Putting service first

An Executive Interview with BT Diamond

Tim Rooney of BT Diamond IP tells CXO Europe about the benefits to companies of using a service – oriented IP address management system.

CXO. What is IP address management and why is it important?
Tim Rooney. IP address management or “IPAM” as it’s commonly abbreviated, applies network management disciplines to IP address space and associated network services, namely DHCP and DNS. These disciplines cover a wide range of IP address management tasks, including configuration, change control, auditing, reporting and so on. They are all absolutely necessary given the requirement for properly managing IP space and DHCP and DNS servers. Without accurate DHCP configuration, end users may not be able to obtain IP addresses to access the network. Without proper DNS configuration, usability of the network will greatly suffer as the name-to-address lookup process may fail. And it’s equally important that these DHCP and DNS configurations are based on a common IP address plan, which maps out the IP address hierarchy, subnets, address pools, and domains.

CXO. Sounds pretty important, but is IPAM less critical for converged services networks?
TR. IPAM is actually more critical for converged services networks. Considering the common underpinnings of a converged services network is the IP network itself, it stands to reason that it must be managed more scrupulously than a monolithic “data-only” network. If there’s an issue with the IP network, the impact to multiple or all communications services is greater within a converged network. Minimising or eliminating such issues requires a disciplined network management approach for all IP network elements, including those critical DHCP and DNS servers. And this of course is where IPAM comes in.
The other unique requirement for managing a converged IP network is the mapping of address space to a corresponding IP service. For example, VoIP packets may need higher priority routing treatment than, say, data packets. This routing treatment is typically provided by examining IP addresses in each packet. Therefore, the IP address plan requires a service perspective to map and manage each converged service’s address space.

CXO. That raises an interesting point. How would a company’s administrators for one service manage their IP space separately from others? Would they need separate IPAM systems?
TR. As long as they use a service-oriented IPAM system, they should need only one system.  A service-oriented IPAM system can manage multiple address spaces, support both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols, and can administratively segregate these spaces. For example, you could define a set of VoIP IPAM administrators who have access to managing the VoIP address space and corresponding DHCP and DNS services. Meanwhile, a set of data IPAM administrators would have visibility and access to the data address space and services, and so on. Administrative access for the central IP team is also needed for visibility over the entire IP network, spanning these services-specific spaces.  Delegation of administrative access, without loss of centralised management control, is one of the key advantages of deploying a service-oriented IPAM system that has the flexibility to partition the network along service, business or technology lines.

CXO. What additional benefits can be achieved using a service-oriented IPAM system?
TR. The key benefit in deploying an automated, centralised IPAM system across multiple services, applications and devices is the cost savings it provides through productivity and performance gains.  An automated system simplifies network administration by quickly implementing moves, add-ons and changes to better serve end-user requirements. This automation collapses what was once a manual three step process, riddled with data-entry errors, to a consistent one step process that saves time and reduces errors. Other benefits include enhanced auditing and reporting for the tracking and reporting of administrator access, as well as address assignment and capacity management for industry and government regulatory compliance reporting. Use of a centralised IPAM system also facilitates ITIL® or network management integration using APIs, scalability, performance, and redundancy providing another layer of operational efficiency. The IPControl™ product suite from BT Diamond IP delivers these benefits and much more.

Tim Rooney has worked with IP technologies in various capacities over the last 16 years. As Product Management Director with BT Diamond IP, he is responsible for the overall BT Diamond IP product lifecycle, product feature introductions, and supporting sales and marketing. Tim holds a BSc in Commerce and Engineering Sciences from Drexel and an M.S.E.E. from Rutgers University.

BT Diamond IP is a leading provider of software and appliance products that help customers effectively manage complex IP networks. For additional information, please visit http://btdiamondip.com or call +1-800-390-6295 in the US or +1-610-423-4770 worldwide.