Infrastructure: The Invisible Architecture of Success

Usually I do an end of year post on the books I have enjoyed throughout the year. This one deserves a special mention and a post of its own. This post is dedicated to all those who design, build and operate the technology infrastructure.

Deb Chachra’s "How Infrastructure Works" isn’t just a book. It’s a mirror, showing us that the frameworks we rely on in the physical world have their echoes in the digital one. I heard about the book in a post by my favourite marketing guru Seth Godin.

Chachra writes, “Infrastructure is as much about the maintenance of existing systems as it is about building new ones.” Swap out 'infrastructure' for 'technology', and you’ve nailed the daily grind of IT departments everywhere.

Maintenance isn't glamorous. It doesn’t make headlines, when done right. Lack of maintenance captures headlines! As Chachra points out, “maintenance is a continual act of renewing, which might go unnoticed but never unneeded."

In tech, this isn’t just keeping the lights on; it’s what keeps the doors open to innovation. The balance between these two - innovation, and keeping thelights on is key, for every infrastructure leader, every CIO and hopefully every CEO and board. Every technology that we take for granted runs on the underlying infrastructure.

Here’s what we’re missing:

1. Maintenance Is Marketing - Every update, every patch, every system check you run is telling a story about reliability and foresight. For the rest of the business it may seem "BAU" (Business as Usual), however ask someone who puts in the effort. They will all have "stories" of BAU update that went a bit, let's say unusual.
2. Small Pieces, Big Picture - "Every component, no matter how small, contributes to the robustness of the whole." Your smallest module (that spinning disk!) could be what’s keeping your largest systems robust.
3. Deferred Costs are Future Debts - Imagine this: "Investment deferred in infrastructure cannot be counted as savings; it often leads to amplified costs down the line." In tech, that could mean downtime. Or worse, breach time.
4. Futurescape - Planning for the future isn’t about crystal balls. It’s about listening to the needs of today and predicting the demands of tomorrow. Like public infrastructure, technology infrastructure is built for years to come Agreed, the lifespan is much shorter, however double digit years is not unheard of.
5. Better Together - Collaborative efforts aren’t just good ethics. They’re good business. Diverse teams don’t just build better products; they build better realities. A reality that keeps equity at forefront. This also applies to technology infrastructure. Digital equity anyone?

Invisible? Yes. Inconsequential? Never. The backend work we do on our digital infrastructure today is what paves the road to tomorrow's innovations.

Let's choose to be builders—thoughtful, vigilant, forward-thinking builders. Because when the [digital] infrastructure works, it really works.

If you are reading this and are with me so far, thank someone who looks after the infrastructure you rely upon. Digital or Public. I am thankful to the people at Watercare Services Limited who are replacing the water mains across our street. The mains pipeline was built during WWII, 80+ years ago. The new ones will last longer, hopefully. Yes, it is disruptive, but in the developed countries we don't think about potable water that much. Do We? Only when lack of maintenance makes it to the headline.

#TechnologyInfrastructure #FutureOfWork #Innovation #DigitalTransformation