Network documentation and visibility are critical for troubleshooting, design, compliance, and much more. However, many network teams struggle with these key functions due to inaccuracy and the enormous time commitment involved in manually documenting large networks.
Michael Boscia, senior business consultant for Logicalis, was all too familiar with this issue – that is, until he was introduced to NetBrain over two years ago. I spoke with Michael at Cisco Live US and discussed how Logicalis has implemented our technology to easily access network architecture as well as his initial thoughts on Integrated Edition 7.0.
NetBrain will fundamentally change how you interact with your network.
According to Michael, “Nothing else on Earth can help a company more quickly and easily visualize their network better than NetBrain.” High praise indeed from an experienced network professional. As an experienced NetBrain user, Michael is well positioned to offer some advice for users who are diving head first into a new network.
Through the power of NetBrain, users can create a holistic view of the network for everyone from the network operator up to the CIO. The ability to quickly map a network out and deliver knowledge and insights without spending days, weeks, or even months behind the command-line interface (CLI) cannot be understated. As Michael said, “If you like not knowing what is going on with your network, then don’t buy NetBrain. Otherwise, use this technology, it will fundamentally change how you interact with your network.”
NetBrain Dynamic Maps give teams end-to-end network visibility and provide network teams with actionable insights into what’s going on with the network. Compared to static network diagrams, Dynamic Maps take seconds to create, offer infinite detail, are updated automatically, identify recent change and act as the starting point to automate any task.
As Michael puts it, “If you want to be able to walk backwards in time and say, ‘Three months ago, this machine was plugged into this switch, on this port, on this day’ – if that’s the level of detail that you’re looking for, while not having to spend hours sorting all that out – NetBrain is for you.” For enterprise networks, this level of detail is critical when it comes to understanding changes and how they impact network performance.
When it came to version 7.0, Michael said, “NetBrain was awesome before and it’s even more awesome now. Between the ServiceNow integration and the runbooks, you guys took it to the next level. I’m already looking forward to seeing what you guys have in store for version 8.”
Check out my entire conversation with Michael here to find out more about these topics and how professionals like Michael are harnessing the power of NetBrain to make network management more successful:
For more information about what happened at Cisco Live, check out our recap of the show and look out for more customer interviews in the coming weeks.