Network Documentation Headline

IT Documentation and a set of jumper cables share a similarity: You don’t think much about them until you need them but when the need arises; it’s critical to have them. Although IT documentation plays an important role in disaster recovery and finding security vulnerabilities, the time and resources required to properly document a network are often shortchanged.

Begin by Taking Inventory
We can help your company create a record of all the client systems and servers that exist in your organization. Your licensing paperwork should get you up to speed on which operating systems are installed, as well as the programs, applications, and third-party utilities your organization has purchased and authorized specific employees to use.

Review Your Network Infrastructure
When planning for security or other upgrades, you must have a solid understanding of your current network. Using information collected from your inventory, we can help you record your network’s actual physical structure.

In addition to creating a physical network diagram (using a tool such as Microsoft Visio) that pinpoints the location of clients, servers, routers, firewalls, and other devices, can help you create a logical network diagram. While a physical network diagram specifies the network address information associated with each client, server, and device, a logical network diagram should be broken down by sites and include such data as the number of primary and backup domain controllers at each location and the number of users that specific site supports. WAN links between each site should be recorded, along with the capacity of each WAN connection.

Evaluate Bandwidth Issues
Your network’s performance capacity deserves its own category. It’s one thing to know the types of LAN and WAN links you have in place; it’s another to know the load level each carries.

Obtaining baseline measurements is critical in documenting a network’s bandwidth. Without knowing average utilization metrics, it’s next to impossible to tell how new installations or changes impact performance. Implementing security measures almost always affects a network, so having baseline measurements becomes that much more valuable.

Controlling Network Changes
Documenting a network is an intimidating task, even for veteran IT pros. Keeping it up to date can be even more of a task. IT Solutions, Inc. can help you implement products that will help you with “Change-Control.” Easily implemented products such as Microsoft’s SUS, ScriptLogic and others can not only help you control your network, but can truly put you in the network management seat.

IT documentation and a set of jumper cables share a similarity: You don’t think much about them until you need them- but when the need arises, it’s critical to have them. Although IT documentation plays an important role in disaster recovery and finding security vulnerabilities, the time and resources required to properly document a network are often shortchanged.