This document discusses how Network Configuration Manager can help organizations prepare for and respond to network disasters. It notes that disasters are expensive, unexpected events that can disrupt business critical systems. NCM provides backups of network device configurations, allows restoration of baseline configurations, implements change management controls, enables root cause analysis of issues, ensures compliance with standards, and facilitates firmware updates. By using NCM, organizations can minimize downtime from disasters and quickly recover business operations through automated restoration and management of network devices.

2. • A disaster is expensive. It impacts
productivity, disrupts business services,
interrupts business critical applications and
causes huge financial losses.
• A disaster is unexpected, with hardly any
warnings or symptoms.
• A disaster can happen to any business,
regardless of any size or type of
businesses.
Sh*t happens !
Image source: http://www.networkcomputing.com/sites/default/files/resources/nwc/2016-IHS-Cost-of-ICT-Downtime-Chart.jpg

3. For a network admin, disasters can come in the
following ways:
- A network outage
- A security breach
- Performance degradation of business critical
services and applications
Can happen to you.
Image source: https://media.makeameme.org/created/youre-a-network.jpg

4. What causes these disasters?
Human errors like misconfigurations & faulty configuration
changes cause critical network outages.
in 2015
Image source: https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/data-center-outages-incidents-industry-transparency/

5. Image courtesy John Klossner, © Computerworld
Really though!
ImagecourtesyJohnKlossner,©Computerw

6. How to be prepared.
• Disasters, sometimes, are inevitable.
• The only way to lessen the impact is
to take corrective actions
immediately and ensure business
continuity.
• The best way to do this is to have a
simple tool that aids you with all the
right information and data to quickly
revert disasters.

7. • Network Configuration Manager is a simple tool that gives a complete
detailed view into your network devices and its configuration.
• These telecom & communication companies trust their network with NCM:
Why Network Configuration
Manager.
• AT&T MOBILITY AFFILIATES
Puerto Rico
• Ericsson Magyarorsz‫ב‬g Kft
• Essar Services India Ltd.
• Lightyear Network Solutions
• Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• TeleCommunication System
• Telecel S.A.

8. WAYS NCM
CAN SAVE
YOU FROM A
DISASTER.

9. • A disaster could mean critical data loss and
re-building your network from scratch. A task
that will take long enough to cause major
dents in your business.
• With backups, you can rebuild your network in
a jiffy.
• NCM allows backup in 3 different ways:
• Syslog based automated backups
• Scheduled backups
• Manual backups
#1 AUTOMATED BACKUPS

10. Scheduled hourly, daily, weekly, & monthly
backups.
Instantaneous backup at any given time.
Automated backup whenever there is
a 'Log out' event in the Syslogs of
that device.

11. • Baseline configuration is the best working
configuration of a device.
• The trusted configuration is restored into the
device when something goes wrong.
• Having a trusted configuration enables a quick
fallback to bring business continuity
immediately.
• NCM allows labelling of a configuration as
'Baseline' in just a click.
#2 Restore configuration

12. Labels the current running and
startup configurations as baseline

13. Sets the selected version of
the configuration as baseline.

14. • An organization with many network admins
having access to all network devices is a
sure fire way of something going amiss.
• Restricting access based on roles can keep
a check on the changes that are made by
the network admins & users.
• The changes made by unauthorized
personnels should not be implemented
before approval.
• NCM sends out notifications whenever an
authorized/ unauthorized person makes a
change to the running/startup configuration.
#3 Change management - Role
based access controls

15. Notifications can be set for
authorized or unauthorized changes
made in startup, running, or startup
and running configurations.

16. Various actions that
can be performed for
a notification.
Rolling back to
the previous /
baseline version
can be automated
by selecting this
option.

17. • Once you have taken the corrective actions and
reverted your network outage, there is the task of finding
out the root cause. To know what exactly went
wrong?
• Analysing the changes made in the configurations and
finding out what changes were made by who and
when gives deep insight on the cause of the disaster.
• For this to be possible, you must be able to track and
monitor real time changes and have historical
versions of the configurations.
• NCM allows you to track, monitor and also compare
different versions and highlight the changes.
• Each time a change happens, the configuration version
is incremented and saved.
#3.a Change management -
Root cause analysis

18. Number of devices with changes, the changes made in each device and its corresponding versions.

19. Comparison of two different versions of a startup configuration with the changes highlighted.

20. #4 Compliance
• Staying compliant to the industry standards is
mission critical to any business. Non-compliance
may lead to vulnerabilities, disruption of
service/operation and damage to reputation.
• If you have web applications in which users leave
their card data, it is imperative that you stay PCI
compliant.
• With PCI DSS compliance policy in NCM, protect
your cardholders data and provide a secure
platform.
• NCM also monitors for HIPAA and SOX
compliance standards.
• You can custom create policies and upon violation
of any, can have the remediation executed via
configlets.

21. PCI compliance schedules and reviews in one page.

22. • Firmware updates add functionality, fix bugs, and
fine-tune the performance of a device.
• Missing out a firmware update may give rise to loop
holes for security threats, exploits and
malfunctioning of the device.
• Spend less time on firmware updates as NCM
provides a central module to push firmware updates
on various devices at one go.
#5 Upgraded firmwares

23. The template for
firmware update is
listed in configlets.
Numerous devices
can be selected for
the firmware update to
be executed at one
go.
The downloaded
firmware update file
will be in the TFTP
server (built-in with
NCM).

24.  Website: https://www.manageengine.com/network-configuration-manager/
 Product download: https://www.manageengine.com/network-configuration-
manager/download.html
 Forums: https://forums.manageengine.com/network-configuration-manager
 Support: ncm-support@manageengine.com
 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLusaahd4nS9esD3xBVeUQ
So, what do you think?

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26. THANK YOU!
HEMALAKSHMI.B
Marketing analyst
ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager