The Ghost of IT Future – 4 Ways to Future-Proof
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It is Christmas season and one of the best known Christmas stories is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is visited by three ghosts representing Christmas past, present, and future. More than anything else, the glimpse of a grim future causes Scrooge to change his ways for a better future, or so the story implies.
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I am not able to see the future and whether you are an IT professional, manager, or business owner, I’m guessing you can’t either. But I can share a few ideas on how to possibly change some of your ways to future-proof your IT infrastructure.
Have a solid DR plan
Nothing can ruin your future faster than a disaster from which you can’t easily recover. Take inventory to make sure you’ve covered all of the data and assets that need DR protection. Make sure your backup and recovery tools are adequate for your needs with DR testing. Make sure you have contingency plans for both local and regional disasters. Make sure you are regularly testing your DR plans. Make sure everyone knows how to execute the disaster recovery plan when needed. And last but not least, make sure your most important assets–your people–are covered in your disaster planning.Eliminate complexity
Complexity can cause many problems in any IT infrastructure, not the least of which is instability. Complex systems always need more babysitting and break/fix which also means they are likely to experience more downtime and can be harder to recover from any problems. Complexity also can make scale out or replacement much more challenging. Too many components and too many vendors can exacerbate complexity. Simplicity is your friend.Reduce costs
Sounds simple, right? Well, eliminating complexity is a good start, but it also means making sure you are not paying premium prices on solutions just because they have a big brand name markup or you are paying for features you aren’t really using. Many technologies that were innovative 10 years ago like virtualization are now just commodities that you shouldn’t be paying premiums for. Make sure your spending aligns with your needs and you are getting the best value for the technology you are buying and using.Don’t over-provision
With technology changing as quickly as it does these days, buying infrastructure you’ll think you need in a few years seems like a bad investment. For the same price, you may well be able to get bigger, faster gear in a years time. Buying only what you need now and having the ability to scale out as needed is your best bet for the future. Scaling out doesn’t have to be a complex, cumbersome problem like it has been in the past. New IT infrastructure technologies make it much easier to scale out as needed.Summary
No one can know the future but we can all take steps to prepare. Technology continues to advance in ways that make it easier to prepare for the future. HC3 hyperconverged infrastructure from Scale Computing helps our customers prepare with disaster recovery, simplicity, cost-savings, and scalability. Take the necessary steps that are right for your business or organization to avoid a grim future in IT.
