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By Mike Canney

Network analytics: a more efficient approach to network problem resolution

Troubleshooting network issues are a headache for any business. The process for how network issues get resolved revolves around the level of visibility and control a business has over its networking resources.

Historically, network problem-resolution efforts have involved a tedious blend of various departments and processes, with plenty of manual efforts and frustration. In legacy approaches to network management, a problem was initially reported to a help desk. A number of diagnostic actions followed, involving the end user reporting the issue and responses from front-line tech support staff and eventually specialized staff spanning multiple infrastructure and application groups.

This type of approach to networking issues included finger-pointing and a lot of manual correlation, along with plain trial and error before the cause of the problem was identified. Only then could a solution be determined and implemented.

A drawn-out, bureaucratic and tedious approach to networking issues is simply impractical in today’s fast-paced digital environments, however. A more efficient approach involves identifying and mitigating problems before they cause disruptions. To get there, businesses need a next-generation network analytics solution.

According to a new IDC whitepaper, “Comprehensive Intelligence and Insights Drive the Future of Network Management,” there is no greater need for a quick and streamlined problem resolution process than within today’s complex network infrastructures. Quick and efficient problem resolution positively impacts end users, IT staff, connected resources, and overall business operations.

“Network analytics solutions, with their comprehensive data collection and intelligent data analysis capabilities, can pinpoint problems quickly and accurately. Complete visibility and complex correlation capabilities combine to not only identify the root cause of a problem but also help direct the proper resolution to a problem, lowering the time and risks associated with taking action.”

Notes Mark Leary in the IDC whitepaper, research director of network analytics at IDC.

Benefits of network analytics solutions

In its simplest form, network analytics solutions analyze network performance data to identify trends and patterns. They set a baseline for normal behavior within a network, making it easier to identify threats and issues before they impact end users.

Next-generation offerings incorporate AI and automation into the process, making network management efficient and intuitive. In place of the tedious, manual problem-resolution process outlined above, network analytics solutions typically identify and measure a problem. They then remove variables and any temporary issues that may be causing the problem. This leads to finding the root cause of the problem and quickly fixing it.

The ease and simplicity of these types of solutions offer a host of benefits, including:

  1. Analytics offers deep insights into how the network operates. Leading to optimized resource usage and potential reduction of operational and development costs.
  2. Network analytics solutions result in a dramatic improvement to mean time to repair (MTTR). That leads to improved service quality, staff productivity, and user satisfaction.
  3. Analytics can generate insights and intelligence, which may lead to new revenue streams, as well as guidance on business objectives and operational practices. This can also be useful for getting new products and services to market quickly, as well as expanding the client and operations base.
  4. Problems are identified before they become disruptive to network operations and impact end users. Since problems are resolved quickly and efficiently, service levels are not impacted and end users can maintain higher levels of productivity. This also contributes to increased customer and affiliate satisfaction and better worker retention.
  5. Security is strengthened since analytics can identify malware and hacking activity before the network is negatively impacted.
  6. Network analytics solutions provide a holistic view of the network, which is invaluable for planning capacity changes and extensions to the network architecture. Networks become more agile and flexible and a culture of continuous improvement is maintained.

Problem resolution doesn’t have to cause friction and headaches for networking and IT staff

In the case of Belgium human resources company Group S, a next-generation network analytics solution helped the IT team collaborate more closely. As the company grew in size and IT infrastructure complexity, it required a holistic solution that could immediately pinpoint application and performance degradations.

A network management and analytics solution enabled the Group S IT team to collaboratively conduct optimization efforts for critical applications, identifying misconfigurations as well as unexpected errors and behaviors. All members of the company’s extended IT team have full visibility into performance issues, enabling them to proactively address problems before they impact end users. It also enabled them to troubleshoot issues before changes and rollouts went into effect. The result is the company’s productivity has improved, while Group S has also saved on infrastructure costs.

Network analytics solutions facilitate faster, smart, and automated decision making, while also minimizing disruptions, outages, and negative end user experiences. By offering in-depth insights about business operations, they can contribute significantly to any organization’s bottom line.

Learn more in IDC’s Analyst Connection report here.