IT Infrastructure for Companies — Essential Guide 2025

Essential IT infrastructure components (server, network, storage)

A company's IT infrastructure is the foundation on which all business processes run: from accounting and ERP to communication and data security. Regardless of company size, the three essential components are the server (physical or cloud), the network (switches, structured cabling, Wi-Fi), and storage (data storage with redundancy). Neglecting any of them leads to critical vulnerabilities and productivity losses.

A dedicated server (on-premise or co-located) offers full data control, high access speeds, and compliance with GDPR data localization requirements. The cloud alternative (Azure, AWS) suits companies with distributed teams but involves recurring costs and internet dependency. The Geseidl IT team can help you choose the optimal option.

Correct sizing — small vs medium vs large company

A company with 5-15 employees can operate with a high-performance NAS (Synology, QNAP), a managed gigabit switch, and a hardware firewall (Fortinet, Sophos). Total cost: 5,000-10,000 EUR. A medium company (30-100 employees) needs a rack server, PoE switches for IP telephony, centralized UPS, and a virtualization solution (Hyper-V or VMware). Estimated budget: 15,000-40,000 EUR.

Large companies (100+ employees) require redundant infrastructure: at least two clustered servers, enterprise SAN/NAS storage, VLAN-segmented network, off-site backup solution, and a periodically tested disaster recovery plan. Initial investment can exceed 100,000 EUR, but the cost per employee drops significantly.

Firewall and perimeter security — not optional

A hardware firewall is the first line of defense against cyberattacks. In 2025, ransomware attacks increasingly target Romanian SMEs, considered easy targets due to insufficient security investments. The NIS2 Directive (transposed into Romanian law) imposes concrete cybersecurity obligations on companies in essential sectors.

• UTM (Unified Threat Management) firewall with integrated IPS/IDS
• Site-to-site and client-to-site VPN for secure remote access
• VLAN-based network segmentation (separating guests, IoT, servers)
• Centralized antivirus with management console (ESET, Bitdefender)
• Automatic firmware updates and security patches
• 24/7 monitoring with real-time alerts

Backup and disaster recovery — the 3-2-1 rule

The 3-2-1 rule is the gold standard in data protection: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy off-site (at a different physical location or in the cloud). Data loss due to ransomware, hardware failure, or human error can completely paralyze a company. Backup restoration must be tested quarterly.

A disaster recovery (DR) plan defines RTO (Recovery Time Objective — how long restoration takes) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective — how much data you lose). For an accounting firm, acceptable RTO is 4 hours and RPO is maximum 1 hour. Modern backup solutions (Veeam, Acronis) can achieve these targets at reasonable costs.

Proactive vs reactive maintenance — cost impact

Proactive maintenance (monitoring, preventive updates, equipment replacement before failure) costs on average 200-500 EUR/month for a park of 20-50 workstations. Reactive maintenance (intervention at failure) seems cheaper, but a single major incident can cost 5,000-20,000 EUR in productivity losses, data recovery, and emergency equipment.

Studies show that companies with proactive maintenance contracts have 60% fewer critical incidents and 80% less downtime compared to those without contracts. Geseidl offers SLA contracts with guaranteed response times and permanent monitoring.

Need IT and infrastructure services? The Geseidl Consulting Group team, CECCAR Prahova leader for 18 consecutive years, is ready to help. Discover our services or contact us for a free consultation.