How to Reserve Resources in DCIM, Network Documentation, & OSP
By Jan Durnhofer - May 30, 2018In this blog, and accompanying video, you’ll learn how to reserve resources in netTerrain. Time and time again, we’ve seen countless situations in which our customers need to reserve a resource in netTerrain without making it active — while still being able to see the resource reserve reflected in the diagrams. Maybe a user wants…
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How to Keep Your Network Diagram Project Right-Sized
By Jason Sherman - May 17, 2018When it comes to mapping and diagramming the network, is there such a thing as inviting ‘too many people to the party’? Of course, it’s always more fun to invite others to your (network documentation) party…and, of course, sometimes you have to. Sometimes, however, it is more effective to start small and do just what…
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The Totally Biased Guide to Documenting Your Network: Want & Need
By Jason Sherman - May 11, 2018In the first installment in this series, we discussed whether or not you have pain. If you’re still reading, you probably determined that you do, indeed, have some very real pain points that you want to solve with automated network mapping and documentation. Your next step, then, is to define what you want to do…vs….
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Totally Biased Guide to Documenting Your Network
By Jason Sherman - April 27, 2018Here at Graphical Networks, we see it every day: automatic network documentation and diagramming makes life easier for our customers. With automation, users can fix network outages faster, troubleshoot issues quickly, reduce expenditure on unnecessary IT stuff, and save time and resources managing changes to the network. If you’re considering making the jump from no…
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When You Can’t Google the Network
By Jason Sherman - April 3, 2018Need 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)….?…
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How to Keep the Network Compliant with Security Standards
By Jason Sherman - March 26, 2018Is your network in compliance with industry security standards such as the PCI Data Security Standard? These standards exist to safeguard sensitive information from vulnerabilities. The PCI Data Security Standard exists to ensure that organizations handling credit cards keep information secure in the following ways: Ensure Secure Networks and Systems Secure/Protect Cardholder Data Manage Vulnerability…
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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…
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From Hieroglyphics to NASA, Data Visualization Isn’t Anything New
By Jason Sherman - February 26, 2018I was spending some time (or wasting….you decide) on Reddit last week when I came across this article on how NASA uses IT visualization to tell visual stories from technical details. While we’re not a BI tool, what NASA is doing — and why they’re doing it — is at the very heart of the…
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Why Do You Need Flexible DCIM & Network Mapping Software?
By Jason Sherman - February 14, 2018netTerrain, an automated DCIM and network mapping software suite, adapts to your project…and its unique needs. Let me be clear: netTerrain adapts to your needs — without consultants, months of waiting time, an onboarding process that feels more like training for Mount Everest, and a bunch of extra expenditures you (and your boss) didn’t see…
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How Does Automatic Network Mapping Work?
By Jason Sherman - February 8, 2018SNMP is an old time workhorse of information. If you’ve been a network engineer for a while, the ability to automatically discover objects when you’re documenting the network can’t be overhyped. Automatic network mapping, on this level, significantly reduces your manual workload and ensures that your documentation is accurate and up-to-date. If you’re looking at…
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Fun Network Diagrams? Use Visual Overrides
By Jason Sherman - February 5, 2018Network documentation can be fun and fulfilling…never thought I’d say that. Truth is…maybe it’s not exactly the same fun as, say, Superbowl Sunday (depending on which team you’re rooting for, of course)… but it can be a little more fun when you have the right tools for the job at hand. Using netTerrain, our network…
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If You Need to Replace netViz, Read This
By Jason Sherman - February 2, 2018Since the beginning of time…or, ok, since the 90’s (more or less), network administrators have created a demand for network diagramming software. netViz, a (now discontinued) product of CA Technologies, was introduced to meet network diagramming needs of IT teams. The software offered users hierarchies, (limited) automatic discovery with a graphical interface — with thousands…
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