As your company grows, your networks are also expanding. Business never remains stagnant, and there are always changes along the way. You need network configuration infrastructure that can grow with your company and evolve to incorporate the constant changes. With efficient network configuration tools, you can reduce downtime, reduce configuration errors, boost network security, and streamline maintenance process. Therefore as you invest in the best tools for these tasks, remember to employ the following best practices for proper network configuration management.
1. Automate Your Networks
Automation is an essential step in streamlining network configuration processes. Using manual methods to configure the system requires extensive effort and administration time which may not be available. What’s more, it makes room for human error, which can increase network downtime and expose you to vulnerabilities. Automation saves time and increases productivity in your company. Continuous monitoring reduces downtime and enables you to perform configuration changes quickly and efficiently. Automation also eases maintenance and repairs as you receive notifications of system malfunctions.
2. Enforce Configuration Policies
Setting up network configuration policies ensures that all configuration processes adhere to the said policies. Doing so prevents non-compliant configurations which can promote errors, cause failed implementation, or lead to unexpected outages. To enforce policies, make use of network monitoring tools so that you can keep tabs on new device configurations, software installation, and other network changes and ensure that they are in line with the set policies.
3. Carry Out Routine Backups
Routine backups are necessary for any effective network configuration management system. If you’ve been hit by a cyber attack, you probably know what it means to be found without a network backup. The attack can paralyze operations in your company. Avoid this by performing regular backups of the network configurations. If possible, automate the backup process to ensure that it is done routinely after the end of each working day. Have a cloud backup as well to be safe if your local drives are affected.
4. Measure Results
You can only maintain and improve what you can measure, so it is always critical analyze the effectiveness of your network configuration management results. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) will help you to do this effectively. Some of the indicators that you can use include components that are not authorized but in operation, number of changes made to the network per month, number and severity of incidents and network problems, and the number of network configuration changes that were not successful among others.
A seemingly harmless software glitch can wreak havoc in your business, cause unnecessary downtime, discredit your brand, and cost you money. That’s why you need to stay on top of your network configuration game. Follow these best practices to ensure that your network configuration processes are streamlined and effective.
