However, additional key information is missing, such as device location, connectivity, and affected users. IT executives should ask the technical staff to evaluate asset management software that provides a physical and logical network view for all fault conditions, including affected network assets. Automated device discovery is important to catalog accurately and to update what the network actually contains. This information should be available in a central database repository with easy user access. IT executives should look for inventory management tools that report the proper level of detail as a step towards improving their network management infrastructures.
Most networks already employ network management systems for fault detection.
However, network inventory management is often missing because of network complexity and a lack of integration time. The network is an important business asset that requires ongoing tracking and management. IT executives should consider asset management tools that can integrate into the existing infrastructure, while also providing the necessary planning, design, and life cycle management capabilities. Network complexity continues to grow as enterprises add and remove different communication technologies and multiple types of vendor equipment in response to rapidly changing e-business requirements. As a result, tools are available to provide a better network design, improve service provisioning, manage network changes, and determine the exact location of network elements and their associated attributes.