Graphical Networks Exhibits at Data Center World in May, ‘23
By Hannah Ash - February 13, 2023After a hiatus from exhibiting at AFCOM’s Data Center World, our team is excited to announce the return to the upcoming conference in Austin, Texas from May 8-11. Our team will exhibit our flagship software suite netTerrain at the conference, netTerrain DCIM. Used by leading industry giants and small businesses alike, netTerrain is a flexible,…
Learn More
What Your Favorite Network Engineer Wants for Valentine’s Day
By Hannah Ash - February 14, 2019Valentine’s Day is upon us — and, if you know anything about Cupid, he is great at finding things — like true love. Here at Graphical Networks, we’ve noticed that many of the network engineers who use our software netTerrain had to become, like Cupid, pretty great at finding needles in a haystack before they…
Learn More
How to Create a Network Diagram
By Hannah Ash - September 11, 2018Network diagrams are a visual tool that give network administrators a window into the network: they are used to visualize objects/nodes, connections, dependencies, critical paths, tasks, and more. Because networks are complex, there are different types of network diagrams to deliver various types of information. Step 1: Understand the Types of Network Diagrams basic network…
Learn More
What is a Logical Network Diagram?
By Hannah Ash - September 5, 2018Network diagrams, both logical and physical, are key to effective network and IT infrastructure management. With up-to-date diagrams, network admins can troubleshoot (and minimize downtime), plan for capacity, avoid IT clutter, maintain software, and keep the network secure and compliant. There are two main types of network diagrams: physical and logical. Physical network diagrams (as…
Learn More
Physical Network Diagrams Explained
By Hannah Ash - August 30, 2018When it comes to maintaining and managing an IT infrastructure, network diagrams are critical to compliance, security, troubleshooting, and minimizing downtime. Network diagrams, or maps, are visuals that use symbols/icons/shapes to depict the different objects and connections in a network. Depending upon what you need to document, you may will probably have different types of…
Learn More
What is the OSI Model?
By Hannah Ash - August 21, 2018Before you dive into what you may want to document and include in a network diagram, you’ll probably want to have a basic understand of what, exactly, the OSI model is. The Open Systems Interconnection Model (OSI) is, in a nutshell, a theoretical or reference model which defines how the different applications in a network…
Learn More
DCIM Software: How to Avoid a Failed Implementation
By Hannah Ash - August 20, 2018If someone were to ask me today, “Hey, you know about this stuff: is DCIM failing users?”, I would set them straight: “No, it’s not the software. It’s the hype that’s failing the software.” AS DCIM continues to gain steam, the more people use it and the more people talk about it. A joint survey…
Learn More
DCIM: Hype vs. Truth
By Hannah Ash - August 16, 2018As Frank Sinatra might have sung, ‘2007 was a very good year’. Apple introduced iPhone, the final Harry Potter book was published, and the Departed won an Oscar (hey, I’m from Boston). It’s also the year that DCIM software really made a splash on the tech market and major software vendors took notice and followed…
Learn More
A Crash Course in DCIM Software
By Hannah Ash - July 16, 2018DCIM: what is it, where did it come from, and what can you do with it? In this ‘crash course in DCIM’, we’ll look at the history of DCIM, what managers used before the software, if DCIM is delivering on its promises, and what, exactly, you can do with it. In the Beginning: Early Data…
Learn More
The OSI Model: Introduction
By Hannah Ash - July 13, 2018When it comes to things to be excited about in this world, learning about the Open Systems Interconnection Model (OSI) probably ranks somewhere between Tacos Tuesday (very exciting) and yeah getting a tooth pulled (very painful). If you’re reading this, you’re probably not getting a tooth pulled — so hey: life is looking up for…
Learn More
Why My Uber Driver Quit Working as a Network Engineer
By Hannah Ash - March 19, 2018So…I had an interesting ride this morning: my car is in the shop and I used Uber. I had a great ride and my driver got five stars and a tip from me — but that’s besides the point. Over the course of our conversation, he shared that he was a relatively new driver for…
Learn More
SaaS or On-Premise? How to Choose the Right License
By Hannah Ash - September 26, 2017Considering a DCIM, network documentation or OSP (gis-enabled outside plant management software) solution? In addition to understanding the features and functions you need, you may also need to discern which deployment will work best for your organization: SaaS or on-premise? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer: what you choose should depend solely upon what your organization specifically…
Learn More