Welcome to the 21st Century

Hello, and welcome to 21st Century Management. This reason behind this blog is simple – to discuss common sense issues about managing networks so they can fulfill the essential role they play in our everyday lives. While my background is all about network management tools and technologies, I’ve always kept an eye on the bigger picture, and one of my strongest beliefs is this – that no modern, connected organization can reach their potential without paying attention to the electronic plumbing which carries the lifeblood of their business, whether it’s applications, services, transactions – you name it. If it’s on-line, it got there over a network. And if you don’t manage it, it will manage you. But it doesn’t start and stop with the network. The network is the essential plumbing, yes, but it’s an integral part of the larger service delivery infrastructure. Consequently, any talk about best practices and tools and technologies must embrace operational integration with other primary IT domains, and the role that network management plays in broader initiatives such as ITSM. My drumbeat will often be about “integrated network management,” which means just this – network management that is aware of the rest of the IT realm. The other key tenet I’ll be pushing is “application-aware” network management, because while there is plenty of work to do that is exclusively focused on the network, being aware of the applications (and services) transiting the network is the first rung on the ladder to understanding the business value of the network, and understanding the business value of the network is the key to achieving a rightful (and righteous?) seat at the table of strategic business assets. One of the great advantages of being a part of the Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) team is the fact that I get to work closely with a group of really sharp people who have deep experience across all of the IT domains – network, systems, data center, security, applications, storage, and service desk. Our collective theory is that each discipline area is made stronger by joining forces with the others for a more effective whole. I know, you’re thinking that next I’ll be asking you all to join me in singing Kumbaya, but seriously – this is the future. I’ll be inviting my colleagues to post here on a regular basis, especially when the topic is relevant to the network engineering and operations audience. And I’d love to hear what you think! Please comment freely!