Definitions: Configuration Management

Definition

Network configuration management is important when it comes to maintaining robust network services with fewer data centers.

Business Applications

Networks are becoming more diverse with new types of network  equipment, such as WAN optimizers that join traditional routers and switches.  The only way organizations can be assured that their network infrastructure is  configured to deliver the required volume and quality of traffic in and out of  their data centers is by fitting all of these elements in a consolidated and  automated management system.

Some of the key elements of an effective configuration-management system requires first and foremost an easy-to-use common interface for managing device types from different vendors.

Security Issues

Mae  Kowalke, TMCnet Senior Editor, wrote in 2008 that IT departments at  enterprises often are kept busy with the time-consuming but necessary tasks  associated with changing and configuring various network devices. Such  maintenance might seem mundane, but it’s necessary to ensure that systems are  kept running and security isn’t compromised.

She notes that change and configuration management can be a  problem. NSolutions with its configuration product, Network Ontology and  Virtualization Appliance (NOVA), controls changes to ensure uptime and  security.

Technical Details

Because of idiosyncratic interfaces and command structures, it’s never been easy to define, implement and maintain consistent configuration standards for the myriad of devices and vendors that populate enterprise networks. Effective network configuration management requires first  and foremost an easy-to-use common interface for managing device types from  different vendors. (See The Importance of Wide Area Network Configuration.)

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