Co-Founder Taliferro
Introduction
You've spent years building your business and are proud of the technology infrastructure that supports it. You know that if you don't maintain and improve that infrastructure, your business will start to fall apart. But what is "future-proofing" it? In this post, I'll look at some ways you can future-proof your technology infrastructure so that it will be able to keep up with your growing needs over time.
Keep your systems patched
Make sure you're keeping your systems patched. Patch management is a must! It would help if you were repairing both the operating systems and all applications on your computers. Patch management is applying software updates to computer systems and software. Various software updates—including security updates, bug fixes, service packs, and configuration changes—are delivered in patches.
Automated patch management is recommended because it's easier than manually checking for patches daily. Once you have an automated patch management system, test it out by running a scan at least once weekly on all your servers and endpoints. If there are any missing patches on any of them, get them installed ASAP before something terrible happens (like getting hacked or ransomware).
Be smart about scalability
Consider your organization's needs and what you might need in the future, and plan accordingly. If it's a small startup, scaling up may not be an issue until you have more users or users with higher demands. Using cloud services can be more cost-effective while your business is still tiny, but as it grows, you may find that serverless is a better choice for certain applications.
In terms of scale-down options: microservices offer an alternative to monolithic architectures (like desktop apps) that are often difficult to change once they're built; instead of having one extensive application with all its code for everything running together in one place at the same time (e.g., web browsers), think about how different parts of your app could work independently from each other, so if one fails or slows down too much then others won't suffer from it too much (e.g., if there's heavy traffic on one site then users will still get through quickly).
Automate everything that can be automated
This is a good mantra to keep in mind when designing your technology infrastructure. Some tools can help you automate repetitive tasks and reduce the time spent managing the infrastructure, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
For example, suppose you use an automated system for deploying code changes. In that case, it will automatically deploy updates to all instances of your application at once without human intervention. When combined with other automation tools like CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous delivery) servers, these processes can save hours or even days per month in manual work related to deployment and maintenance of software releases—and this is only one example.
Embrace the cloud
The cloud offers many benefits. It's cost-effective and scalable and makes it easier to update systems. You can also quickly scale up your system as your business grows.
Don't buy physical storage
The first thing you need to do is stop buying physical storage.
Cloud storage is the most efficient way to store data—it's cheaper, more secure, and easier to maintain than physical servers or drives. Plus, your company won't have any downtime while moving all that data around during migration when switching between cloud providers.
Invest in automation tools
Automation tools can help you to do more with fewer resources. For example, Automation tools can automate when you need to spin up a new server or database. This saves time and reduces human error, which means less downtime and fewer costs in the long run.
Automated security testing will improve consistency across your infrastructure because it doesn't rely on individual employees checking for vulnerabilities.
You can better future-proof your technology infrastructure by planning for it
Planning for the future means you can make decisions today that will protect you from unexpected costs in the long run, including those related to technology upgrades, new equipment, and more.
Planning for the future requires a lot of work and time, but it's worth it if you want to save money on unexpected expenses in the long run.
You may think that planning is not always possible or necessary because your current computer should be sufficient enough right now—but before long, it won't be able to keep up with changing needs of your business (or even current needs).
Conclusion
It can be a lot to take in, but remember that the key here is planning for the future and knowing what you need now so that when it comes time for upgrades or replacements, you're ready and prepared with an updated plan.
Tyrone Showers