What is Automated Network Mapping?
By Fred Koh - April 20, 2022Automated network mapping is often discussed in forums like Spiceworks and Reddit. Folks ask questions like, “should I get it…?” or “which mapping tool do you recommend?”. If you’re reading this, you may be wondering, before you dive in further as to whether you need it or not: what is automated network mapping, anyways? What…
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The 4-Minute Guide to DCIM’s History
By Fred Koh - April 5, 2022When we worked at netViz back in the early 2000’s, I remember several companies getting started in IT documentation, mainly Aperture and Rackwise, that then started to focus on DCIM. Anyone still remember them? Our team does: afterall, the other founding members and I at Graphical Networks all came from netViz, and we’ve been selling…
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How Do I Switch from Visio Diagrams to Automated Network Documentation?
By Fred Koh - March 28, 2022If your network is documented in Visio network diagrams, or spreadsheets – or a combination of both – you, or a colleague, have probably invested a great deal of time into that documentation…or, you haven’t and it’s more of an afterthought than documentation that’s truly usable and gives you insights you can act on. Regardless…
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Introduction: Data Center Capacity Explained
By Fred Koh - March 23, 2022It’s no secret: the demand for more and more data storage is increasing at record speeds today! More storage and higher costs go hand in hand: look at some of the recent headlines in data center news and it’s apparent that data center capacity is both expensive and that the need for it is constantly…
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Fiber Documentation is Critical: Here’s Why
By Fred Koh - March 21, 2022In IT, documentation has the power to save you time, money, and space…plus, it allows you to troubleshoot far more quickly (which saves a whole lot of hassle, annoyance, and even loss of reputation). As we’ve discussed in this blog over the years, far too many organizations and managers still skip documentation — even as…
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4 Ways DCIM Helps Data Center Managers Gain Control
By Fred Koh - March 15, 2022Data centers today are constantly growing and evolving — without the right tools (and team), it can be all but impossible to gain control over an ecosystem that’s in a constant state of flux. Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solutions help data center managers regain control over issues that may be causing you, and/or your…
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The #1 Problem with Visio Network Diagrams
By Fred Koh - March 1, 2022Many 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…
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Transform Your Data Center Cabling Mess
By Fred Koh - February 25, 2022Tracking all of the cabling inside your data center…that sounds like fun, right? Yeah, right, you’re thinking. I get it. The truth is: IT documentation always seems to take a back seat until something happens (like an outage, or data center planning, and/or capacity planning). Why is it important to see how many ports are…
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5 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about DCIM SaaS
By Fred Koh - February 22, 2022If one of your organization’s goals and projects is to implement a Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) solution, then keep reading. One of the questions I always ask during my initial meeting with prospective customers for our software netTerrain DCIM is: “are you interested in an on-premise solution or in our DCIM SaaS solution?” I…
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Finding a DCIM Vendor: 2 Things You Can’t Ignore
By Fred Koh - February 16, 2022Have you decided you need data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software to better manage your data center…. and now you need to go out and find a DCIM vendor? Before you select a vendor, the following two items are crucial in ensuring your implementation is a successful one. 1. Figure Out What You Need from…
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Rack Diagrams: Your Ultimate Guide
By Fred Koh -I think it would be fair to call the team here at Graphical Networks experts in diagrams. Afterall, we make netTerrain — IT mapping/documentation software for networks (Logical) and data centers (DCIM) with an add-on module for fiber plants (OSP). One of the most frequently asked questions we get is, ‘hey, what’s the difference between…
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Why Tiered Support Can Bring You “Teared” Support
By Fred Koh - January 28, 2022When something goes wrong with an application, or if your internet or cable tv goes out, the first thing you do is contact customer support and pray that you won’t get a robo service and end up stuck in a loop of pressing buttons just to try and reach someone, right? We’ve all been there…
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