A Guide To

Enterprise Network
Management: Tips &
Best Practices
Written by IR Team
info@ir.com
In a large enterprise setting, there are likely to be hundreds or perhaps even
thousands of network components through which network traffic flows
constantly.

Enterprise networks are a complex mix of Local Area Networks (LANs,)

which connect to Wide Area Networks (WANs) and cloud services,
connecting thousands of devices, applications and people to each other and to
the internet.

These network connections are vital to every organization so that they can
exchange and share data, communicate from any location in the world, from
any device and efficiently carry out business processes.

If a network is the beating heart of an organization, it's not surprising that

enterprise network management systems are the vital arteries that maintain a
network's health, and keep their enterprise operations working as they should.
In this guide, we'll explain in detail the importance of enterprise network
monitoring, the pitfalls of network downtime, and how organizations can
protect their network infrastructure and maintain maximum network
performance at all times. We'll also discuss some of the upcoming
developments, and what enterprises can expect in the near future of network
management systems.

What is enterprise network

management?
Essentially, enterprise network management is the process of building,
managing and maintaining an enterprise organization's network
infrastructure. Network management includes overseeing:

 Hardware and software components

 Configuration management
 Network security management
 Performance management
 Access management
 Data integration
 Fault management
 Capacity planning
 Network analytics

With the advent of remote and hybrid working, network management is not
only a crucial part of business operations, but it has become more complex.
Within each element of a network's infrastructure are a host of other intricate
components that traditional network monitoring tools may no longer be
equipped to handle.
This network complexity is ever increasing with the rise of edge computing,
cloud computing services, and the Internet of Things (IoT), so network
managers need to be constantly on top of their organization's evolving
network operations and infrastructure.

Why is network management

important?
Without the proper network monitoring systems in place, large enterprises
have no way of improving network performance and availability. They have
no way of planning efficiently for future expansion, or controlling security.
IT teams can't readily identify or resolve problems in real time.

Let's take a more in-depth look at the importance of enterprise network

management systems in today's modern networks.
Optimal performance

With a distributed workforce consisting of dispersed employees, and possibly

hundreds of network devices, a dynamic business environment can't afford to
have their essential networks under-performing. Optimal performance
promotes increased productivity and usability, and the efficient exchange of
data, and this is achieved by managing network latency, traffic volume,
network bandwidth, and traffic direction.

 In the digital age, we depend on fast, reliable, secure network data

transfer with 24/7 availability. Every network infrastructure device is
part of a link to efficient communication, collaboration and security.
 Sub-optimal and outdated network elements can limit available
bandwidth, increase latency and impact network performance.
 An entire network can become overwhelmed if there are sudden surges
or spikes in traffic.

There are potentially hundreds of performance issues capable of deteriorating

the end-user experience, so the ability for network teams to analyze
performance data is crucial.

Security & compliance

With the ever-present threat of security risks, managing a network's security

is a huge priority for network administrators.

A network consisting of physical and virtual firewalls requires network

management solutions that can give network managers a high level of
visibility into network behavior.
These solutions should also allow IT teams to:

 Automate device configurations

 Adhere to compliance requirements and implement global policies
 Easily view firewall traffic
 Generate reports when needed
 Provide a single, clear management interface for physical and virtual
systems.

Inconsistencies with network configurations can make the network

vulnerable to sophisticated threats and regulatory noncompliance.

Cost savings

Efficient network management within an IT infrastructure directly translates

to lower costs including software, hardware, business operations, services,
and network maintenance.

Cloud-based management systems offer scalability, flexibility, and cost-

efficiency eliminating the expenses that come with on-premises infrastructure
and the hardware and maintenance costs associated with traditional network
management systems.

Additionally, centralized access to network management tools enables

efficient remote network administration and reduces physical travel costs.

A cloud-based IT management infrastructure also allows network managers

to create a seamless environment enabling device interoperability,
streamlined business processes, efficient data transfer, and handling.
By making tracking activity across large networks easier, businesses can
scale more effectively. Network management systems can also automate
business activities, saving companies time and money.

Best practices for network

management
Modern enterprise networks are not just made up of a host of PCs and
servers. Today's modern network includes an ever-expanding variety of new
technologies, machine learning systems and new tools, and the rise of
network automation.

Part of network management for many organizations includes the integration

of smart devices like building security and climate controls, cameras and
monitors, even vending machines. A State of the Internet of Things (IoT)
report by research company IoT Analytics predicts 25 billion connected IoT
devices by 2025.

Let's look at what we consider to be 5 of the most important network

management best practices and some future trends in network management.

1. Understanding a network's infrastructure

Effective network management starts with a clear understanding of the

network. Network managers need to have a clear picture of each element of
its structure by mapping its topology and identifying the network type and
devices used to build it.
Network managers need to familiarize themselves with the Open Systems
Interconnection model OSI model, which provides a framework for
understanding how data flows through a network.

Image source: Cyberhoot

The more information that network managers have in hand, the better their
position to develop a management plan that meets the business’s specific
needs, and make informed decisions about capacity planning.

For this reason, one of the best practices in network management is to

identify the most critical infrastructure elements and give them priority
attention. This means ensuring they are properly configured, monitored, and
maintained.
2. Understanding security and compliance
requirements

Network managers are responsible for managing network protection and

security. This includes company policies, business processes, and practices
for monitoring network health, detecting vulnerabilities, and preventing
unauthorized access.

Compliance is another vital network management area to avoid costly fines

and other regulatory sanctions. A thorough understanding of the requirements
is essential, so network managers need to keep on top of compliance
requirements. Depending on location and industry, this includes laws such as
HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, etc.

3. Maintaining staff training and education

It stands to reason that the better trained your employees are, the better they
will be at their jobs. But regular upskilling and training keeps staff more
confident and motivated, and it's this extra efficiency that helps boost an
organization's bottom line.

With people on your teams from diverse backgrounds with unique

personalities and skillsets, training ensures that everyone is on equal footing,
and all ideas are valued.

Additionally, employees need to be regularly informed and updated with

basic information on security measures, such as password protection and
avoiding phishing, scams and cyber breaches.
By ensuring staff are updated on all aspects of network management,
administrators can help create optimal business performance.

4. Monitoring the network

Monitoring keeps an enterprise network performing at optimal capacity. By

implementing monitoring and performance solutions, network managers can
determine baselines for normal network behavior. Monitoring also enables IT
teams to identify potential problems by tracking data from multiple users and
devices.

IT leaders rely on real time monitoring for multiple functions including

reporting, traffic management, advanced analytics, problem resolution,
performance data, uptime, and event monitoring. Using network monitoring
tools also provides auditing, root cause analysis and fault management.

The goal of a performance monitoring tool is to enable networks to run at

optimal performance. When problems do occur, network monitoring provides
quick notification of what's gone wrong, and where, with the potential to
proactively prevent problems recurring in the future.

5. Creating a disaster recovery plan

An important element of network management best practices that can often

be overlooked is disaster recover. As we are well aware after the COVID
crisis, a well-crafted disaster recovery plan can mean the difference between
seamless business continuity and the collapse of an organization.
Identifying the hazards (fire, earthquake, flood, power outages, cyber attacks,
internal security breaches and pandemics to name a few) allows network
managers to create an effective disaster recovery plan and develop strategies
to mitigate their effects.

Measures could include backing up data, decommissioning redundant

systems, developing evacuation procedures, restoring alternative access to
critical applications, and connectivity options.

What to expect for enterprise

network management
Enterprise network management is constantly evolving, along with the
technology that is shaping the networks themselves. Cloud migration,
security challenges, hybrid and remote working models have reshaped the
way a service provider delivers their services, and the network elements that
drive business operations today.

How modern network architecture is

changing

Employees need to be able to connect to the network from both inside and
outside the office, making a traditional centralized networking infrastructure
no longer efficient.

Today, many hardware devices are now available as software or as cloud

services, cutting costs, increasing efficiency and enabling scalability.
Image source: Cloudflare

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Secure Access Service Edge, or SASE, is a cloud-based IT model that
combines software-defined networking, or Networking as a Service (NaaS)
with Network Security as a Service (NSaaS). This provides better network
control and visibility into the users, traffic, and data accessing a corporate
network.

Networks built with SASE are more flexible and have the ability to scale
more easily, with efficient connectivity from any device, to globally
distributed employees and offices.

Image source: Cloudflare

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)

The security strategy of Zero Trust systems in enterprise networking is based

on the principle of “never trust, always verify”. It was designed as an
approach to network security issues, that protects an organization by
eliminating implicit trust and continuously validating every stage of a digital
interaction.

Its goal is to protect modern network environments and enable secure digital
transformation by using strong authentication methods, and leveraging
network segmentation.

Zero Trust also requires consideration of encryption of data, securing email,

and verifying the hygiene of assets and endpoints before they connect to
applications.

Automation & AIOps

According to Gartner, “AIOps combines big data and machine learning to

automate IT operations".

It refers to platforms that leverage machine learning (ML) and analytics to

automate IT operations. AIOps harnesses big data from operational
appliances and has the unique ability to detect and respond to issues
instantaneously.

AIOps also works alongside ITOps, DevOps, and SRE (Site Reliability
Engineering) Teams using automated systems to help execute tasks more
quickly and efficiently with fewer manual processes. As a result, it prevents
network roadblocks, manages processes, and helps achieve continuous
services.