There are several key components used by successful IT and networking organizations:
- People
- Processes
- Tools
People are the most important assets, followed by proper processes, then the tools to implement and automate those processes. Great people, with the right processes, can overcome the lack of tools (but will be less effective than good people who have the right processes and tools). Let's say that you have a great team, but you don't want to take the time to create a set of processes to help that team manage the network. Upon looking around the 'net to find a set of processes used by other organizations, I found that Ronald Bartels, who writes a blog on Thinking Problem Management, has assembled a set that encompass a full suite of IT functions. He labeled the set ITIL Process Checklists.
The list of processes includes things like:
- Change management
- Event and Alert management
- Configuration management (remember that changes are the most common source of network outages)
- Service request management
- Problem management
- Capacity management
- etc...
So if you're looking for a set of processes to use within your organization, his list of processes are a good place to start. As for the other components of the People, Process, Tools triad, Google for the set of terms and you'll find a lot of links to writing by other people on solving problems with each of them. And, of course, at Netcordia, we think that NetMRI is a good tool to use for knowning what's really happening in your network.
-Terry