Many organizations try to improve the alignment between IT and business operations. Those who succeed are highly flexible and can change business strategies to adapt to economic and market trends which change quickly and often.

To have a well-managed network you need to understand what network management is. Effective management has two dimensions:

• Quick and flexible infrastructure
• Intelligent infrastructure

First, successful businesses need IT infrastructure that’s fast and flexible enough to adapt to fast-changing market conditions around the clock.

These businesses also cannot tolerate downtime. Since about one third of all downtime instances is generally attributed to human error, a better-managed network should be intelligent and should rely on human supervision less, alerting administrators to small problems before they grow into big problems proactively.

There are many tools for management, monitoring and reporting for network devices (switches, routers and servers). When it comes to cabling, however, we continue to depend on what we can see with our own eyes or trace with our hands.

Another type of tool network managers increasingly count on is intelligent infrastructure. It typically consists of hardware and software and will allow you to manage, monitor and report on physical cable connections.

The hardware consists of patch panels that can sense when a patch cord has been plugged in or unplugged. They send this information to the software through controllers that typically reside in the rack with patch panels. Some systems have the sensing or intelligence in the patch panel, and some have sensing embedded in the patch cords.

The software sends alert based on the incoming data. It also makes a note every change in the documentation. This way, the user knows right away where the change has occurred and can restore service quickly.

In addition to providing alerts, the software can be used to manage new connections through work-scheduling functionality. Conversely, you can schedule a disconnection for a future date, so that only necessary ports are active. This provides greater security and reduces the number of unused ports.

The software can also communicate with other Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) devices, such as switches, routers, etc., feeding their information directly into the software. By taking SNMP information, the software can correlate endpoint device information to actual physical location of a device. This is a great aid for troubleshooting malfunctioning devices, managing assets and restricting rogue devices.

As more devices become IP-friendly (cameras, building control and other security devices), they are occupying the same cable used by the traditional voice and data networks. This increases the complexity and the importance of managing the physical infrastructure. An intelligent infrastructure solution should be able to communicate and integrate with other network management tools to provide an accurate representation of the total health of the network.

The biggest challenge in implementing an intelligent infrastructure solution or any network management tool is not deciding which tool to buy; the biggest challenge is understanding your organization’s existing process for managing, monitoring and reporting on your existing connectivity infrastructure, and then deciding the best processes to modify to make the most of any tool.

Tools, implemented without process and organizational buy in, typically fail implementation because the organization is not prepared to take full advantage of the tool.

Another challenge with new tools is implementing in an existing network. Typically, a tool is purchased to reduce or eliminate a pain point or several pain points within an organization. The actual implementation of a tool takes time and, as mentioned above, a process. The other challenge is that the end result many times is a hybrid system until all elements can be upgraded to the new tool and process.

The benefits of tools to manage the physical infrastructure are numerous to an organization. It increases operational efficiency, lowering operational costs and minimizes costly downtime. It allows organizations to control and secure their physical assets, which are often expensive. The tools must be technically sound and add value to technological profile of the company; providing true features that the organization requires. The tools must also be embraced by the organization and incorporated into their operating processes. Without this strategy, any tool or solution will be a failure.

About the author: Jennifer Roback is a regional technical manager at CommScope

Views represented in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of DatacenterDynamics FOCUS