abstract network connectionsNeed to find an answer to your network question quickly? How would you find it?

These days, we’re used to being able to get the answers to our questions in seconds (thanks, Google). Need to know where the nearest Indian restaurant is when you’re driving through the middle of nowhere (this happened to me recently)….? Google has an answer for you. Want to know if that restaurant Google found you is any good? Yelp has the answer you’re looking for. Then, when you’re at the restaurant and you need to know the difference between a paneer and a biryani, Google can help you out again. We’re a little bit spoiled by how much information we have at our fingerprints.

When we lose our keys and need to find them, we’re in for a rude awakening. ‘Alexa, where’s my keys’ doesn’t exactly work out. Finding the data in your network isn’t all that dissimilar from trying to find your keys. You can’t just use Google to find what you need. That’s the bad news.

Here’s the good news…there are workarounds for when Google can’t help you out. If you lose your keys often enough, you’ve got options thanks to smart key chains and related apps (i’m not sure why my wife hasn’t gifted me with this yet). If you need to find network data, you can’t just search across Visio and Excel spreadsheets. In netTerrain, our automated network documentation software, you can. You have all of your network data and assets in one centralized place. Search for, and find, data quickly and easily.

Here are some benefits of being able to search across the network:

Maintain Equipment
Something due for maintenance? What about a software update? When you can search assets by any criteria you can dream up, you can ensure your assets are up-to-date, secure with the latest patches, and in good working order. Pull up a network diagram and take a look around.

Find & Fix Errors Quickly
Something wrong? Automated network mapping to the rescue! When you can fully search your network information, you can troubleshoot and fix errors more quickly.

Make Sense of Your Data
Whether you need to run some reports from a data set, or find something specific, being able to search the network gives you the power to understand your data and put it to work for you.

Scare Off Ghost Assets
If you have a network, chances are you’ve got some ghost assets hiding out in it. What are ‘ghost assets’? What happens when assets go missing – they get chucked, decommissioned, lost, stolen, and so on — but aren’t documented as such. When you can search for, and reconcile, assets, you can save serious money by not paying maintenance fees or by getting an accurate idea of how much space you actually have. Both network mapping and DCIM software can help you find them in your network…and scare them away for good.

Bottomline? In the same way as Google has literally transformed the way we live our modern lives, being able to search the network can do the same for your work. When you can search the network, you can understand the network. Improve the accuracy of the data you have, improve the utilization of the assets you have, and save money with the budget you have.

Ditch the dead weight, leave errors in the dust, and keep everything secure — with an automated network diagram and network mapping software such as netTerrain. Oh, and if you need help finding your keys, get yourself some geo-tags.

About Jason Sherman

As Graphical Networks’ Sales Engineering and Support Services Manager, Jason Sherman leads the pre and post sales cycle with the entire Graphical Networks software portfolio, and ensures current customers are able to use the software to its fullest potential.