Hybrid digital infrastructure management: 3 elements of strong IT operations

Hybrid digital infrastructure management (HDIM) is transforming the way organizations handle their IT operations. By integrating on-premises systems with hybrid cloud environments, businesses can achieve better connectivity and automation.

This approach not only optimizes data center infrastructure management but also enhances resource utilization and ensures consistent security protocols across the board. The convergence of these technologies creates a more dynamic and responsive IT environment that’s capable of adapting to the rapidly changing demands of modern business.

We’ll explore the elements of modern HDIM that IT teams need to prioritize as part of their digital transformation efforts.

1. Cloud services and virtualization

The power of the cloud in HDIM is that it opens up opportunities for more efficient distribution of workloads, particularly when tools are seamlessly integrated in a hybrid environment. Being able to shift workloads from on-premises and cloud environments based on cost, performance and regulatory requirements is optimal for improving resource utilization. Multi-cloud strategies can help you avoid vendor lock-in and improve redundancy by leveraging multiple cloud providers.

The scale of these benefits depends on the mix of platforms and applications you use. Providers like Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure and VMware have become essential for many organizations. Virtualization technologies, such as Microsoft’s Virtual Machine Manager, also play a crucial role. These tools enable IT teams to manage virtual environments efficiently with less hardware dependency. Colocation services offered by some service providers can also make your infrastructure more flexible and resilient.

Digital automation solutions that support hybrid cloud management further enhance the impact of both cloud technologies and virtualization tools.

2. Data management and big data

Efficient data management is vital for any enterprise aiming to stay competitive, and it’s a non-negotiable factor when blending cloud and on-premises platforms and services. Especially if you deal with large volumes of data, your hybrid initiatives should involve big data solutions.

Integrations with the Hadoop ecosystem and IBM PureData, for example, facilitate robust data warehousing and ETL processes. By automating data workflows, you can significantly reduce manual intervention and improve your data quality. Integrating IoT devices can provide additional data points and insights.

The top infrastructure automation software offers comprehensive features for data extraction, transformation and loading (ETL). Combined with pre-built job steps and scripting within workflows, these capabilities make it easier to manage complex data integration tasks.

3. System and network management

Modern IT environments require seamless integration between various systems and network management tools. Solutions like Microsoft System Center, ServiceNow and CyberArk Application Access Manager are pivotal in this regard. These integrations help automate complex workflows to execute tasks in the correct order and manage dependencies effectively.

Digital process automation software can streamline your processes across diverse systems. In the best case, its robust scheduling and orchestration capabilities can ensure everything from SQL Server Scheduling to Oracle Job Scheduler runs smoothly.

The appeal of policy-based automation

Policy-based automation has become a cornerstone for modern IT infrastructure management. By predefining and enforcing policies, organizations can automate routine maintenance tasks, compliance checks and remediation activities.

A proactive stance in protecting your policies reduces the window of opportunity for cyberattacks and breaches. Plus, automated responses to security incidents can be set up in advance to make sure you take swift and effective action when a threat is detected. You can design automated policies that continuously monitor your systems for vulnerabilities, automatically apply patches and enforce security configurations. When such critical tasks happen without human intervention, you get peace of mind and operational efficiency.

Next steps: HDIM with workload automation

A workload automation solution can serve as the heart of an effective hybrid model for infrastructure management — if it’s powerful enough in terms of automation, scalability and integration.

ActiveBatch stands out in the workload automation space because of its easy-to-use interface and pre-built job steps, dynamic resource management, real-time monitoring and alerts and first-rate security features. It integrates with any application or system, from data centers and warehouses to cloud-based business solutions, thanks to pre-built integrations and a REST API.

Don’t miss the opportunity to revolutionize your IT environment — sign up for an ActiveBatch demo now.

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