The strategic ROI of network management.

The Changing Face of Network Management
Undoubtedly, the greatest challenge faced by network engineers, and the companies they work for, is the speed and complexity of technological disruption. In less than a decade, network management has shifted from the rigidity of physical, hardware-based and largely static infrastructure, to the fast and dynamic flexibility of virtualized, software-defined networks.
On top of that, cloud computing platforms have largely democratized access to technologies that previously required very deep pockets for upfront, and ongoing, infrastructure and IT workforce investment. Innovation is anyone’s game now.
According to the Cisco Analytics projections illustrated below, the pace of change is only set to increase with an unprecedented boost in IP traffic, driven by the Internet of Things (IoT) and the global usage of mobile devices.

Source: Cisco Analytics White Paper - The Zettabyte Era: Trends and Analysis, June 2017

Strategic ROI for Tomorrow’s Network, Today
ROI for all forms of integrated DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management (DDI) solutions is largely comprised of two distinct cost-savers: mitigating downtime, and optimizing network management efficiency by cutting OPEX.
Yet with IP addressing increasingly moving to remote, virtualized environments and DNS services built into cloud offerings, the shape of ROI for DDI has changed. The question isn’t any longer what hardware you’re going to invest in, but rather which combination of third-party applications, platforms and solutions you’re going to adopt to give your network, and ultimately your business, a strategic advantage, both in terms of cost and management.
Finding the right solution to manage your network’s critical DDI ‘plumbing’ is a sticky business, given that the networking goalposts are constantly shifting amidst the ever-increasing adoption of multi-vendor products. Keep a 5- to 10-year horizon in mind, and consider the following:

Integration
How well does the solution leverage existing infrastructure investment, while integrating with new technology and third-party extensions?
Adaptability
How easily does the solution adapt to and manage integration across multiple platforms, with diverse applications? Is it multi-cloud friendly?
Automation
Does the solution have strong and consistent API capabilities to help you build the workflows you need?
Resilience
Can the solution ensure optimal network availability through distributing system redundancy across external platforms?
Scalability
How easy does the solution scale up, or down, with mergers, acquisitions or requirements of new and emerging technologies?
Cost of ownership
What is the speed, and level of disruption, of deployment, as well as future costs of continuing maintenance and upgrades?

When looking to the future of network management in an increasingly complex, multi-vendor environment, this is how the Micetro’s unique, back-end, overlay architecture ticks the strategic ROI boxes.
Integration: Software overlay deploys on top of infrastructure, leveraging existing server investment and easily incorporating new technology and third-party extensions.
Adaptability: The widest range of support on the market consolidates diverse and distributed platforms, on-premises, in the cloud and in multi-clouds.
Automation: Made simple with solid and consistent APIs: SOAP, JSON-RPC, REST.
Resilience: xDNS redundancy provides abstraction tools to replicate and synchronize critical DNS zones across multiple DNS service provider platforms.
Scalability: Used to manage networks from a few, to millions of corporate IP addresses, Micetro's back-end agnostic architecture easily scales up (or down) as needed.
Cost of ownership: Perpetual license model frees your network from painful, hardware-dependent upgrades and re-buys. All-inclusive solution entitles you to all functionality, upgrades and new features. Expert support ensures network efficiency and success.

THE FUTURE NETWORK: BACK-END AGNOSTIC ARCHITECTURE
Rigid network management solutions can inhibit your network’s evolution: the only sustainable philosophy going forward is an elastic, enterprise-class DDI solution that can adapt and grow, fast, as and when your network demands it. With Micetro by Men&Mice you can use the back-end platform you want, to build the network you need, and ensure a strategically sound return on investment for an unpredictable networking future.