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Happy 2-Year Anniversary - A Reminder to Focus on What's Really Important in Network Engineering

Written Architectures with Template Designs Should Form the Basis of Everything You Do

By michaeljmorris on Mon, 06/29/09 - 8:51am.

This Saturday, July 4th, marks the two year anniversary of my "From the Field" blog on Network World. It's been a great and demanding experience. Best I can tell, I've written over 140 blogs in those 2 years on everything from Webtorials to Routing iSCSI with 10GIG. There are usually around 10,000 to 15,000 unique readers of my blogs each month. I have to thank Network World for marketing Cisco Subnet so well and I have to thank my loyal readers who wait each week to read my eloquence (come you three readers, I know you). ;-)

The majority of my work has centered around three main areas. The first is the Cisco Nexus line of switches which, over the two years my blog has existed, were in development, released as a product, and used in our new data center.

Nexus Blogs
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/38587
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/38325
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/38063
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/33311
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/32995
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/26796
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/25825
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/25129
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/24907
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/24529

The second main area of my blogs has been the Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) certification; in particular, my passing the CCDE last fall, becoming one of the first three in the world to attain that certification.

CCDE Blogs
Passing the CCDE is Starting to Sink In
Holly Crap I Passed the CCDE!!!!
Did I Pass the CCDE?
CCDE Practical Beta is a Beta
CCDE Practical Beta Exam is Tomorrow
CCDE Practical is a Go!
Sneak Preview of the CCDE Practical Exam
Clearing the Air on the CCDE Practical Beta Exam
CCDE Practical Beta Test Cancelled
CCDE Written Goes Live. I Passed. Can You?
Will Cisco's Master Architect Certification Test Leadership?
More Thoughts on Network Engineers and the CCDE
Separating Network Design and the CCIE
Took the CCDE Written Beta Test Today
Insight on the New Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) - Part III
Insight on the New Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) - Part II
Insight on the New Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) and Network Infrastructure Architect Certification

However, the single most important thing I have blogged about in the last two years need to be highlighted and reinforced more often. The key to stable, scalable, and effective network design has little to do with Nexus switches or multiple certifications or the latest whiz-bang gadget some vendor will sell you. The best way to a great network is a solid written architecture based on template network designs. Having a written architecture to document your standards (BOMs, configurations, IOS levels, routing, etc) along with repeatable network designs in the form of template drawings will make your network a crown jewel in the IT portfolio.

If you don't have a written architecture and templates now, start today! If the economy has your budget constrained, start working on a written architecture and templates (hint: they are really cheap to do, only cost labor hours). If you're interviewing for a new job, don't talk about how many different pieces of Cisco hardware you know, talk about how you would bring a written architecture and templates to your prospective employer.

If you think about it, a written architecture and templates are an amazingly simple concept that few people and organizations do. Don't be typical, be different!

Written Architecture and Template Blogs
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/17176
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/17657
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/21681
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/22723
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/22950
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/23415
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/23606
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/23721
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/25947
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/26046
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/26457
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/33909
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/42139

PS - I'm taking next weekend off for the 4th of July, so no blogging. :-)

More >From the Field blog entries:

Using FCAPS for IP Telephony Management

Not a Lot of Excitement for Networkers This Year?

Cisco ASA IP Phone Proxy - My New BFF

Too Many IOS Versions, Something's Gotta Give Soon

(Network) Engineering a Merger

Applying Accounting Measures to Data Networking Financial Performance

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About From the Field

Michael Morris is a communications engineering manager at a $3-billion high-tech company. His background is in enterprise WANs working with telcos and developing large-scale routing designs. He has worked on networks at government and corporate organizations, including networks at two Fortune 10 companies. In his current role, he leads a team of 10 engineers responsible for large-scale IT networking projects and architectural standards for data networks, storage area networks, IP telephony, contact centers, and security. Michael is CCIE #11733 and recently became one of the first three Cisco Certified Design Experts (CCDE) ever (#20080002). He has 11 years experience in networking and communications, including four years as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He has a bachelor's degree in MIS from the University at Buffalo and is working on his MBA from NC State University. In 2008, he was awarded the Network Professional Association (NPA) Professional Excellence and Innovation Award for his work on network architecture, templates and enterprise MPLS design.

Contact him.

Michael Morris's From the Field blog is also featured on the Cisco Learning Network. See it there, along with the blogs of other Cisco Experts.

 

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