Shelby Hiter | Author at Enterprise Networking Planet

Best Network Automation Tools

Shelby Hiter — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 16:00:38 +0000

Enterprise networks have become too complex for network administrators to use manual workflows for network management. To remedy this, network automation tools help network administrators effectively manage and maintain today’s enterprise networks.

Network automation tools alleviate some of these pains by automating administrative actions like device and software management, configuration, deployment, testing, and security updates. Read on to learn more about how network automation tools help, and to learn about some of the top tools on the market.

Read Next: Creating a Network Audit Checklist

Network Automation Solutions for Your Enterprise

What is Network Automation Software
Network Automation Software Features
Choosing Network Automation Software
Top Network Automation Solutions
Benefits of Using Network Automation Solutions

What is Network Automation Software?

Network automation software is software that automates the management, configuration, testing, deployment, and operation of physical and virtual devices within a network. It prevents human error and lowers operational expenses incurred by manual network management. These tools are used by IT teams to execute tasks like network configuration management, capacity planning, network device mapping, network audits, and operating system upgrades.

Network Automation Software Features

Network automation tools can automate several different action items for an enterprise network. These are some of the most common automations available:

Asset Inventory Management

Network automation software is often used not only to document the assets of an organization, but also to automatically update their statuses, alert for upgrades, and notify network administrators for performance and maintenance needs.

Device Setup and Management

When you hire a new employee or a current employee needs a new device, network automation software can assist with setup and management. Setup and management features include setup wizards, diagnostics, mean time to repair (MTTR) improvements, and compliance setup and alerts.

Configuration Backup and Device Setting Controls

Network automation tools assist network administrators with device and software configuration at its outset, but many of them also keep up with needed updates and rollbacks by storing encrypted backup data for multi-vendor platforms.

Performance Monitoring

An extension of the configuration management capacity, most network automation tools offer a performance monitoring feature. This feature often includes interactive dashboards and data visualizations to help your team read and measure important performance and configuration insights.

Capacity Planning

Capacity planning is a network automation feature that combines a mixture of project management, business intelligence, inventory management, and data analytics into actionable alerts and automations for achieving enterprise goals. Capacity planning is sometimes referred to as network resource provisioning.

Choosing Network Automation Software

To ensure you select the right network automation software, here are a few considerations to make.

Vendors

You should consider whether to select a single or multi-vendor environment, depending on your enterprise needs. It is key to determine the number of vendors it will take to meet all your software needs.

Interfaces and integration

After choosing vendors, you need to know that they will maintain compatibility with industry-standard interfaces. If a vendor offers interfaces with extensions that are difficult to integrate into a broader environment, your integrations may end up being limited.

Security and compliance

Network automation software needs to add value in the areas of network security and governance and compliance. Consider tools that can automate routine network monitoring as well as tools with built-in network security protocols to lighten the load on IT teams.

Benefits of Using Network Automation Solutions

Network automation software optimizes experiences and outcomes, not only for your network administrators, but also for users throughout the organization. If you implement a network automation tool that fits your particular business’s needs, you’ll reap the following benefits:

Strategic Role Shifts for Employees

Network automation tools automate several of the tasks that typically require extensive manual working hours from your team. As long as these tools are set up correctly from the beginning, your team will spend increasingly less time on these routine, typically unskilled tasks. This shift in their workday routine will allow additional time for them to focus on strategic planning for the business and other business tasks that require their human skill and expertise.

Decreased Human Error

Whether it’s a misconfigured device or a forgotten network-wide alert about a compliance or security issue, networks are always vulnerable to poor management and human error. Most network management expectations have traditionally been handled by an individual or a team of network administrators, but with a growing network and number of rules, regulations, and updates to keep in mind, even the most experienced administrators can make a mistake that negatively impacts one or dozens of users.

Network automation takes one correct action, and through the process of automation, makes sure that that same correct action can be replicated and multiplied whenever it’s needed in the future. But network automation only improves accuracy when these tools are properly configured from the outset; if you test a tool and confirm its efficacy from the start, it will save you from the potential for human error on network management and deployment tasks in the future.

Maintenance and Security Support

Other tools have been designed to focus on optimizing network security, but network automation tools often have some of these security supports built into their infrastructure. With features like performance monitoring and vulnerability assessments, enterprise networks have an additional layer of maintenance and security monitoring to catch potential problems.

Change Management and Scalability

Especially when an enterprise is growing its staff and capabilities quickly, it’s unrealistic to expect a team of network administrators to keep up with all network changes manually. Network automation tools provide them with the support structure that they need to manage a growing number of devices and programs, which allows organizations to grow and change their focuses over time without dealing with unnecessary technological or administrative hangups in their network management approach.

The post Best Network Automation Tools appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Best Network Troubleshooting & Diagnostics Tools

Shelby Hiter — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 16:40:25 +0000

On sprawling enterprise networks, it becomes increasingly difficult for network administrators and developers to identify and correct every issue that arises. In reality, even if these professionals had the time to correct all network problems, their energy and expertise could be better spent on more strategic and complex initiatives for the network.

Network troubleshooting and diagnostic tools work to support these professionals with automated detection and basic problem-solving for network performance. Read on to better understand what network troubleshooting and network diagnostic tools do and what some top vendors offer their customers.

What Are Network Troubleshooting Tools?

Network troubleshooting tools are tools that, in addition to offering other basic network monitoring features, identify and correct problems across the network and its various endpoints. Network troubleshooting tools look for network disruptions and anomalies and work to follow service level agreements (SLAs) so that the network runs quickly, efficiently, securely, and compliantly.

More on compliance: Five Tips for Managing Compliance on Enterprise Networks

How Do Network Diagnostics Tools Work?

Network diagnostic tools offer a variety of support features to network administrators, but how do they work? Most diagnostic tools follow these steps to make sure network performance is optimized and disrupted as minimally as possible:

Probes are installed for network visibility and tracking. Probes can either be software plug-ins native to your selected diagnostic tool or they can be installed on the specific network endpoints you’re wanting to manage.
The diagnostic tool begins packet analysis and an initial scan in different networking components where a probe is present.
Network administrators can now review the metrics the diagnostic tool offers after scans are complete. Revealed metrics frequently include network availability, response times, data volume, traffic quantity, and traffic anomalies.

Learn about assessing network performance at the application level: The Importance of Application Performance Management (APM) for Cloud-based Networks

How to Choose a Network Diagnostic Tool

Some network troubleshooting and diagnostic tools are open source, command-line tools that are flexible enough to work on a variety of platforms, but many of these tools don’t offer the same in-depth insights and automations on their own until they’re integrated with a bigger platform. More holistic network troubleshooting and diagnostic tools, on the other hand, will offer a variety of analytics and support features, and they will also improve the user experience with network traffic and behavior maps that help to identify network bottlenecks visually.

Regardless of the type of tool or collection of tools that you think you want, consider these common network diagnostic tool features, and more importantly, make sure you know which ones are most important to your business and if they’re available in your preferred tools:

Open- vs. closed-source format
Administrative dashboards
Data visualizations with real-time performance updates
Reporting with user-friendly designs and templates
Packet sniffing
Granular notification settings and automations
Historical data storage and tracking
Network performance monitoring
Support for network security and compliance standards
Mobile application access for administrators
Device management and detection
Support for third-party integrations

Best Network Troubleshooting & Diagnostics Tools

Paessler Network Troubleshooting with PRTG

Paessler Network Troubleshooting with PRTG offers a comprehensive approach to network diagnostics with several strengths in the areas of third-party integrations and interoperability. Their expertise in sensors helps enterprise network teams to quickly narrow troubleshooting to granular areas of the network. The platform is also compatible with more sensor types than its competitors, including Cisco sensors.

PRTG is a top solution for companies that need extensive support in the setup phase; their auto-discovery and device templates simplify the deployment process for many users. Although some users think the data visualization and user interface could be improved on this tool, there’s no shortage of reports, templates, and tutorials to ensure that users have a good experience with PRTG.

Features:

SNMP Traffic and NetFlow v5 sensor
Packet Sniffer sensor
SNMP CPU Load and WMI Memory sensors
Traffic data filtered by IP address, protocol, and application
250+ preconfigured sensors for hardware, cloud services, and other quality assurance needs

Pro: This tool is considered easy to deploy and comes with several free and/or low-cost support services.

Con: Some users have expressed that the user interface is outdated; the data visualizations in particular could use some updates.

Pricing: A freeware version of PRTG is available for up to 100 sensors. Depending on the number and types of sensors you need, contact the Paessler sales team for more information.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is one of many top network management solutions offered by SolarWinds. The feature of NCM that is most helpful for network troubleshooting goals is the VLAN Configuration feature. The tool makes VLAN configuration highly customizable, with device-agnostic, reusable configuration templates that can be used for a variety of endpoints.

Once templates, parameters, and directives are selected and in operation, the NCM automates change commands that match these specific requirements. Especially for enterprises that are frequently getting started with new or updated services, NCM’s deployment strategy will save your team considerable time.

Features:

Granular and customizable alert scripts for backup commands, historic network configuration changes, and anomalous event tracking
Machine learning (ML) applied for real-time VLAN configuration detection and follow-up messaging
Network Assessment feature for streamlined network auditing and device inventory management
Configuration change monitoring, automated alerts, and compliance-focused auditing
Network device firmware management, scanning, and automatically deployed updates

Pro: NCM offers some of the most detailed alerts and event logs to its customers, with device-level metrics in a digestible format.

Con: Although SolarWinds NCM is compatible with a variety of other SolarWinds tools, customers have concerns about the limited third-party integrations available.

Pricing: SolarWinds offers both subscription and perpetual licensing to its customers. For more information on licenses and pricing, contact the SolarWinds sales team.

Microsoft Network Diagnostic Tool

Microsoft Network Diagnostic Tool is a simple network troubleshooting and diagnostic tool for Microsoft products and services. Although it does not offer the most holistic diagnostic suite and is only compatible with Microsoft and Windows, this tool offers administrators considerable data and automation, particularly for a free tool that can easily be installed on network devices. Considering how many enterprises use Microsoft products in their business operations, this tool is frequently deployed to simplify network management and increase endpoint visibility.

Features:

Speed and ping tests
Connection monitoring with port and external port scanning
Compatible with Windows Firewall Management and Network Management
LAN chatting feature available
CLI access for administrative users

Pro: For Microsoft users, this diagnostic tool offers a simple interface for a variety of data sources, including files, peripheral devices, apps, and programs.

Con: The functions of this tool are limited strictly to Microsoft products and the Windows OS.

Pricing: This is a free network diagnostic solution offered by Microsoft.

Auvik

Auvik is one of the simpler tools on this list with a strong focus on logging and root cause analysis. It is a cloud-based network diagnostics solution that is highly praised for its speed and accuracy, as well as its easy-to-understand data visualizations. Visualizations in particular are a top feature for Auvik, as customers have the ability to manipulate their network maps and models to exactly what they need; it is a strong option for teams that have less experience building out and interpreting network data on an enterprise scale.

Features:

Root cause analysis offered through real-time device logs
AES-256 network data encryption
Auto-discovery for a variety of network assets and endpoints
Pre-configured monitoring, alerts, and notifications
Focused anomaly detection and alerts with traffic analysis tools

Pro: Auvik offers strong and holistic network visibility, particularly through its robust network mapping features.

Con: Some users have commented on the limitations of Auvik’s reporting features.

Pricing: Auvik offers Essentials and Performance pricing packages to its customers. Learn more about pricing here.

ManageEngine OpManager

ManageEngine OpManager offers a variety of other solutions and use cases beyond network diagnostics, but its support for diagnostics and troubleshooting is a strong feature for finding network problems in switches, routers, servers, and storage devices. Particularly at the server level, OpManager is helpful because it allows administrators to set performance thresholds from initial deployment, which makes notifications about potential network problems more accurate and timely.

The user interface for OpManager is also friendlier than most tools in the diagnostics market. With simple and customizable data visualizations and a clear administrative dashboard, this tool works for a full spectrum of network management experience levels.

Features:

LAN troubleshooting for 10 to 10,000 network devices
Prebuilt reports and UX-driven dashboards
Troubleshooting and problem alerts sent via email, SMS, Slack, and ticketing
Natively includes troubleshooting tools like Ping, SNMP Ping, Proxy Ping, Traceroute, WMI Query Tool, and CLI Query Tool
Monitoring metrics include response time, hardware specifications, and packet loss

Pro: OpManager not only focuses on network diagnostics but also offers several tools and features for follow-up network optimization needs.

Con: OpManager has frequent point releases to update its features, but these new features often come with bugs that aren’t resolved immediately.

Pricing: Pricing information is available upon request from the ManageEngine sales team.

NetSpot

NetSpot is a diagnostics and troubleshooting solution that focuses on creating wireless site surveys, primarily for local area networks (LANs). Although this is a great tool for understanding how an existing network is functioning and where problems lie, this is actually a top solution for creating an optimized plan before launching a new network. The Wi-Fi site survey that NetSpot offers can help networking professionals determine where cables, antennas, and other important networking equipment should go for the best service. These site surveys and the data visualizations they produce will continue to be useful as the network grows and new service bottlenecks need to be corrected.

Features:

Compatible with Mac OS X and Windows
Wireless site surveys to determine channel interference and dead zones in a network
Surveys produce data visualizations and Wi-Fi maps for network planning
Troubleshooting visualizations include connectivity and wireless interference, noise locations, and Wi-FI configuration problems
Ability to check security settings on various endpoints, including those for Open, WEP, and WPA/WPA2 Personal/Enterprise

Pro: NetSpot supports a variety of Wi-Fi security goals, including rogue access point identification, unauthorized workstation and user detection, and elimination of false-positive alerts.

Con: The free version of this solution offers only limited data on network metrics like dead zones.

Pricing: NetSpot comes in four different pricing package options: NetSpot FREE Edition, Home, PRO, and Enterprise. Learn more about pricing here.

Wireshark

Wireshark is an open source network diagnostic and management solution. Consistent network traffic capture and filtering capabilities make it easier for networking teams to not only identify problems but to quickly determine which problems are most urgent. The open source format of Wireshark means that it receives frequent updates, which can be a pro or a con depending on the user. The pro is that new features are constantly added and documented for the tool, while the con is that the tool’s performance can get bogged down in new features with occasional bugs. Teams that keep up with updates and changing documentation will experience the most success with this tool.

Features:

Real-time, frequently updated inspections for 100+ protocols
Live capture and offline analysis
Active open source user community and documentation
Decryption support for IPsec, ISAKMP, Kerberos, SNMPv3, SSL/TLS, WEP, and WPA/WPA2
Support for dozens of capture file formats

Pro: The open source format of Wireshark leads to very clear documentation and frequent user-driven updates for the tool.

Con: Wireshark’s functions are very reliant on the OS you choose to use it with; if your operating system is outdated or limited, Wireshark will not work very well.

Pricing: Wireshark is free, open source (FOSS) software under the GNU General Public License version 2.

Other Network Troubleshooting and Diagnostic Tools to Consider

The previously mentioned network diagnostic tools offer a variety of troubleshooting strategies and features to customers, but often with a greater learning curve and additional administrative expense. For organizations that need a quick and affordable way to troubleshoot their networks, simple diagnostic operations can be performed by free, command-line tools. These are some of the most commonly used network diagnostic and troubleshooting tools, many of which are built into vendor-specific offerings:

Ping
Traceroute
Netstat
ipconfig
Nslookup

Other open source networking solutions to consider: Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools

Benefits of Using Network Troubleshooting and Diagnostic Tools

Network troubleshooting and diagnostic tools support network administrators in a variety of network management areas, including more efficient operations, increased analytical insights, and heightened visibility for security and compliance issues. These are some of the main benefits that enterprises discover when they invest in a diagnostic toolset for their network:

Proactive network performance management

In most traditional networks, problem-solving and troubleshooting begin once a major error is discovered by a networking or security professional. With troubleshooting and diagnostic solutions, network errors are discovered at an earlier stage and automatically alert these professionals to the rising issue. The earlier identification of network issues gives the team precursive knowledge to resolve any connectivity, latency, or security issues before they bring parts of the network down.

User-level security knowledge

Especially on larger enterprise networks, the exponential number of endpoints can make it difficult to determine where anomalous traffic is entering the network. Diagnostic and troubleshooting tools are used to find and alert network administrators to the what and where of unusual network behaviors and unauthorized users, thus increasing endpoint-, device-, and user-level insights for security needs.

Administrative network visibility

Administrative network visibility provides other benefits beyond security. Seeing how users and devices interact with the network helps network professionals to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies that negatively impact the user experience. Some diagnostic tools even offer the data visualizations and reports necessary to understand which parts of the network need to grow to meet new business needs and which parts can be scaled back.

Time saved and new efficiencies in network management

Almost immediately after their deployment, network diagnostic tools help networking teams find new ways to save time in network management. Troubleshooting and diagnostic tools are designed to target individual network components, which streamlines network management data and makes it easier for professionals to visualize and correct problems in a focused area.

With their automated workflows, machine-learning powered resolutions, and detailed reports and visualizations, diagnostic tools also take over the most tedious parts of network troubleshooting for the networking professionals who used to perform this work manually. With their time freed up from previous troubleshooting tasks, network and security professionals now can focus on higher-value needs for the network and business.

The post Best Network Troubleshooting & Diagnostics Tools appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Understanding Open RAN in the Age of 5G

Shelby Hiter — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 19:36:59 +0000

Radio access networks (RANs) are key points in how cellular networks function. For most of RAN’s history, a small selection of vendors has monopolized the RAN market and increased overall cost while decreasing freedom of choice for providers.

Especially as 5G becomes a more concrete reality in both enterprise and public 5G instances all over the globe, a growing segment of 5G infrastructure providers and some RAN vendors are supporting an open RAN movement, which many believe will make 5G more accessible, affordable, and supportive of industry-specific needs. As operators continue to push for open RAN standards and best practices, it becomes increasingly important to understand open RAN and the role it plays in 5G expansion.

What is RAN?

The radio access network (RAN) is one of two primary domains in a mobile cellular network; the other component is the core network. The RAN relies on both antennas and base stations to manage signal and service. While the antenna manages both signal reception and transmission for mobile devices, the signal is then transformed by base stations so that it can be digitally interpreted and connected to the rest of the network.

Traditionally, network operators have only been able to work with one RAN vendor for each component they need, especially since the interoperability of different vendors’ RAN products has never been emphasized. As RAN has changed to meet 5G and other mobile networking needs over time, new types of RAN, such as open RAN and cloudRAN (or vRAN), have become available.

What is Open RAN?

Open RAN is the practice of separating RAN into different components— the radio unit (RU), the distributed unit (DU), and the centralized unit (CU)— and assuring that the interfaces and protocols amongst these three components are open to communicate and work with each other. In opening the RAN with these three areas of interoperability, different vendors can offer products and services for each part of the RAN. This opens up new opportunities for both vendors and operators, as operators can choose whichever vendors they want for each unit.

The idea behind open RAN came to fruition through O-RAN, an operator-led alliance that promotes more open competition and interoperability amongst RAN vendors and their products. The organization has also heavily emphasized shifting RAN infrastructure needs to software rather than traditional hardware, which is a big reason why cloudRAN and open RAN are frequently discussed together.

Learn about the challenges in getting started with a 5G network: The Reality and Risks of 5G Deployment

Core Features of Open RAN Infrastructure

Open RAN infrastructure relies on and offers key features like a service management and orchestration framework, cloud application development and security support, AI and ML automation, and 3GPP-defined interfaces.

Other core features of Open RAN infrastructure include:

Radio unit (RU): typically part of the antenna, the RU is where radio frequencies are transmitted and otherwise managed.
Distributed unit (DU): a computation piece within the base station that is typically close to the RU.
Centralized unit (CU): a computation piece within the base station that is typically close to the core.
Fronthaul: interfaces that have been opened up between the RU and DU.
Midhaul: interfaces that have been opened up between the DU and CU.
Backhaul: interfaces that have been opened up between the CU and the core.
RAN intelligent controller (RIC): a controller that can be customized to program and add programmability to other areas of the RAN.

How Open RAN Supports 5G

5G networks offer the ultra-low latency, bandwidth, and speed necessary for new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart devices. However, 5G is not nearly as accessible and effective when traditional radio access networks drive up infrastructure costs, decrease overall service quality, and limit operator innovation. Many experts believe open RAN is crucial to wider-spread 5G networks for the following reasons:

Open RAN decreases vendor monopolies and increases competition

Traditional RAN has made it difficult for smaller or lesser-known RAN vendors to reach their target audiences, especially as a lack of RAN interoperability forced customers to rely on big providers who could meet all their needs. Open RAN has started to open up the infrastructure in the network, meaning RAN providers can focus on offering a handful of RAN products, services, and use cases.

The open approach ultimately leads to fewer monopolies, which levels the playing field for providers and forces them to maintain higher standards if they want to hold onto their customers. These higher standards are optimizing RAN to meet current and future 5G networking requirements.

More on the relationship between RAN vendors and operators: 5G Drives Collaboration Between Carriers, Cloud Infrastructure Providers

Open RAN avoids vendor-lockin

Customers also have the freedom to select different providers for different needs and price points, because open RAN components are designed to work in a multi-vendor ecosystem. Cost-savings are important in 5G development because 5G requires more radio towers in closer proximity to users in order to work effectively. Lower costs, driven by open RAN, will likely make it possible for network operators to reach more rural and global audiences with more affordable infrastructure.

The freedom of choice not only has the potential to save operators money on RAN infrastructure, but it also opens up the opportunity for operators to discover new integration and setup possibilities, thus further expanding the potential for 5G-powered innovations.

Open RAN offers specialized industry- and event-based support

Multi-vendor support provides the strengths of each available vendor. This can be particularly valuable for users in a specialized industry who need more support or features in a certain area of the RAN; they can rely on a quality vendor for that piece without being required to use that vendor for all pieces. Open RAN also offers support for predicted network traffic increases.

A great example of open RAN in action on a 5G network is event-based network optimization. If a concert venue, airport, or other large venue wants to improve network services or boost them with AI for a designated time period, the flexibility of several vendors makes it possible to meet event-based needs and provide real-time specialized services during network traffic spikes. With many 5G-powered technologies requiring situational features and service increases, this particular open RAN benefit is driving many operators to the O-RAN movement.

The post Understanding Open RAN in the Age of 5G appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

The Role 5G Can Play in Global Sustainability Efforts

Shelby Hiter — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 20:49:43 +0000

The fifth generation of cellular technology, or 5G, has started rolling out in pockets around the globe, bringing expanded network connectivity and speed to new users and device types. These advances are benefiting many key enterprise initiatives, especially when it comes to creating automated internal processes and real-time customer experiences through the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing.

But beyond the efficiencies and heightened performance potential that 5G offers, 5G can also support strategic sustainability efforts across a variety of industries.

Sustainable Benefits of 5G Technology

Automated environmental monitoring and response

5G network speeds, ultra-low latency, and overall networking capacity have vastly enhanced how enterprises handle infrastructure monitoring and the application of data insights. 5G makes it possible for more advanced technologies to monitor environmental factors like water usage and greenhouse gas emissions in real time. Even more important, 5G’s larger workload capacity supports smart technologies that recognize the data collected from real-time monitoring and use that data to make changes to the environment and tools accordingly. Several companies, such as networking and telecommunications company, Ericsson, are beginning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy consumption because of more efficient devices and monitoring.

IoT-powered smart devices

A new generation of smart devices, powered by both 5G and IoT, is making major strides on the sustainability front. 5G-powered IoT devices, such as smart lights or HVAC systems, can be automatically powered up or down as user and environmental needs change throughout the day. Smart devices use less energy while still meeting performance demands with IoT support.

Support for remote work infrastructure

5G is creating the connectivity that will become more necessary as workforces grow increasingly remote and global. 5G and 5G-supported communication, video, and collaboration platforms make it easier for teams to interact without being in the same place. As 5G continues to make remote work, meetings, and event experiences more sophisticated, fewer work-related travel emissions will be necessary.

Learn about other remote work-friendly solutions: Best Remote Desktop & Access Software

How 5G Can Support Sustainability Across Industries

Every industry and company type can use 5G to support sustainability and improve networking and user experiences. But some of the industries that can most fundamentally transform their business models with the help of 5G include manufacturing, oil and gas, agriculture, and government/city planning:

Manufacturing: Smart factories and more granular smart equipment are designed to reduce unnecessary energy consumption and assist with more efficient supply chains.
Oil and gas: IoT devices, powered by 5G connectivity, can more quickly and efficiently detect problems like oil spills in the field. These earlier detections also increase worker safety.
Agriculture: 5G offers farmers real-time insights and automation opportunities for water and pesticide regulation.
Government/city planning: Cities can use ultra-low latency 5G networks to get real-time insights and make real-time adjustments to things like stoplights, ensuring that cars don’t idle more than necessary during their commute.

Learn more: Data Center Sustainability: 5 Steps to a Green Data Center

Best Sustainability Practices for 5G

Many of the most impactful environmental changes happen at the service provider and macro levels, but individual companies can also take important steps toward increasing their operational sustainability with 5G. Here are just a few key best practices that companies should implement:

Support a remote-first working culture

Support a remote-first working culture if it’s possible for your industry and employees. Remote work not only opens your company to new pools of talent but also decreases unnecessary energy consumption from employee commutes and energy-hungry office buildings. To ensure your employees have a productive and pleasant remote working environment, make sure you’re relying on a high-power networking solution, like private 5G, to ensure all workers have the mobile connectivity they need to succeed remotely.

Audit your existing technology and workflows for inefficiencies

Many of the most energy-inefficient features of a business are its networking hardware and other pieces of operational equipment. That’s why it’s important to audit your existing network and supply chain infrastructure for inefficiencies as soon as possible.

You should also review shadow IT and other technologies your teams are using in silos; chances are, you’re using something you don’t need that is increasing your organization’s carbon footprint. 5G will give you the capacity and speed you need to use that larger portfolio of tools, but it’s still up to your network administrative team to ensure you’re not wasting energy on unnecessary business processes and solutions.

Invest in 5G-enabled technologies for automation and support

When enterprise leaders are focusing on key business initiatives and goals, it can feel overwhelming to add on sustainability concerns. The best way businesses can take advantage of 5G technology for sustainability is to use the advanced technologies that run best on 5G, such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation tools. These tools continue to grow in their capabilities, and with 5G powering their work, they help to create more sustainable, automated, and efficient business processes.

The post The Role 5G Can Play in Global Sustainability Efforts appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Best Patch Management Software & Tools

Shelby Hiter — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:50:18 +0000

When a security vulnerability is discovered in software or network infrastructure code, it rarely makes sense to overhaul the whole product, especially due to the time, cost, and frequency of updates that would go into replacement code. Software patches are typically implemented because they can address code vulnerabilities at a microscopic scale, targeting the actual point of problematic code and “patching” it with updated code until a new version of the product is available. Major tech vendors and open-source communities release patches for their software on a regular basis to secure their products and protect their enterprise customers. The biggest problem that enterprises face with patching is keeping up with the latest patches and security vulnerabilities for their enterprise environment. Patch management software can assist administrative teams by helping them to monitor network anomalies, test patches before wider deployment, and deploy needed patches to all enterprise devices either automatically or on-demand. Read on to learn about how patch management works and the differentiators offered by top patch management vendors in the market.

What is Patch Management?

Patch management focuses on monitoring and auditing enterprise network infrastructure for potential security vulnerabilities. Patches, or small code updates, can be applied to different parts of the network to make them run more efficiently or securely. Areas that can be patched include operating systems, applications, and servers. Patch management is one piece of a greater vulnerability management strategy. A strong patch management solution helps vulnerability management to succeed in all of its phases: identification, reporting, prioritization, and remediation. Learn more about security monitoring: Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools

How Does Patch Management Software Work?

Patch management software itself typically uses constant security monitoring, industry security benchmarks, and granular dashboards to help security teams identify and patch code vulnerabilities. When working with patch management software, a patching team will typically follow this order of operations:

When a vendor releases a patch

Patch management typically starts at the tech vendor level. When they identify a code or performance problem in one of their products, their developer teams will work together to develop and test a strong patch. After an extensive approval and documentation process, they’ll incorporate it into a new point or patch release for customers and announce it to their customer base. For especially crucial updates, they may automatically deploy the patch across user subscriptions after making their announcement. Tech vendors often release these patches to patch management vendors directly. Patch management software typically includes a catalog of patches that have been shared with the patch manager, especially if the patch is related to one of the platform’s supported operating systems, like Linux or Windows. The patch management software can now alert users about the new patch and give enterprise teams different deployment options.

When an enterprise team develops a patch

In many cases, internal security or IT teams will identify a problematic section of code on one of their portfolio applications. Instead of waiting for a point release from the product vendor to improve the situation, they may take the following steps, in partnership with patch management software, to create their own patches:

Apply continuous security monitoring: Patch management software uses security audits, scanning, and security monitoring on an ongoing basis to identify bugs and other systems issues.
Developer teams code: When a problem is identified, developer teams brainstorm and write the code for a patch solution.
Patch testing phase: The patch is tested in a sandbox or other non-active environment, and the patch simultaneously goes through an approval process.
Documentation process: Once the patch has passed sandboxing and the approval process, documentation is written to explain and support the update. This documentation may also offer best practices about where, when, and how to deploy the patch for enterprise devices.
Patch release to users: When an enterprise decides their patch is ready for wider user deployment, they’ll usually rely on the patch manager’s administrative dashboard to help them with deployment. They may automatically push the update to all user devices and affected applications. Or they may choose to use preformed groups and user profiles to release patches on an as-needed basis.
Developers wait for feedback: Even for internal patch releases, developers should expect to receive feedback from their colleagues about how the patch works and if it has any functional issues. Sometimes, if developers aren’t careful, patches can cause new problems rather than solve old ones, so it’s important they listen to this feedback.
The cycle repeats when a new patch need is identified.

Learn more about how patch management works today: Patch Management Trends for 2022

Features of Patch Management Software

The majority of patch management software solutions offer features that help with deploying externally developed patches, developing internal patches, and identifying code or performance anomalies that could be fixed with patching. These are some of the most common features that patch management software includes for its enterprise customers:

Sandbox testing environments
Central server deployment, with remote deployment for a distributed workforce
Systems inventory
Regulatory compliance support
Choice of automated or on-demand updates
Patch, policy, and documentation templates
Basic security monitoring and troubleshooting
Third-party support and integrations

Also read: Five Tips for Managing Compliance on Enterprise Networks

Best Patch Management Software

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is a cross-platform patch manager that supports Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems as well as over 350 third-party applications. This is a particularly strong solution for users that need to keep up with Windows 10 updates.

Visit ManageEngine

Features:

Automated remote patch management through scanning, assessment, deployment, and reporting phases
Customizable patch deployment policies
Production environments for automated test group creation, test patching, and patch deployment
Decline or postpone less important patches or patches that need to be revoked
Real-time auditing and reporting

Pro: Many users have praised the speed, availability, and helpfulness of the vendor’s support team. Con: Error messages are sometimes unclear or unavailable when a problem occurs on the platform. Pricing: Free Edition, Professional, and Enterprise packages are all available to users. Pricing for Professional and Enterprise, both cloud and on-premises, can be found on ManageEngine’s pricing page.

Heimdal Security Patch and Asset Management

Heimdal Security Patch and Asset Management is a preferred patch manager for users who want support for policy creation, policy and documentation deployment, and general compliance. This tool offers CVE and CVSS audit trails and also integrates with Active Directory groups for easier user-level policy management.

Visit Heimdal

Features:

Advanced patch scheduling across time zones and machine types
Vulnerability, patch, and group policy management across Windows and Linux
Automated patching for over 100 third-party applications
HTTPS encapsulation ensures the security of data-in-transit
Infinity Management add-on for automated patching and flow updates with command-line scripting

Pro: Many users comment on the quick and effective rollout process for end-user patch availability. Con: Some users have commented on the difficulty of initial configuration with this platform. Pricing: Pricing information is not provided on the Heimdal website. Prospective customers should contact the Heimdal sales team for pricing information.

Syxsense Manage Patch Management

Syxsense Manage Patch Management is hosted in Microsoft Azure and provides patch management support for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. This is another strong solution for industry compliance needs, especially for HIPAA, SOX, and PCI compliance. Many users select this tool for the flexibility it offers in patching schedules and patching windows.

Visit Syxsense

Features:

Dashboards with Windows 10-specific patching data
Device health with CVSS scoring
Patch prioritization based on risk scanning results
Automated deployment schedules with maintenance windows and recurring events
Third-party patching natively available for Adobe, Java, and Chrome

Pro: Administrators like that they can create custom schedules and plans for patching that differ across teams and roles. Con: Some users find that remote administrative controls are not as reliable as they could be. Pricing: This patch management solution is one component of the larger Syxsense Manage product. Prospective customers should contact the Syxsense sales team directly for pricing information.

GFI LanGuard

GFI LanGuard offers integrations with over 4,000 security applications across antivirus, firewall, backup, encryption, access management, and data loss prevention categories. GFI LanGuard can run in either agentless or agent-based mode and supports Microsoft, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Many users like the flexibility of automated or on-demand system scanning and patch rollback.

Visit GFI LanGuard

Features:

Third-party patch management and automation support for Apple QuickTime, Adobe Flash Player, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Opera, and Java Runtime
Threat level indicator graph for device vulnerability status
Web-based reporting with HTTPS
Vulnerability assessment database that is auto-updated to align with Microsoft security updates
Virtualization and virtual machine compatibility with VMware, Microsoft Virtual Server, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix, and Parallel

Pro: Security audits offer comprehensive historic data through an interactive dashboard. Con: Some users have experienced system downtime or timeouts during particularly robust patch updates. Pricing: GFI LanGuard is offered in three different pricing packages, based on the number of nodes needed: Small, Medium, and Large. Their prices range from $10 to $26 per node per year. Learn more about GFI LanGuard pricing.

Avast Business Patch Management

Avast Business Patch Management supports patching for Microsoft Windows and many popular third-party business applications. Some of the vendor applications for which Avast offers comprehensive patching support include Java, Adobe, Oracle, and iTunes.

Visit Avast

Features:

Remote patching and patch discovery
Centralized dashboards and easy configuration for reports
Automated patch scanning and deployment scheduling
Patch rollback at individual device level
Master agent management and patch distribution

Pro: Many users find the Avast Business Patch Management dashboard’s data visualizations to be highly intuitive. Con: This product is limited to Windows users who also use Avast antivirus software. Pricing: Pricing for Avast Business Patch Management ranges from $13.49 to $15.49 per device per year, depending on the number of devices covered.

SecPod SanerNow Patch Management

SecPod SanerNow Patch Management is a cloud-based patch management console that offers granular role-based access. It is compatible with over 300 third-party applications and all major operating systems. Many users choose this patch manager because it does not require a lot of overhead system resources to run and minimally disrupts business operations.

Visit SecPod

Features:

End-to-end task automation for scanning, prioritization, download, testing, and scheduled deployment
Customized real-time and continuous scans for verified patches
Effortless rollback for an error-prone software patch
Firmware patching for risk mitigation
Auto-generated reports and native audit logging

Pro: Users like that this solution is lightweight and relies on less memory than several competitors, which makes it especially quick. Con: Some customers have requested more customizability for dashboards and reports. Pricing: Prospective customers should contact the SecPod sales team directly for pricing information.

Automox Patch Management

Automox Patch Management is a helpful patch manager for security teams that want detailed visibility and stronger administrative controls across enterprise assets. This software solution gives visibility into pending patches across user devices and applications. It also gives administrators the ability to remotely approve, reject, or investigate these pending patches.

Visit Automox

Features:

Single cloud console for hardware, software, patch, and configuration inventory management
Support for deployment and rollback of third-party software
Patch vulnerability and misconfigured system remediation
Asset and inventory management with policy filtering and management
Native third-party software catalog and custom scripts available for patching

Pro: Users compliment the detailed reports and policy management features available to administrators. Con: Some customers have had trouble with certain Linux-specific patching features, such as onsite caching. Pricing: Automox offers a Patch and a Patch & Manage plan. The Patch plan is $3 per device per month, billed annually. The Patch & Manage plane is $5 per device per month, billed annually.

Atera Patch Management

Atera Patch Management primarily offers patching for Mac and Windows, through Chocolatey for Windows and Homebrew for Mac devices. One of the product’s most highly praised features is its Shared Script Library, which offers script templates that have been vetted and created by both Atera and their managed service partners (MSPs).

Visit Atera

Features:

Three major reporting approaches available: Patch Search and Deploy, Patch Status Summary, and Patch and Automation Feedback
Patching solutions natively available for applications like Chrome, Zoom, Skype, Dropbox, and Java
IT automation profiles designated to each customer
Automated software installations, updates, and reboots
Shared Script Library with 100+ clonable scripts

Pro: Users appreciate the accurate and timely alerts this solution provides across IT infrastructure. Con: Because Atera Patch Management cannot be bought without the other modules in the Atera platform, many consider this patch management solution to be too expensive. Pricing: Atera Patch Management software can only be purchased as part of the entire Atera platform. Atera offers three main packages. Pro is $79 per user per month, Growth is $119 per user per month, and Power is $149 per user per month.

Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management

Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management mostly focuses on cloud-native patch management, but because of its previous focus in on-premises patch management, it’s a preferred solution for many enterprises that are still working through a cloud transition or in hybrid cloud environments. Ivanti gives these users a single dashboard pane to manage both cloud and on-premises patching needs.

Visit Ivanti

Features:

Vulnerability threat context and known exploit intelligence
Crowdsourced social sentiment data and anonymized deployment data
Cloud-native patch management with transitional support for on-premises patch management needs
Autonomous Patch Configurations for distribution of tested patches
Patch prioritization based on risk exposure, path reliability, and device compliance

Pro: Ivanti offers vulnerability risk rating (VRR), which is considered by some to be a better risk measurement solution than the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) offered on other platforms. Con: Initial setup and permission settings for multiple administrators can be a difficult task. Pricing: Pricing is available upon request from the Ivanti sales team.

Enterprise Benefits of Using Patch Management Software

Support for regulatory compliance

Patch management software is designed so that enterprises can keep up with security patches across all of the business applications they use. Some patches are simply designed for improved performance and efficiency, but many patches are designed for greater security. Especially in highly regulated industries, like healthcare or financial services, companies can be severely penalized if they do not apply new security patches in a timely fashion to protect their users’ data. Patch management software helps these companies stay knowledgeable about new patches and gives them the visibility needed to apply that patch across required devices, applications, and users.

Increased network uptime

An unpatched vulnerability or code error could eventually lead to an application or wider systems crash, especially in the case of a successful security breach. Patch managers increase network uptime by addressing these vulnerabilities quickly and creating code that is more efficient and/or secure.

BYOD support

Patch management software is one of many solutions that assist with bring your own device (BYOD) administrative management. With security monitoring and device inventories, even mobile devices that only join the network infrequently will be kept in the loop when a new patch is available. This ensures that no matter how or where users access your network, their device and its software security is accounted for and up to date.

Automated and timely updates

Enterprises that don’t use patch management software have to closely monitor when any of their vendors release a new patch, which takes up considerable time. Patch management software simplifies some of this process by cataloging patch updates and alerting customers when it’s time to patch. They also usually offer automated deployment options, so administrators can patch all necessary enterprise endpoints with limited manual work.

Product innovation opportunities

Because patch managers can help developer teams to create and deploy patches for a variety of reasons, many developers use these tools to patch for improved performance and new efficiencies. Features of existing products can be upgraded simply through a strategic patch. Read next: Top Vulnerability Management Tools & Software

The post Best Patch Management Software & Tools appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

5G and New Enterprise Security Threats

Shelby Hiter — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 16:27:10 +0000

5G, or the fifth generation of cellular networks and technologies, is quickly spreading worldwide but does not yet have a public foothold in most global communities. Enterprises know they can benefit from the ultra-low latency and general speed of 5G, and because of that, many of these companies are establishing their own 5G networks to support growing digital transformation needs.

Despite the fact that so many enterprises are interested in 5G for business and are deploying the technology already, few have taken the full measure of precautions necessary to secure 5G networks. Read on to learn more about 5G, the new enterprise security threats this technology presents, and how enterprises can better protect themselves against these growing 5G security threats.

What is 5G?

5G is the fifth generation of cellular technology and offers several different features that were not available in 4G and previous generations of networking technology. 5G uses software-defined, cloud, and edge technology solutions to widen the cellular spectrum and increase bandwidth for a larger number of user devices. Because of its ultra-low latency, 5G continues to grow in popularity for both public and enterprise use, with use cases ranging from support for live streaming to smart factory infrastructure.

Because most areas of the globe do not yet have widespread access to 5G, and also because many enterprises don’t trust the wider access and latencies of a public network, many are opting for private 5G for their businesses. With private 5G networks, enterprises must purchase wireless spectrum access from mobile network operators (MNOs) or the government. From there, enterprise network administrators can manage access and infrastructure features for their particular set of enterprise users.

Learn more about private 5G here: What is a Private 5G Network?

5G in the Modern Enterprise

Enterprises elect to use 5G for a variety of business use cases and general benefits. These are some of the most common reasons the modern enterprise invests in 5G technology:

The Internet of Things (IoT): a growing number of enterprises are either using or developing IoT devices to optimize their products and services. 5G meets latency, capacity, and speed requirements for this kind of technology.
Edge computing and mobile devices: organizations with thousands of distributed users are increasingly relying on mobile and edge access to optimize overall network performance. Again, 5G offers the latency and speed these devices require. Beyond the traditional enterprise, organizations with several different stores, campuses, and locations appreciate this distributed access strategy.
Large-scale digital transformation needs: 5G effectively supports a wide variety of digital transformation needs, including those of manufacturing plants that want to create smarter factory and assembly line setups.
Improved user experiences: The speed and bandwidth offered by 5G open up networking to a larger pool of users and more sophisticated use cases. Users can benefit from location-independent real-time network availability, better virtual platform support for videoconferences, and catered user experiences based on live data insights.

Learn more about IoT: Containing Cyberattacks in the Age of IoT

5G and Enterprise Security Threats

Device security vulnerabilities

Because of the virtualized approach that 5G takes to networking, all kinds of devices, including IoT and edge devices, can access and support connectivity on a 5G network. Many of these kinds of devices do not natively offer the same security as other enterprise technologies, and many are only as secure as the individual user chooses to make them. Unless an enterprise applies policies and standards across all devices that access their network, these devices can open up the network to external attacks.

Poor application of network slicing

Network slicing is a major enterprise benefit that comes with 5G, allowing a physical network to be sliced into multiple virtual networks that can operate slightly differently while still sharing certain networking resources. However, there are some risks that come with network slicing, especially if enterprises do not apply the same strong security standards across each slice. If one slice is vulnerable to unauthorized users, that slice can also act as a security breach gateway for the other slices.

Supply chain hacks

Some 5G suppliers in particular are associated with governments and other geopolitical allegiances. In an age with a growing fear of cyber warfare, some 5G suppliers are suspected of building backdoor access into their products, making it possible for them and any allies to access private networks.

Increased attack surfaces with limited visibility

The larger number of devices that can access a 5G network immediately expands the attack surface of the network. Especially for enterprises that allow users to use personal devices on the network, it’s not always easy for administrators to uniformly apply security standards across these devices, to identify when new devices join the network, and to determine which devices are responsible when a security breach occurs. The best way that enterprises can increase security visibility while maintaining bring your own device (BYOD) policies is to use security policy management software to support access management.

More on the risks of 5G: 5G Cybersecurity Risks and How to Mitigate Them

Best Practices for Securing Your 5G Network

Secure user and partner access

Many enterprises that work with 5G technology also have technology partners who can access the network. Make sure both internal access and partner access is secure by applying controls and safeguards for any user or device that can access the 5G network. Standardized and automatically applied security policies are the best way to approach secure access.

Develop a holistic cybersecurity strategy

Your company’s cybersecurity strategies can easily fall into silos as you incorporate new applications, software, and hardware into your enterprise portfolio. Take the time to develop a more holistic cybersecurity strategy that addresses the native security features and additional needs of each piece of enterprise software, including 5G equipment. Consider investing in extended detection and response (XDR), policy management and automation, and other comprehensive cybersecurity toolsets.

Engage in regular security monitoring and auditing

Although enterprises typically rely on private 5G networks that limit outsider access, security vulnerabilities can still allow unauthorized actors to breach the network. To better prevent these kinds of security incidents, conduct regular security audits and risk assessments, and automate the process wherever possible. Outside of regularly scheduled security audits, security monitoring and monitoring software should become a part of your ongoing security tasks and procedures.

Provide focused user training

Enterprise 5G networks can be compromised by user errors that open up the network to unauthorized access. Some users may act with malicious intent, but most enterprise users will cause this security risk by simple user error. Train your team(s) on device, application, and other access management best practices and expectations to limit the chances of successful phishing and cyberattacks.

The post 5G and New Enterprise Security Threats appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Boosting Enterprise Security with DevSecOps

Shelby Hiter — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 20:29:42 +0000

Enterprise security often fails for a few specific reasons: misconfiguration and poor tooling, lackluster training and user errors, or a total lack of communication across teams. DevSecOps, a combination of development, security, and operational teams and best practices, focuses on eliminating team silos to ensure that enterprise security is injected at all stages of the product and service lifecycle. Read on to learn the specifics of how teams are boosting enterprise security with DevSecOps methodologies.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps focuses on combining teams and their workflows across development, security, and operations workforces. Merging these lines of work together encourages all users and project teams to apply security best practices at every stage of the IT lifecycle.

Think of DevSecOps as a similar strategy to DevOps, ITOps, and other “ops” methodologies, but with additional security emphasis placed at each stage of the project. All of these tech strategies emphasize cross-team collaboration and flexible pivots to meet new project needs as they arise.

Security updates and initiatives sometimes take a long time to apply, especially if it causes entire projects to stall until certain security steps have been completed. With DevSecOps, iterative security checks, tools, and automated processes are applied by all team members on a DevSecOps project, thus ensuring that security problems are solved before they become project-wide issues.

Learn about another ops methodology: Transitioning to NetOps: Best Practices

Enterprise Benefits of DevSecOps

Agile project management capabilities

Much like other ops methodologies, DevSecOps lends itself well to agile project management. Projects are built in phases and are designed with team and workflow visibility in such a way that projects can shift directions and goals as needed, without sacrificing speed or quality. When security is included as a core component of agile project management strategy, teams are less likely to halt or even stop an entire project due to security concerns.

They’re also more likely to build in strong security measures that prevent future security incidents. DevSecOps establishes security measures that should be taken every step of the way, making sure that both the project and the final product are secure even before a full security audit.

Better trained staff

When security teams are incorporated into product development and project management sooner, they can teach their teammates security best practices along the way. Consequently, staff across DevSecOps teams will use best security practices in the development and implementation process, and they’ll also build out products and documentation with improved security information. This more entrenched approach to security in DevOps leaves fewer chances for user error.

Clearer visibility for project lifecycle management

On traditional DevOps and ITOps teams, security teammates are rarely given visibility into project infrastructure until there’s a security concern. This reactionary approach to project security can lead to security circumstances that grow to more complicated issues before security professionals can catch them. A DevSecOps approach gives security teams visibility into the entire project lifecycle, start to finish, allowing them to add security safeguards and mitigate security issues throughout the process.

More benefits and best practices of DevSecOps: Integrating IT Security with DevSecOps: Best Practices

Best Practices for DevSecOps Implementation

1. Train all team members on DevSecOps policies

Developers, IT operations professionals, security professionals, and other engineers are the first people who will need to be trained in DevSecOps policies and best practices. From there, it’s important for key enterprise stakeholders to understand what DevSecOps is, why it matters, and how their teams are applying the methodology to the business. Employees outside of these two groups will need to receive training on how to use these products securely at all stages of development where they have access.

2. Incorporate DevSecOps tools into your workflows

The appropriate DevSecOps software and applications can automate everything from policy management to security monitoring and troubleshooting. Look for DevSecOps tools that work for your budget and your business’s main goals. Some DevOps tools will also work, so long as they offer robust security features or integrations.

3. Follow change management best practices

Most teams in a DevSecOps structure are used to working independently and pursuing goals without consideration for other IT teams’ goals. Don’t just tell DevSecOps team members that they need to work together; offer structured support, training, and defined goals that they’ll need to meet as a team so that they stay on track. Certain change management and agile project management tools can help with structuring team communication and collaboration.

Learn about some of the Best Change Management Tools.

4. Clearly document your processes and goals

DevSecOps projects are most effective when they’re repeatable. That’s why it’s important to carefully document enterprise processes, project goals, and previous strategies that have worked well for the team. Many DevOps and DevSecOps tools offer project templating, policy management, and other features that can help with documentation.

5. Assess and monitor security on an ongoing basis

Don’t allow your team’s DevSecOps strategy to fall back to a DevOps-only strategy. The best way to keep security front-of-mind is to incorporate security monitoring at all stages of the IT lifecycle for all projects. Automated security monitoring is a helpful way to make sure that no important security steps are missed.

6. Make agile security adjustments over time

Your initial DevSecOps security strategy won’t be perfect. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments to your security plans over time, especially since project plans, teammates, and greater enterprise goals will likely pivot at some point too.

7. Seek out continuous feedback from your team

DevSecOps strategies can achieve continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) best when they’re reviewed by both the DevSecOps team and external stakeholders. Consider creating a review team that will regularly offer feedback on how these products and their processes are working for them. Most importantly, include teams from outside of IT, such as sales or human resources, to get a broader perspective from the feedback you receive.

The post Boosting Enterprise Security with DevSecOps appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Top Container Software & Platforms

Shelby Hiter — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 19:59:01 +0000

Container software and platforms provide the necessary environments for enterprises looking to break down their applications into more agile microservices. Containers are software solutions that virtually mimic a physical container by packaging application code and dependencies in one place, away from unrelated application data. This approach ensures that less time and money are spent on maintaining and upgrading unnecessary features of applications over time.

Read on to learn about some of the top container software and platforms on the market, and also how different types of container solutions can assist you with automation, security, and initial application deployment.

Also read: Containers are Shaping IoT Development

What is Container Software?

No hardware is necessary to create a container. Containers are virtual environments that “containerize” different application elements by uniting them and isolating them from disparate or excess application data. This smaller collection of relevant code and dependencies makes application development and maintenance more agile.

While container software is often used to deploy the initial container environment, container vendors support other container management needs, like container security. Learn about some of the most common types of container software here:

Container engines and infrastructure-as-a-service solutions IaaS run different container environments on an operating system and help to manage user interactions.
Container orchestration and platform-as-a-service solutions focus on automating the daily operations of container workloads, especially in deployment and scaling phases.
Container-as-a-service is an emerging field of container technology that relies on the cloud and virtualization to give developers easier access to their containers.
Container security management is specialized security that focuses on unique container qualities like runtime, infrastructure, and system dashboard monitoring and security.

Learn about other as-a-service enterprise solutions: Top NaaS Providers

Containers vs Virtual Machines

Containers share some similarities with virtual machines, especially because both solutions focus on breaking down large-scale applications and virtually managing their individual components.

However, virtual machines each need to use their own guest operating system to manage application files and virtualized hardware functions, whereas containers are designed to share the same operating system kernel. This key difference requires virtual machines to use additional systems overhead and memory to run, often making virtual machines slower than containers. Containers are considered quick and portable because an operating system does not have to connect and run to each container.

Dive deeper: Virtualization vs. Containerization: What is the Difference?

Docker vs Kubernetes

Docker and Kubernetes are two of the most widely recognized container software solutions available. They can be used independently, and sometimes, prospective users misguidedly believe that they are competitors. However, they offer different container management functionalities and actually work well together. Docker focuses on single-node container packaging, while Kubernetes runs containerized applications across clusters. In many cases, users can benefit from having both of these options in their toolset.

Features of Container Software Solutions

Container software solutions all do different things, but most of them rely on or are compatible with these key container features:

Client-server architecture: Client-server architecture makes it possible for several container clients to request services from the primary server.
Running instance: Container instances are the compact container images that run in the background constantly to keep certain container services available.
Commands: Commands and arguments are used to start, deploy, kill, and handle other container run and lifecycle management needs.
Nodes: These are the smallest singular units that make up Kubernetes. These are the virtualized representation of hardware that’s used for application management, like a data center.
Clusters: This is the next unit up from a node; a cluster is a collection of nodes in Kubernetes. Container platforms usually deploy projects to the cluster rather than individual nodes because the cluster helps with distributing workload evenly across those nodes.
Pods: Pods are the larger structures where Kubernetes hosts one or multiple containers. Pods make it possible for containers to share resources, and pods are frequently duplicated as data and application infrastructure expands.
Control planes: Control planes establish and, to some degree, enforce policies and procedures across nodes, clusters, and pods.
Data planes: Data planes assist the control plane in communicating and enforcing container policies.
REST APIs: This type of API is most frequently used to integrate microservices after they’ve been containerized.

How to Choose Container Software

Enterprises that want to move toward a containerized infrastructure should look for container solutions that fully address their current application and enterprise data needs. To choose the container software solution(s) you need, start by asking yourself these questions:

Cost: Does this tool fall within your budget, and will it still be affordable as you scale?
Compatibility with third-party software: Does this solution work well with other tools in your toolkit, especially any DevOps software you use?
Security and monitoring: What container-driven security, monitoring, and scanning features are available on your selected platform? Do these features keep up with the agility of DevOps projects?
Storage: How easily can this tool scale to additional clusters and pods? How is application runtime affected by increased storage use?
Open- vs closed-source: Does your team have the necessary expertise to manage and customize an open-source solution? Are the closed-source solutions you need cost-prohibitive?
Policy management: What policies are natively managed by this tool’s control and data planes? How easy is it to program and deploy new policy management on the platform?

Also read: Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools

Top Container Software & Platforms

Kubernetes

Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open-source container orchestration and container-as-a-service solution with one of the biggest followings in the container market. In fact, Kubernetes is the CaaS solution on which big vendors like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft base their infrastructure and managed services solutions. Google first developed Kubernetes in 2014, and since then, the platform has come under the management of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.

Many users select Kubernetes because of its extensive automation, workload management, and scaling capabilities. Users also benefit from the open-source community when looking for additional support and product tutorials.

Features:

Dedicated IP addresses and load-balancing efforts for Kubernetes Pods
Secret deployment and application configuration management
Automated bin packing process for optimized availability and workloads
Horizontal scaling with simple command, UI, and automated CPU usage options
Restart, reschedule, and kill containers with self-healing features

Pro: Extensive automation, especially in the areas of automated rollout and rollback, simplify the container cluster management process for users.

Con: Some users have had difficulty deploying Kubernetes outside of the three largest cloud providers.

Pricing: Kubernetes is a free and open-source container solution.

Docker

Docker is a platform-as-a-service solution that also offers infrastructure-as-a-service through Docker Engine. Many users select this tool because it offers several different solutions to address different points in the container and application development lifecycle.

Users who use Docker frequently use it in partnership with other container solutions, especially as most container engines and managed services natively integrate with Docker containers. Some advanced features that draw customers into this product include its secure software supply chain and its detailed product roadmap.

Features:

Unlimited public and private repositories
Docker Desktop with Docker Engine and Kubernetes
Hub vulnerability scans and scoped access tokens
Unlimited teams with role-based access control
CI/CD integrations available for GitHub and BitBucket

Pro: Even as enterprises scale their resources and number of users, reviewers frequently comment on the high speeds Docker provides.

Con: Docker containers require significant amounts of memory and can disrupt running applications if memory runs low.

Pricing: Docker offers four different pricing tiers: Personal, Pro, Team, and Business. Depending on what you need, the solution can cost anywhere from $0 to $21 per user per month. Learn more about pricing here.

Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)

Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) is a managed container orchestration solution that helps users to grow and maintain the quality of their application infrastructure. It is an AWS platform solution that integrates with other AWS portfolio tools, including AWS Fargate, AWS Regions, AWS Local Zones, AWS Wavelength, AWS Outposts, and ECS Anywhere. This long list of compute options makes it a customizable choice for buyers, and its focus on both globalization and localization can help widely distributed teams manage their apps.

Features:

AWS Fargate built in for serverless infrastructure management
AWS Systems Manager (SSM) integration for automated relationships between enterprise hardware and the AWS control plane
Granular permissions and other security, identity, management, and governance features natively available
Autonomous control plane operations
Support for Docker containers and integration with Docker Compose CLI

Pro: Users consider this tool very scalable, both when needing to scale up or scale down resources.

Con: Some users have had trouble with log management, including log searching and filtering.

Pricing: Pricing options change, depending on which of the three deployment models you choose: AWS Fargate Launch Type Model, Amazon EC2 Launch Type Model, Amazon ECS on AWS Outposts. Find more pricing information here.

Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus

Red Hat OpenShift Platform Plus is a Kubernetes container platform that was built on the foundation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Regardless of whether users deploy cloud, on-premises, or edge applications, OpenShift platform Plus uses a hybrid cloud strategy to give all users a cloudlike development experience. With its cloud interface, mass automation, and advanced security and policy features, this tool is a favorite for government, military, and manufacturing organizations.

Features:

Compliance-driven upstream Kubernetes
Cluster services with automated installation processes on hybrid cloud infrastructure
Software-defined networking, virtualization, and managed containers and VMs
Flexible application builds and deployment with streamlined data ingestion support
Developer support for direct plugins to external IDEs and also for the Code Ready Workspaces IDE environment

Pro: Reviewers frequently comment on how the built-in catalog and platform templates simplify pod and container deployment.

Con: Some users have had trouble keeping up with maintenance and ongoing upgrades due to the complexity of the platform.

Pricing: Red Hat OpenShift openly shares its pricing for both control planes and worker nodes. Control planes are $0.03 per hour and worker nodes start at $0.114 per 4vCPU per hour.

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is another top Kubernetes platform that benefits from its history in the development of Kubernetes itself. This also helps users, as Kubernetes was designed to work well with Google environments from the outset.

As GKE continues to grow its reach, they’ve developed a newer feature, called Autopilot mode, to give users a fully managed cluster infrastructure, which also includes automated per-pod billing. This approach to billing ensures that customers pay only for the pods that are running during the payment cycle.

Features:

Standard and autopilot modes of operation available
Horizontal pod, vertical pod, and cluster auto-scaling
Prebuilt containerized Kubernetes applications with deployment templates and policies included
Security support provided through GKE Sandbox, native support for Kubernetes Network Policy, and private clusters and endpoints
Migration support from virtual machines to GKE

Pro: Users benefit from a fully managed Kubernetes service with four-way auto-scaling and multi-cluster support.

Con: Some users have experienced difficulties with multi-region deployments.

Pricing: Google Kubernetes Engine offers several different packages and add-ons for users to assist with autopilot vs standard mode, cluster and multi-cluster management, and system backup. Learn more about pricing here.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a fully managed Kubernetes service that helps users to deploy and maintain containerized applications through their full lifecycle. The platform is well-versed in continuous integration and continuous delivery needs and automation. It’s also a top solution for users who want a seamless connection to other Azure and Microsoft products in their existing company toolsets.

Features:

Event-driven auto-scaling and elastic provisioning
Visual Studio Code Kubernetes, Azure DevOps, and Azure Monitor available for end-to-end development needs
Azure Active Directory and Azure Policy for authentication and authorization requirements
Traceable CI/CD pipelines and automation
Built-in visibility with Kubernetes resources view and control-plane telemetry

Pro: AKS benefits from the support of Azure’s other products and infrastructure, especially when it comes to multi-region availability.

Con: Certain features related to policy and cluster management are not automated.

Pricing: AKS is a free container management solution, although it has certain add-ons that can incur additional costs. Learn more here.

IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service

IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service is a cloud-based Kubernetes platform in which IBM manages the host operating system, container runtimes, and Kubernetes updates for customers. Like many other Kubernetes management solutions, some initial setup and ongoing maintenance can be complex, but several reviewers have commented on how helpful the supportive user community and documentation are for this tool

Features:

Cluster security supported through compute isolation and compliance and policy guidance
Integrations available with IBM Watson APIs
Intelligent scheduling based on compute resource availability in real time
Self-healing containers that follow predetermined policies
Native logging and monitoring services for cluster and container performance management

Pro: Many customers like that IBM Watson is connected to the tool, making it so they can integrate AI-powered APIs into the application development workflow.

Con: Some users have commented on the lack of infrastructure monitoring features for this tool.

Pricing: IBM offers four pricing packages for this product: Free, Small, Medium, and Large. The hourly pricing for these packages ranges from $0 to $4.55. Learn more about pricing here.

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud is a container security management solution that focuses primarily on cloud container deployments. The tool goes beyond basic security needs and heavily emphasizes data governance, risk, and compliance needs as well. Some of the top features that help users manage security and regulatory compliance include risk prioritization, remediation guidance, per-layer image analysis, upstream data sourcing, vulnerability scanning, audit history, policy templates, and CIS benchmarks.

Features:

Container image scanning and policy management through CI/CD workflows
Continuous monitoring for repositories and registries on the platform
Security for managed and unmanaged runtime environments
Container compliance focus with benchmarking, audit history, and built-in support for specific regulations
Integration with secret management tools such as CyberArk and HashiCorp

Pro: Users are impressed by the real-time high availability of infrastructure monitoring data.

Con: Although many of their other security components are highly praised, some users have commented on the lacking features in the identity and access management (IAM) component of the platform.

Pricing: Pricing information is available by request from the Palo Alto Networks sales team and more information is available in the Prisma Cloud Enterprise Edition Pricing Guide.

Who Needs Container Software?

Any company working with legacy or large business applications can benefit from streamlining app functions through containerization. Some of the users who are most likely to benefit from container software are:

Teams that need to migrate extensive legacy infrastructure into a cloud environment.
Companies that want to use microservices to improve the customer experience.
DevOps teams who want a more agile infrastructure for current and future application development projects.

Refine your DevOps strategies: Scaling DevOps: Best Practices

Benefits of Using Container Software and Platforms

Microservice deployment and management

Microservice development makes it possible for teams to increase their agility as they take a more granular approach to application monitoring, deployment, and ongoing maintenance. Container software creates environments that make microservices not only possible but efficient and aligned with company policies.

Containerized microservices create numerous efficiencies. Separate containers do not affect the operability of other containers on the same server; they can each operate and be fixed independently. Developers will also be able to save time because they won’t have to adjust the code and contents of the entire server every time a set of application code faces problems or needs an upgrade.

Learn more about microservices and application modernization from Moti Rafalin, CEO of vFunction.

Container-level security

Most container software and platform solutions offer native security support that’s catered to the unique qualities of a container environment. Many other business technologies focus on generalized security measures, but container-level security affords a more refined approach to application- and dependency-level security needs.

Greater mobility

Containers are designed to be lightweight and mobile, and container management software helps when mobility is required. These solutions ensure that applications are already attached to needed dependencies within the container, making it possible to migrate both the app and its functionalities at once. The scalability and webbed infrastructure of nodes, clusters, and pods in particular ensure that workloads move where they’ll perform best.

Developer flexibility

Developers appreciate the containerized approach because it focuses heavily on flexible coding and infrastructure development. Teams are able to choose whichever language, code, cloud environment, and operating system they prefer.

The post Top Container Software & Platforms appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Developing a Cloud Modernization Strategy: Interview with Moti Rafalin of vFunction

Shelby Hiter — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 19:39:07 +0000

Many companies are starting to move some or all of their enterprise infrastructure to a cloud environment, but not all companies are thinking about the cost, time, and overall strategy that should accompany a cloud migration.

Moti Rafalin, CEO and co-founder of vFunction, believes the key to successful cloud migrations is developing a cloud modernization strategy with an in-depth understanding of your business applications and their use cases. In this interview with Rafalin, learn some key best practices for a smooth cloud migration and some of the most pressing current and future needs in the cloud migration and application modernization space.

Also Read: Effective Cloud Migration Strategies for Enterprise Networks

About vFunction

ENP: How are vFunction’s core service offerings different from other cloud migration companies?

Rafalin: I think it’s really important to make the distinction that we’re not competing with that. You need to move the workloads to the cloud, and we’re about now breaking those applications and making them modern. So, we’re not a migration company; we’re a modernization company, and we basically complement all those other tools that just do the migration.

Also Read: The Mainframe Brain Drain Modernization Game

Cloud Migration vs. Cloud Modernization

ENP: What problems are companies facing right now in their cloud migration journey?

MR: The fundamental problem we’re solving is that if you think about the cloud today, cloud migration and adoption of the cloud, we are really in the early innings of that evolution. The workloads that are running in the cloud are mainly greenfield workloads and the low-hanging fruits that were relatively easy to migrate.

81% of workloads are not cloud-native and are still on-premises. For them to take advantage of the cloud, it’s really not about just lifting and shifting them. You shouldn’t move them to the cloud as-is, but rather, you need to transform them into a cloud-native architecture in order to get all the benefits the cloud has to offer, like elasticity, agility, accelerated engineering velocity, and cost savings.

ENP: What are some of the latest solutions vFunction is offering its customers?

MR: We have what we call the App Modernization Hub. It’s a base product that helps you analyze and assess all your applications first and build the business case for which applications are the best fit for this type of transformation.

I think it’s important to emphasize we don’t necessarily advocate that you need to transform all your applications. There’s a subset that it makes sense to modernize, and there’s a subset where lift-and-shift will be fine, and there’s a subset that maybe you just want to retire and not do anything with. We want to help the customer analyze these applications and really build the business case for which ones are the best fit for each type of transformation.

Learn More About Microservices: The Growing Value of a Microservice Architecture

Future Challenges for Cloud Vendors and Providers

ENP: What challenges do you think cloud vendors will need to address for their customers in the near future?

MR: I think that, as I said before, these are the early innings of the cloud transformation. We can see that the large cloud providers—like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft—are all trying to find ways to help customers move core business applications to their cloud.

They’re not there yet, by the way. I said before, it’s the new applications that are in the cloud and the low-hanging fruit, but the core applications that the Fortune 500 companies are relying on are still not in the cloud, or are just being moved. So, helping customers with that type of migration and modernization is top of mind.

To make a long story short, I think that in order to conquer the next frontier in cloud migration, you need to make it easier for customers to modernize their legacy applications. And just to share some numbers with you, there are 21 billion Java virtual machines in the world; that’s a number from Oracle. Maybe not each one translates to an application, but let’s say there are hundreds of millions of applications out there that are monolithic and are not in the cloud.

The cloud providers are the ones that actually need to help solve that problem because otherwise, they’re going to hit a wall in terms of moving more workloads to the cloud. That’s why they’re all developing or partnering and looking for solutions to help customers modernize their applications.

More Migration Strategies from TechRepublic: 7 Tips for Effectively Migrating to the Cloud

Benefits of a Cloud Modernization Strategy

ENP: Why is it important for companies to modernize their application infrastructure sooner rather than later?

MR: Tied a little bit more to the business environment we’re living in today, all these Fortune 500 companies have to modernize, or else they’re not going to survive. And I’ll give you two examples.

On the financial services side, you’ve got the traditional banks, and they’re competing with FinTech startups. The FinTech startups have modern architecture; it’s all microservices. They’re able to deliver functionality very quickly and build customized solutions for very small segments of the market. The large banks, if they don’t transform their monolithic applications into microservices, are not able to deliver services quickly to be able to compete.

Another example is the automotive industry. We all know Tesla. It’s an electric car, but it’s really a software company. If you have a problem with your Tesla, from your iPhone or from your Android, you can order the parts and get the condition, they’ll come to your location based on GPS, they’ll fix your car, and then you pay on your mobile. The whole experience is digitized.

If you buy traditional cars, they’re not able to deliver that experience because, again, they’re sitting on these legacy monolithic applications that don’t allow them to innovate fast enough and deliver those types of services. So, I think this modernization is really at the core of the next cloud adoption frontier.

ENP: Beyond potential cost savings and quicker service delivery, what are the other benefits of moving from a monolithic setup to microservices?

MR: I think the number one benefit is the accelerated engineering velocity. Let’s say you make some changes in a large, monolithic application that has 10 million lines of code. Now, the release cycle for that application could be months because you need to run tests to test the entire application, whereas if you break it into those microservices with well-defined APIs, you can make changes to a specific service only. I would argue the engineering velocity and the acceleration you get that allows you to innovate faster, to respond to bugs and issues much faster, is the number one benefit.

ENP: Anything else you’d like to add?

Rafalin: I think a way to summarize what I’ve said is that we’re going to see less migration without modernization. The simple migration could be a good first step, but you need to do the modernization in order to extract the value.

In general, there are many companies and people looking at how to use AI to improve development. So, this is just another area where you want to use AI because of the complicated applications that are sitting there. The developers might not be around, or there’s a knowledge gap, or there are interdependencies and spaghetti code where you need AI to help you modernize these applications. AI for new applications is also a good direction, but I think this is an excellent use case for AI.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

About Moti Rafalin

Moti Rafalin co-founded vFunction and serves as its CEO. He brings over 20 years of experience in the enterprise software market to his role, with a focus on infrastructure, applications, and security. Prior to co-founding vFunction, Rafalin co-founded and led WatchDox from inception until its acquisition by BlackBerry, growing the company over 20 consecutive quarters and establishing it as a leader in the secure enterprise mobility and collaboration space. Subsequently, he served as senior vice president at BlackBerry LTD.

Prior to co-founding WatchDox, he served as the general manager of the application management business at EMC. Rafalin also served in the Israeli Air Force, where he led teams of engineers, technicians, and operational officers through cutting-edge technological projects. He is a graduate of the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, and holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

The post Developing a Cloud Modernization Strategy: Interview with Moti Rafalin of vFunction appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Scaling DevOps: Best Practices

Shelby Hiter — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 21:04:36 +0000

As enterprises grow, their application and process development needs are likely to expand and become more complex. DevOps is a methodology that aims to ease the process behind these new developments, teaching development and operations teams how to work together in iterative project work, but not every company succeeds with a DevOps strategy at first.

Particularly for larger companies, DevOps can be a challenge because of the intricate siloes that might need to be broken down between different IT departments. Regardless of where your organization is in its DevOps implementation, consider these best practices for scaling DevOps to organizational goals and real-time value.

Also Read: NetOps vs DevOps: Bringing Automation to the Network

Develop Standardized Project Templates and Policies

DevOps cannot create long term efficiencies in development if it’s not given the space to standardize project policies and procedures. The most important thing a DevOps team can do is ensure that standardization is emphasized from the beginning and that no DevOps projects are run as exceptions.

A great way to make concrete steps toward DevOps standardization is to create and closely follow project templates. Project templates democratize DevOps projects by making process data widely available and easier to interpret. As a result, templates make successful projects repeatable and scalable.

Many DevOps tools offer built-in templates and policy development capabilities, which can automate and simplify the process of starting a new project. Policy standardization is another important element beyond templating because it guides projects and associated tools so that they follow appropriate security and regulatory requirements throughout development.

Learn about project management templates from project-management.com.

Create Interdepartmental Goals to Bust Silos

IT, security, operations, and other tech-driven teams typically work in specialized roles and operate on separate workflows, especially if they work in a larger enterprise that can afford to have these dedicated teams. Even when these departments are given projects where they need to work together, it can be easy for each team and individual to pay attention only to the pieces of the project that they directly own.

Although some projects see great success from this siloed approach, there are often missed cost- and time-savings, as well as potential errors, that come from tech teams working too independently.

For a successful DevOps implementation, it’s important to create interdepartmental goals from the top. This approach ensures that different teams are given metrics and tasks that require them to communicate and work together, thus incorporating the best practices and knowledge of each of these teams for a better end product.

Use DevOps Tools to Support Team Goals

DevOps tools can automate, store, document, and add focus to several different DevOps tasks. If your team has the budget for supplementary tools and resources, look into solutions in these categories to support your team’s DevOps goals:

Version control
Data cleansing and data quality management
Container management
Project management
Application performance monitoring
Configuration management
CI/CD and workflow automation
Collaboration and communication

Data Management Solutions to Consider: Best Data Management Platforms (DMP)

Rely on Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)

One of the most important tenets of DevOps is shortening the delivery lifecycle and delivering iterations of a product regularly for more agility. Don’t get stuck trying to make a perfect release with several new components delivered at a time. Not only is this not a true DevOps approach, it also can cause some of these problems for developers and users alike:

Users don’t get new point releases that they need as quickly and are forced to wait for batch releases.
Users can’t as quickly test and give feedback on new features because of the extended timeline.
Releasing several features at a time makes it a bulkier project if developers need to fix anything after release.

Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) keep things quick, allow for immediate feedback to build on existing features, and also simplify the process when a DevOps team needs to pivot or completely change a project plan.

Learn more about CI/CD here: DevOps: Understanding Continuous Integration & Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)

Pay Attention to User Experience (UX)

User experience (UX) is a major component of DevOps because iterative feedback is what helps a DevOps team adjust planned project iterations over time. To truly understand and apply UX needs to their projects, DevOps teams should regularly interact with non-technical team members, and maybe even consider adding some of those team members to the DevOps workforce.

If you’re not sure how to source input from the actual user, you have several different ways that could work depending on the project and your company’s resources. Consider using surveys, ticketing systems, user experience discussion forums, and interdepartmental meetings to get the feedback you need to move forward with a user-centric design.

Incorporate Change Management into All DevOps Projects

Developers and new users need change management best practices baked into new development and release cycles so the tools will be used efficiently and correctly, especially when it comes to security and regulatory compliance requirements.

For the most successful DevOps releases, make sure that your company has strong change management support in place. Some helpful change management strategies for a DevOps release include offering a Q&A forum or ticketing system for new users, creating documentation and additional training, and maintaining a DevOps task force that can assess how successfully the tool has been integrated into the business.

Read Next: Best DevOps Tools & Software

The post Scaling DevOps: Best Practices appeared first on Enterprise Networking Planet.

Shelby Hiter | Author at Enterprise Networking Planet

Best Network Automation Tools

Network Automation Solutions for Your Enterprise

What is Network Automation Software?

Network Automation Software Features

Asset Inventory Management

Device Setup and Management

Configuration Backup and Device Setting Controls

Performance Monitoring

Capacity Planning

Choosing Network Automation Software

Vendors

Interfaces and integration

Security and compliance

Top Network Automation Solutions

Red Hat Ansible

NetBrain Enterprise Suite

Micro Focus Network Automation Software

Forward Enterprise

ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Cisco DNA Center

vRealize Automation SaltStack Config

Puppet Enterprise

BMC TrueSight Automation for Networks

Progress WhatsUp Gold

Syxsense Manage

Benefits of Using Network Automation Solutions

Strategic Role Shifts for Employees

Decreased Human Error

Maintenance and Security Support

Change Management and Scalability

Best Network Troubleshooting & Diagnostics Tools

What Are Network Troubleshooting Tools?

How Do Network Diagnostics Tools Work?

How to Choose a Network Diagnostic Tool

Best Network Troubleshooting & Diagnostics Tools

Paessler Network Troubleshooting with PRTG

Features:

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Features:

Microsoft Network Diagnostic Tool

Features:

Auvik

Features:

ManageEngine OpManager

Features:

NetSpot

Features:

Wireshark

Features:

Other Network Troubleshooting and Diagnostic Tools to Consider

Benefits of Using Network Troubleshooting and Diagnostic Tools

Proactive network performance management

User-level security knowledge

Administrative network visibility

Time saved and new efficiencies in network management

Understanding Open RAN in the Age of 5G

What is RAN?

What is Open RAN?

Core Features of Open RAN Infrastructure

How Open RAN Supports 5G

Open RAN decreases vendor monopolies and increases competition

Open RAN avoids vendor-lockin

Open RAN offers specialized industry- and event-based support

The Role 5G Can Play in Global Sustainability Efforts

Sustainable Benefits of 5G Technology

Automated environmental monitoring and response

IoT-powered smart devices

Support for remote work infrastructure

How 5G Can Support Sustainability Across Industries

Best Sustainability Practices for 5G

Support a remote-first working culture

Audit your existing technology and workflows for inefficiencies

Invest in 5G-enabled technologies for automation and support

Best Patch Management Software & Tools

What is Patch Management?

How Does Patch Management Software Work?

When a vendor releases a patch

When an enterprise team develops a patch