Many organizations today are still using a combination of Visio and spreadsheets for their network documentation. I get it: these are good applications to use, they’re included with Office 365, and they’re easy-to-use and store. I have seen some really detailed spreadsheets and Visio network diagrams and they are most impressive!
The big question that organizations are facing about these tools, though, is this: “can we really use them as our trusted source of information about the network?”
Are Visio diagrams reliable as a trusted source for network information?
If your Visio network diagrams aren’t up-to-date, how reliable are they? Some of the organizations with whom I have talked have change management processes in place that require their network engineers to update their spreadsheet and diagram whenever they make any change. The first instance where organizations do have a change management process in place.
How often are the changes made in the documentation? Can you be 100% sure the information is truly accurate? If you feel it is 100%, that is good for you! If this is your system, and it’s truly sustainable for the organization, great: I can see why Visio would be all you need…but….that is, if it’s easy to get your information….
Can you quickly and reliably access your network information?
You can have some of the most impressive Visio network diagrams on the planet, but if they’re hard to find when you need to troubleshoot a problem, that’s a problem. If you’re using Visio, how many network diagrams (and maybe spreadsheets) do you have? Are the diagrams stored in some type of shared folder so that your engineers can easily access them?
How quickly can you search for the information you need…do you have to go through lots of tabs in the spreadsheets or thumb through lots of Visio diagrams to find the information you need to troubleshoot an issue?
While plenty of organizations start out using a combination of Visio and spreadsheets for documentation, and continue to do so today, they often find that Visio isn’t cutting it anymore and they want out because they’re:
- losing valuable time
- sick of troubleshooting taking too long
- spending too much time and money on cabling issues
- fed up trying to manage without the insights they really need
The number #1 problem with Visio network diagrams is….
Drumroll, please: the number one problem with Visio network diagrams is…. they’re not automated!
Too much manual work leads to…more work…or, in numerous cases — no work at all — asking an organization to document a growing network using only Visio is a Herculean task and some organizations will just skip the documentation part until a crisis occurs and then it’s all hands on deck for a little while.
Are there other options? Yes: find an automated network discovery with network maps that are updated with every network scan!
With tools like netTerrain, for example, you can obtain real-time and current network topology diagrams through the included SNMP network discovery engine: it automatically discovers your devices, ports, and connections. Set up a scheduler to run the network scan automatically, and even poll the network.
When you have automated network discovery on your side, finding information is easy. With netTerrain, for example, it’s simple to search for information about any device or connections…in seconds! Everything is stored in a central repository, where you can grant permissions and access to your staff and colleagues. No more fumbling through trying to find the right spreadsheet to search for things.
When you have the information you need at your fingertips, troubleshooting times are reduced. Updated network documentation is the tool you need to quickly identify issues and everything that may be impacted by the issue.
Network diagrams also help with managing your network assets. You can keep track of your entire network equipment inventory and create queries such as “show me a list of when my network devices are still under maintenance or warranty or if they’re coming up for renewal”. Would the ability to run queries like that make your work life more efficient? Finally, automatic network documentation helps prevent information loss due to employee churn.
In meeting with prospective customers to discuss our software, how many times have I heard something like this: “I’m new here and I replaced the person that knew everything about the network and I have no idea what’s on the network?” With updated network diagrams, you can retain the information in a central repository, so that when your network know-it-all, the person who has all of the knowledge about your organization retires, all of the data doesn’t leave with him.
To sum up, if you’re still using Visio network diagrams, or spreadsheets, or a combination of the two — and you’re starting to be fed up with the inefficiency, automated network documentation can help. Shameless vendor plug: if you’d like to try our automated network documentation software netTerrain, click here to get a 14-day free trial and get your questions answered now.
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