All You Need To Know About Digital Infrastructure

Information technology (IT) is set to become a $5 trillion global industry this 2021. The United States, in turn, accounts for 33% of the market, the biggest share out of all countries. Interestingly, about two-thirds of US IT spending occurs outside of the nation.

IT works beyond borders, overseas, and in the skies because of digital infrastructure. Without such infrastructure, websites, including your favorite social media platforms, won’t exist. You won’t even be able to read this educational post.

To that end, we came up with this guide covering the basics and essence of digital infrastructure. Read on to discover how crucial it is to IT, the internet, and modern society.

What Is Digital Infrastructure?

Digital infrastructure refers to resources and services enabling the use of information technology. It consists of both hardware and software, which, in turn, make up the IT and internet framework. You, your computers, and all your smart devices are components of this infrastructure.

What Are the Components of Digital Infrastructure?

There are two primary components of digital infrastructure systems: hardware and software. Hardware refers to physical equipment, machines, and parts necessary to deploy IT services. By contrast, the term software refers to a program that digitizes data in the hardware.

The Internet

The internet is a vast system architecture and network that connects computers worldwide. It’s the primary way computer networks all over the world interconnect. As such, it’s also known as the “networks of networks,” or the backbone of digital infrastructure.

The internet consists of both hardware and software. A few examples of internet hardware include physical cables, modems, and routers.

As for internet software, these are the programs enabling access to the World Wide Web. Web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari, are some examples.

Internet Access Networks

The folks at SevOne say that there are at least 3.5 billion mobile broadband subscriptions. On top of that are more than a billion active fixed broadband plans. Broadband, in turn, is an example of an internet access network.

Internet access networks are the physical connection between internet users and the internet. Digital subscriber lines (DSL) and mobile networks are other types of access networks.

Data Centers

Data centers are physical facilities housing computers that store digital data. They consist of networks of computing machines and virtual storage resources. They serve as off-site storage for data, which users can access from anywhere.

The Internet of Things (IoT)

The IoT refers to all the physical devices that can now connect to the internet. Their built-in computer chips let them transfer data without much human intervention.

Any device you can connect to the internet is an IoT device, so all smart devices are IoT devices. The most common of these smart gadgets are computers, smartphones, and tablets. Other examples are smartwatches, smart light bulbs, and smart thermostats.

Applications (AKA Apps)

Apps are software programs designed for end-users or consumers. They can be for entertainment, education, productivity, health monitoring, or news delivery. Most apps are downloadable, while others are accessible through an internet browser.

Mobile apps are some of the most popular end-user applications out there. For instance, the Google Play Store offers about 2.56 million apps. That’s on top of the 1.85 million apps available to Apple iOS users.

The Cloud

The term cloud refers to any software or service you can access on the Internet. Cloud services don’t use local computer storage space, as there’s no need to download them. Instead, they only need users to have a computing device connected to the internet.

So, when you hear someone say your data is in “the cloud,” that means it’s in one or more data centers. The facilities, in turn, can be anywhere or in many places, or even in multiple countries.

The simplest example of a cloud service is email, such as Google Workspace (Gmail).

If you’re on a PC or laptop, you don’t have to download Google Workspace itself. Instead, you can launch a web browser and go to the Gmail website to access your account. All your email account’s contents are, in turn, in one of Google’s cloud or data centers.

Other examples of cloud services are Google Drive, Apple iCloud, and DropBox. Streaming websites, such as YouTube and Netflix, are also cloud services.

End-Users

End-users refer to the people who use the internet or IoT devices, such as yourself. At the time of this writing, close to two-thirds of the world’s total population use the internet.

Digital infrastructure exists to serve end-users. So, without end-users, there would be no need for such infrastructure in the first place.

Is Digital Infrastructure Now a Necessity?

Yes. If not for digital infrastructure, people would have no way to access the internet. However, it serves far more crucial functions than just letting folks surf the net.

For example, when the world went into lockdown in 2020, the internet was the key form of communication. So much so that one study found the average broadband usage to have risen from 273.5 GB to 402.5 GB, a 47% increase.

Granted, a huge chunk of that data usage was due to the increase in cloud streaming. However, many people who were ill but had to stay at home also used telehealth services. They had their doctor consultations and physician visits via the internet.

Even before the pandemic, though, digital infrastructure already modernized communication. For instance, wireless internet networks allow folks in rural areas to stay connected. If not for wireless internet, many of the 20% of Americans who live in rural areas won’t have service.

Digital Infrastructure Makes Modern Society Modern

As you can see, digital infrastructure is a key definer of modern society. It interlinks computers and people all over the world, and it lets smart gadgets be smart in the first place. It’s the result of human ingenuity and labor that lets you shop and entertain yourself online.

So, the next time you find a good read online, thank the folks behind digital infrastructure.

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