Hardware comprises the physical components of an IT infrastructure such as personal computers, data centers, switches, servers, routers and all the other equipment required to support the functioning of devices and machines within the IT infrastructure. Facilities that are used to house, power and cool a data center may also be considered a part of the IT infrastructure.

Software refers to all applications used by a business for both delivering services to customers and internal functioning. It includes web servers, the operating system (OS), content management systems, enterprise resource planning, productivity applications and more. The OS is the most critical piece of software that manages the hardware and connects the physical resources to the network ecosystem.