Why having the right enterprise DDI solution can transform your business.

Digital transformation touches every aspect of the enterprise. The hardwired infrastructure of yesteryear, today has turned into elusive software-defined networks: businesses needed to adapt and scale at an increasingly rapid pace. Managing this transformation is a complex process as it needs to handle ever-new technologies like IoT, new operations methodologies such as NetOps and DevOps, the rise of microservices, virtualization, and relocating to the network edge.

All these new technologies, and the ones we haven’t even conceived yet, are fuelling the rapid evolution of networks in a bid to break free from the legacy systems still employed by many companies.

What is enterprise DDI?  

A DDI solution (DNS, DHCP and IP address management solution) is an essential tool for any enterprise. Whether through mergers and acquisitions or market dominance, the IT teams continue to add new IP addresses to their network at an ever-growing pace.

The explosion of connectivity means having proper DDI for managing IP addresses is also an explosively complex task. To match the hunger for IP addresses, the most mission-critical piece of networks, trillions upon trillions of new IP addresses are becoming available under the IPv6 protocol, so it’s easy to see why enterprises and their networks must be prepared to deal with managing such a substantial increase in IP address assignments.  

Why does my company need DDI?  

Quality of equipment and technology may drive network capability and capacity, it is the DDI methodology that ultimately unlocks (or bottlenecks) network efficiency and security.

DDI is a key asset to an enterprise’s digital transformation, and the choice for a DDI solution can put consequences into action that will only materialize years or decades in the future. Picking the right DDI solution can offer compounding cost savings and turn a struggling network into a future-proofed infrastructure.

Many companies have learned the hard way that complexity impedes enterprise growth; enterprises require agile,  simple, and sustainable solutions to their network management to maintain ROIs at acceptable levels.

Investing in a scalable, resilient, and cost-effective DDI solution provides the enterprise with a robust return on investment (ROI). Whether through boosting network efficiency, reinforcing network security, or establishing long-term sustainability in its operations, the right DDI affects more than just the core DNS, DHCP, and IPAM it directly handles. In many ways, it becomes more than the sum of its parts.

How do I choose enterprise DDI?  

Selecting the right DDI is the same as any business decision: assess what you have, model where you need to be, and fill in what’s needed to get there. In this case, take stock of what type of infrastructure you already have, and evaluate how well, or not, the proposed solution integrates with both your existing resources and whatever you may be using down the road.

Always keep in mind the kind of problems you’re trying to solve, and the cost of the solution. Rip-and-replace hardware infrastructure removes any remaining value that you may not even know about. Migration can be expensive, and you may very well be able to reduce or even remove that cost with the right DDI. You also need to consider the future: how will the infrastructure hold up when you move to (or from) the cloud, and how well it will scale when your business is ten or a hundred times its current size.

What else to consider when searching for a best-fit DDI solution:

API-first architecture. Managing the network using a unified, user-friendly Application Programming Interface (API) has a number of advantages: it speeds up the development process and covers a huge variety of functions, from creating and managing networks, managing IP addresses, assigning new IPs to devices, managing scopes, leases and reservations to creating DNS zones.

With the right API, your DevOps and NetOps teams should be able to easily incorporate DDI services in their continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines while rapidly prototyping and deploying applications.

Automation capabilities. Automated network management eliminates manual errors, reduces risk, saves time for  IT teams and money for your organization.  

Security. Security features embedded into the platform through granular access controls and activity logging will intelligently protect the network.

Single-pane overview. Real-time monitoring of all systems through a single-pane view allows for deeper security and allows companies to avoid expensive downtime because issues can be spotted and dealt with quickly.

Simplicity. Service discovery and connectivity between cloud-based applications, on-premises applications and microservices can simplify day-to-day workflows, allowing for more complexity within the network natively.

Integration. The best DDI enterprise solution should have open and extendible architecture as this will deliver rapid integration with private/hybrid clouds, virtualization, BYOT, and IoT.

Chief executives, chief technology officers and boards need to ensure that their business model is ready for the rapid pace of change. A critical piece of that strategy is, and having the right DDI enterprise solution should be on the forefront of their minds.

Micetro by Men&Mice, a transformation-ready, automation-enabled DDI orchestration solution for enterprise networks, regardless of their location, scale or complexity, meets this criteria. For more information, visit the Men&Mice website.