Hardware is just one IT infrastructure example and consists of any IT component you can touch. Therefore, while your software and networking are part of your infrastructure, they are not part of your infrastructure hardware because they are not physical components. Hardware includes but is not limited to the items listed below:

• Servers
• Mobile devices
• Hard drive
• Network cables
• Printer
• Storage devices
• Laptops

What Infrastructure Hardware Does

Hardware IT infrastructure does a number of things, including allowing you to connect to your network and have access to the outside world. It also stores your data, and allows you to recover and use your data. Any infrastructure that involves more than one computer or person should also provide a means by which to communicate with the people or devices involved in the network.

The responsibility for the maintenance of the IT infrastructure falls to the owner. For example, you might own your own server, but you might not own the router that allows your network to access the outside world and others in the network. That may belong to your ISP and be their responsibility.