Network Management

 

What is Network Management?

           Network Management is the process of administrating and monitoring your network to keep it running smoothly (Iwuozor & Bottorff, 2023). Network administrators use tools, processes, and skills to guarantee the network runs efficiently and securely for users to be able to access easily (IBM, N.D.). Network management is broken down into five major categories to determine how networks are monitored and maintained:

• Fault Management – minimizes downtime by isolating and resolving network faults or errors.
• Configuration Management – maintains control by tracking routers, servers, switches, and firewalls, including configuration details to make changes while reducing errors.
• Performance Management – monitors the speed, availability, and quality of service on the network.
• Security Management – Protects the network from unauthorized access and threats by using firewalls, encryption, and authentication.
• Accounting Management – monitors network metrics like bandwidth usage, storage consumption, and device access for accounting and billing purposes.

Information Technology and Network Management

           Information Technology is the study or use of systems for storing, sending, and retrieving information. Computers have been around since the 1940s and were used for performing calculations for military purposes (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Computers used to be the size of rooms with switches that are now the size of a pinhead (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Moore’s law states that switch size will reduce by half every two years, allowing computers to shrink in size (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). 

Moore’s law is why computers have become so portable and popular that billions of them are connected. The Internet connects billions of computers using communication rules considered Internet Protocols (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). A network of computers is a group of computers that share resources, usually located in one location. The Internet connects computers all over the world, which is considered the network of networks. The growth in computer usage has contributed to the growth of Information Technology jobs, including network management.  

 

Computer Hardware and Network Management

           Computer hardware is the physical parts of a computer (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer and is the hardware that controls the other hardware on the computer by running program instructions (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). You need powerful CPUs for processing huge amounts of network traffic and monitoring data to ensure efficient network operations. Memory random access memory (RAM) holds data temporarily to help the CPU run programs faster by copying small amounts of data from the drive on the RAM (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019). Having enough RAM will allow quick responses to network events because it has enough temporary data storage to process efficiently.

Application software, databases, and programming

           Programming is the four types of instructions that the CPU understands, including input, add, output, and stop (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019).  The CPU is the brain of the computer and is important for the network to run smoothly. Application software is a program designed to perform different tasks.  Network management uses Whatsup Pro to monitor websites and servers’ uptime and performances. It also uses application software like LANDesk that monitors installed systems and patches/updates operating systems.  

Influences on Network Management

           The right network design and layout controlled by the management rules and policies, all while fixing security issues and patches before they become an issue, keeps everything working well. Network management plays a key role in connecting computers and sharing resources smoothly, which allows these networks to connect all over the world, which is what the network of networks called the Internet. 

           

References:

 

IBM (N.D.). What is Network Management? IBM. https://www.ibm.com/topics/network-management

Iwuozor, J. & Bottorff, C. (2023, September 7). What is Network Management? Definition and Best Practices. Forbes Advisor. What Is Network Management? Definition And Best Practices – Forbes Advisor

Ren, J. & Li, T. (N.D.) Michigan State University. Chapter 12 Network Management.  network-management.pdf (msu.edu)

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks.