Whether it’s a little cafe or a large construction company, IT infrastructure affects many different components of a business. When you consider elements such as automation, logistics, cloud storage, and communication, you can understand how a connected and reliable infrastructure is an integral part of doing business.
In today’s fast-changing digital world, industries have begun to adapt and use technology to their advantage. The oil industry, for example, is digitizing its operations, which in turn requires consistent infrastructure upkeep. Construction companies are future-proofing their businesses with cloud-based project management software, which can improve collaboration as well as increase productivity.
Having a reliable IT infrastructure is crucial and requires ongoing management. This post explores IT infrastructure trends and how independent contracting in field services can help your business be more competitive and productive.
What Is IT Infrastructure?
Your company’s IT infrastructure includes setup, maintenance, and management of information technology. Proper maintenance and management of your infrastructure can keep your systems up to date and can increase your company’s productivity and performance.
The main components of IT infrastructure include:
- Hardware platforms
- Operating systems platforms
- Software applications
- Networking and telecommunications platforms
- Data management and storage
- System integration services
However, your IT infrastructure is much more than automated software. To achieve the desired level of performance, you will also need to invest in your IT system’s management. Performance is measured by how quickly and efficiently a system processes data and depends on three elements:
- Scalability: Your IT infrastructure must be able to adjust to meet the needs of increased demand. Your company is bound to grow, both in size with the number of employees and in scope with the size of your client base. Having an IT system that is flexible enough to meet those needs is crucial.
- Reliability: Your IT infrastructure needs to consistently perform and quickly recover after failure so that your company can continue to run smoothly. It’s beneficial to invest in experienced IT experts who can ensure that your system functions properly and who can anticipate your needs as well as manage issues that unexpectedly arise.
- Proper management: IT field technicians are the experts who fill an important role in maintaining high-performance levels for your system. Not only do they manage your system, solving problems that arise and preventing issues from coming up in the future, but they also create solutions to increase your system’s reliability and performance.
The Demand for IT Infrastructure Work Is Increasing
Before COVID-19, spending on IT infrastructure was not as high of a priority as it is today. From employees moving to remote work to digitizing interactions with customers and supply chains, companies had to pivot during the pandemic and accelerate their adoption of new technologies to keep business running.
As a result, IT spending has risen to 40%. This increased demand for IT infrastructure means increased demand for IT field technicians, who create and manage these systems as well as troubleshoot issues and provide solutions.
These sections detail why the market is seeing such an increased demand for IT infrastructure and the expertise of effective IT field techs.
More Companies are Digitizing Their Services
The biggest reason behind this demand for more IT infrastructure is the fact that businesses are increasingly moving to digitize their services. With more and more reliance on technology for a company’s day-to-day operations, not just for communication or hardware, businesses have to continually update their systems so that they stay in stride with their competitors. The need to stay competitive with modern systems as well as improve efficiency drives this demand for IT infrastructure services.
Cloud Solutions are Cost-Effective
Cloud computing, or data storage and the computing power of your system, gives your IT system incredible flexibility and scalability with a lower upfront investment. Because cloud-based solutions offer a pay-as-you-go system, you can adjust how you do business as market conditions change.
You have flexibility to scale up or down as the need arises, which helps to manage infrastructure costs more efficiently. But this agility requires effective IT field techs to manage, update, and troubleshoot your systems to remain competitive.
Remote and Hybrid Work Environments Have Increased
As certain jobs move from the office to a remote or hybrid environment, companies must rethink their IT infrastructure to support off-site access to their network and ensure employees can work productively.
New Construction Requires IT Infrastructure
New buildings require cable installation to allow residents to access the internet. Dated buildings might want to upgrade to the latest technology like fiber optic cable. All of these things require specialized IT service technicians to get the job done.
How IT Infrastructure Trends Impact Your Business
A well-managed system will allow stakeholders to perform their roles effectively. This increases the productivity and performance of the company as a whole, but a poorly managed system results in issues with connectivity and security, damaging output and business.
If your IT system has become unreliable or you can’t find the right IT expert to manage and protect your system, you are experiencing the impacts of these IT infrastructure trends. We detail these barriers to doing business in the following sections.
A Well-Managed IT Infrastructure Is Necessary to Do Business
Having an IT system is only the beginning. To be competitive and experience higher, more efficient performance across your company, you need a well-managed IT infrastructure. Such a system delivers these benefits:
- Less downtime: Unexpected issues and frequent infrastructure failures can cause significant downtime and even signal a failing system. A reliable system keeps your projects running smoothly and results in less downtime.
- Better productivity: Less downtime means better productivity. Keeping everyone engaged means you keep projects on track.
- Increased revenue: Having reliable pros manage your system and troubleshoot issues that arise can increase productivity as well as partner and customer satisfaction.
Lack of Available IT Talent Makes it Difficult to Find the Right Employees
Indeed reports that more than 29,000 IT field service jobs are open. More and more companies are moving to remote work, but fewer and fewer IT experts enter the workforce.
Faced with a labor shortage, the reliability of your company’s IT infrastructure could be compromised if you can’t secure an IT pro to help you maintain your systems. With the demand for IT infrastructure ramping up but the supply of qualified workers to manage those systems reducing, you may feel the effects in productivity, efficiency, and costs.
Dated IT Infrastructure Can Put Your Behind Competitors
With a high demand for IT infrastructure, there is a high demand for on-site field technicians. With technology being so essential to both business operations as well as the ability to stay competitive, maintaining and managing your IT infrastructure has never been more important.
Upgrading technology means lower costs and increased productivity for your company. With this in mind, businesses are constantly competing for qualified IT techs who can troubleshoot and manage their IT systems as well as upgrade infrastructure to keep up with changing technology. Because of the high demand, companies may find it difficult to find and retain those IT experts as employees. You aren’t competing for just clients and market share but also for competent IT techs.
Finding Trusted IT Field Service Technicians
If you’re in need of an IT field service technician, there are several different routes you can take:
- Labor marketplace for IT: Connecting companies with independent contractors who are looking for work, this option offers the best of both worlds. You have control over who works on your projects and budget as you pay them for the time they’re working. Although you have to spend time finding the right marketplace with a large pool of qualified IT field techs who can meet your needs, this drawback is taken care of through Field Nation.
- Hiring: Having a full-time employee allows you to have some control over the qualifications and expertise of the tech you hire, but one of the downsides is the risk of underutilization. You could be wasting company resources on paying a full-time employee who has a lot of downtime.
- Third-party subcontractors: This option would give you more control over the resources you use on this person, as you only pay for the time they’re needed. However, you lose control over the qualifications and amount of experience of the person used, and you may not have someone you rely on to respond as soon as you need them.
You can find the right IT expert fit for your needs by using Field Nation. Field Nation boasts a 12-minute average response time to problems and offers field service techs that you can trust to represent your brand and be the face of your company. They have technicians in every zip code in the United States, matching you with qualified professionals who can get the job done efficiently. If you need help with your IT system, reach out to Field Nation today and find an IT tech who can help give your company a technological edge over competitors.
