What are the most common challenges and risks of infrastructure management?

1 Complexity and diversity

One of the main challenges of infrastructure management is dealing with the complexity and diversity of the IT infrastructure. As organizations adopt new technologies, such as cloud computing, virtualization, containerization, and automation, they have to manage multiple platforms, vendors, standards, and configurations. This can create compatibility, interoperability, and integration issues, as well as increase the learning curve and the workload for the IT staff. To overcome this challenge, infrastructure managers need to adopt a holistic and strategic approach that aligns the infrastructure with the business goals and requirements, and leverage tools and best practices that can simplify and standardize the infrastructure management processes.

4 Cost and value

A fourth challenge and risk of infrastructure management is managing the cost and value of the IT infrastructure. As the infrastructure becomes more complex and diverse, it also becomes more expensive to acquire, operate, maintain, and upgrade. Moreover, infrastructure managers have to justify the return on investment (ROI) and the business value of the IT infrastructure, especially in the face of budget constraints, competing priorities, and changing expectations. Failing to control and communicate the cost and value of the IT infrastructure can result in waste, inefficiency, underutilization, and misalignment with the business strategy and objectives. To address this challenge and risk, infrastructure managers need to adopt a cost-effective and value-driven infrastructure model that can balance the quality and quantity of the IT infrastructure, and use tools and metrics that can measure and report the cost and value of the IT infrastructure.

5 Skills and collaboration

A fifth challenge and risk of infrastructure management is developing and retaining the skills and collaboration of the IT staff. As the infrastructure becomes more complex and diverse, it also requires more specialized and diverse skills and knowledge from the IT staff. Moreover, infrastructure managers have to foster a collaborative and coordinated culture among the IT staff, as well as with other stakeholders, such as business units, vendors, customers, and regulators. Failing to develop and retain the skills and collaboration of the IT staff can result in skill gaps, knowledge silos, staff turnover, low morale, and poor performance. To overcome this challenge and risk, infrastructure managers need to invest in the training, development, and retention of the IT staff, and use tools and platforms that can facilitate the communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among the IT staff.

6 Innovation and transformation

A sixth challenge and risk of infrastructure management is driving and supporting the innovation and transformation of the IT infrastructure. As the technology landscape evolves rapidly, the infrastructure has to keep pace with the emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges. Moreover, infrastructure managers have to enable and encourage the innovation and transformation of the IT infrastructure, as well as align them with the business vision and mission. Failing to innovate and transform the IT infrastructure can result in obsolescence, irrelevance, inefficiency, and stagnation. To address this challenge and risk, infrastructure managers need to adopt a visionary and proactive infrastructure mindset that can anticipate and respond to the changing technology environment, and use tools and frameworks that can facilitate the innovation and transformation of the IT infrastructure.