Achieve NetOps that run like clockwork

As hybrid networks grow in cloud connectivity and scope, the traditional device-focused mindset of NetOps managers falls short in preventing outages and ensuring strategic service delivery. Adopting a continuous service-delivery assessment approach is essential.

Assessing network functionality beyond devices

How do we gauge if an enterprise network is functioning effectively? A typical NetOps manager might assess this based on the operational status of network infrastructure components. However, defining network performance merely by device status is outdated in today’s digital-focused landscape.

Success in modern networking should be measured by the infrastructure’s capability to support crucial business services. Each design aspect, compliance requirement, and application-specific use case within an enterprise demands a holistic, top-down perspective.

NetOps managers must not only update their approach but also rethink their processes to scale support plans without excessive labor and become more proactive in outage prevention. This involves transitioning from viewing the network as a collection of devices to seeing it as a system designed to deliver services.

1. Setting clear objectives in NetOps

For NetOps teams to effectively refocus on service delivery assessment, they must first identify the specific services the network aims to deliver. This involves understanding the needs and intentions of all stakeholders, which typically include maintaining performance levels for certain applications, adhering to security and design compliance standards, and ensuring resilience through robust failover architectures.

Each of these broad categories encompasses finer details impacting service delivery. For instance, to ensure optimal performance for a voice-over-IP application, certain network conditions must be met to achieve clear call quality. NetOps teams must continuously verify that the network meets these service requirements and maintains the necessary capabilities.

2. Establishing network baselines

The initial step for NetOps is to establish network behavior baselines for each critical application service. By defining these desired behaviors across all operational groups and mission-critical applications, they can compile a comprehensive list of performance standards for evaluation.

Understanding these baseline expectations allows straightforward real-time verification of the network's performance against these standards. This process was previously challenging when dealing with extensive, distributed networks or lacking visibility into various network components and public clouds. A comprehensive assessment of these hybrid environments is crucial for effective service delivery.

3. Integrating automation for continuous assessment

Incorporating no-code network automation is essential for this evolved approach of continuous service delivery assessment, primarily due to the issue of scale. While network professionals can assess parts of the network individually, this traditional method is heavily reliant on the expertise of engineers and is time-intensive. When considering the need to monitor tens or hundreds of thousands of network points in a complex enterprise environment daily or weekly, the necessity for scalability becomes evident.

Beyond basic assessment, automation platforms open the door to other crucial evaluations, such as security and compliance checks, application-specific assessments, and cloud performance monitoring.

Implementing deep, continuous assessment automation across the entire network is just necessary. That would be a strategic move to ensure efficiency and reliability in modern network operations.

Advantages of adopting a service delivery focus

Adopting a service delivery mindset, instead of merely concentrating on connectivity and device health, aligns NetOps more closely with the actual requirements of the business. This shift in focus empowers NetOps to proactively address every need, ensuring they are resolved efficiently and effectively, reinforcing business leaders' confidence in their infrastructure's robust support of application services.

One stark illustration of the importance of this service-oriented approach is in change management. Most network outages result from unintended effects from routine network modifications, such as updates or security patches.

A connectivity-focused perspective might overlook these consequences, as it primarily concerns itself with the normal functioning of devices. Without considering the business processes each device supports, changes made might appear successful initially, only to reveal through service desk reports that they have adversely affected another business service.