Ever discovered an IP issue only after an end user reported it? If yes, you are not alone! Many network admins without a proactive monitoring solution in place have to constantly deal with recurring IP issues such as IP conflicts and subnet overutilization.
As simple as it sounds, IP address management can be a tricky endeavor without the right strategy and management tools. Managing hundreds of IPs across multiple subnets and supernets can be tedious. Especially if your management strategy involves a significant amount of manual work to be done.
What are the challenges with how IPs are traditionally managed?
Traditionally, IP addresses are managed with homegrown solutions such as distributed spreadsheets. Here’s a quick look into some of the challenges that you might still be facing when using these:
- The herculean task of deploying and managing IPv6
Many networks are now migrating from using IPv4 to IPv6. While IPv6 comes loaded with its own set of benefits, such as scalability, the process of adapting IPv6 into your existing network can be complex. Network admins should also be able to have an IP address management strategy in place that helps them scan, monitor, and track both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses without any hassle. - The data management conundrum
Real-time IP address data plays an important role in enabling effective network management. However, gathering and viewing real-time data can be difficult to achieve, as it requires you to constantly check the status of your IPs and send the updated information back to your management solution. This manual work is not only time-consuming, but also often results in human error. Also, modern networks are now implementing concepts such as overlapping IP subnets and multiple DHCP servers. This further complicates the process. - Disparate source and data correlation with networking tools
Using different, independent tools to manage multiple IP subnets? Typically, network admins depend on different tools, including spreadsheets, pings, and network scanners. While it might sound like a good idea to use dedicated tools for different tasks, using multiple tools can be tedious and complex, since this creates disparate sources of information for the network admin to correlate.
Overcoming these challenges with IP address management best practices
Managing IP addresses today is not as easy as taking a spreadsheet and filling it with the IP details. It has become a much more dynamic task. But how do you deal with the evolving network landscape and optimize your IP address management?
We’ve complied our top five tried and tested methods to simplify IP address management in this e-book on 5 best practices for optimizing IP address management.
Grab a free copy today to learn more about the best practices that enable hassle-free IP address management.
If you’re on the hunt for a reliable and easy-to-use IP address management solution, try OpUtils. OpUtils is an advanced IP address management solution that offers diverse capabilities, including DHCP scope monitoring, switch port mapping, and rogue device detection. This helps you gain comprehensive insights into the status and networking aspects of your IPs.
Interested? Sign up for a free, personalized demo or download a free, 30-day trial today.
