers have a depth of experienced professionals who work exclusively on containing issues and also possess the relevant skills. RIM providers also invest into required equipment, infrastructure and also provide a range of services that address various IT issues.

Domain Expertise: RIM providers come in with domain expertise and are equipped with finer methods to solve issues. They also own state-of-the-art tools and technologies which aid them in the process. For an enterprise to have all these is a diversion from its priorities.

**Constant Upgradation and Improvements: **A regular enterprise may not be able to afford constant system upgradation measures or even train its staff on changing needs and technologies. RIM providers can afford to upgrade and keep themselves updated to serve their enterprise customers as this is their main focus area.

**Saves on Costs and Time: **Imagine the number of resources, amount of time and investment required to maintain an IT infrastructure team that needs to constantly upgrade and update itself? There is also a need to purchase or change equipment and hire members as per need. All these efforts eat into time and force enterprises to spend huge amounts and so on the contrary, enterprises can focus on their core business areas and leave infrastructure management to RIM providers.

It is a well-known fact that India is a popular and preferred RIM destination, one of the main reasons for this is that it helps overseas companies to save on IT budgets to the tune of even 25% and more.

**How does one choose the right RIM provider?**Going with RIM is a definite advantage for most enterprises in more ways than one but choosing the right RIM provider is not an easy feat. There are too many vendors or providers and enterprises can be easily caught in confusion over who to choose. Here are a few criteria listed to help choose the right RIM vendor:

Enterprise Requirement: The very first thing is to understand all the current requirements of enterprise and choose a vendor who can fulfil these requirements in a customized manner. Not all RIM vendors customize, some are too big and hence have standard procedures that may suit big enterprises, while others are growing stage vendors who are more happy to customize. So depending on the size and need of an enterprise a specific vendor can be chosen.

**Experience and Expertise: **It isn’t enough if a RIM vendor is certified, with the current business dynamics it requires a vendor who has both experience and expertise to handle IT infrastructure dynamics. It also matters if the vendor can completely deal with the kind of scale an enterprise has. Of course it goes without saying that quality service matters more than mere brand name.

**Measurable results and impact: **Credible RIM vendors work towards generating measurable results. It is important to conduct an ‘Impact Analysis’ of outsourcingIT infrastructure management services to a vendor. RIM results are usually intangible and that makes it more important to have metrics that measure performance and results. It also makes sense for enterprises to prioritize tasks and direct vendors to work accordingly; lack of priority and focus might just about lead to undesired results.

**Trust Factor: **RIM vendors should come with a reputation of being a trustworthy partner. Having access to systems, computers and networks does come with a huge responsibility of ensuring absolute security and privacy, and a trustworthy RIM always lives up to that.

In-house based IT infrastructure transition not only increases costs but also time something enterprises cannot afford under the current competitive scenario. In a bid to save on costs and time enterprises are fast moving towards Remote Infrastructure Management. As per a report by CIO (International Data Group Inc.), 80% of Network Services can be outsourced while outsourcing percentage for Internal Help Desk and Server stand at 75% and 70% respectively. In the time to come highly dynamic business ecosystems will compel enterprises to resort to RIM in a bid to focus on core businesses and grow more efficiently.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amy .