Information technology infrastructure is defined broadly as a set of information technology (IT) components that are the foundation of an IT service; typically physical components (computer and networking hardware and facilities), but also various software and network components.The fields of IT management and IT service management rely on IT infrastructure, and the ITIL framework was developed as a set of best practices with regard to IT infrastructure.Enterprise IT infrastructure typically refers to components required for the existence, operation and management of an enterprise IT environment. It can be internal to an organization and deployed within owned facilities, or deployed within a cloud computing system, or a combination thereof. An IT infrastructure consists of a set of physical devices and software applications that are required to operate the entire enterprise.
All of the hardware, software, networks, facilities, etc., that are required to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control or support IT services. The term IT infrastructure includes all of the Information Technology but not the associated People, Processes and documentation.
A mainframe is the central data repository, or hub, in a corporation's data processing center, linked to users through less powerful devices such as workstations or terminals. The presence of a mainframe often implies a centralized form of computing, as opposed to a distributed form of computing.