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IP control for big data

Editorial Type: Feature     Date: 11-2013    Views: 4378   







Scott Breadmore of Efficient IP explains why the basics of network management will become even more important with the arrival of big data

The move towards a data-driven world has happened faster than anyone imagined. New platform technologies such as cloud services, social business and mobile are fuelling the volume, velocity and variety of information driven across the network, known as big data. Figures from IDC suggest that at least 80% of the ICT industry's growth will be driven by these so called third-platform technologies. And this is just the beginning.

Big data offers opportunities for organisations to reduce their time to market and increase global revenues. The ability to analyse and use the vast amount of market data being collected will shape products and customer services and drive international expansion and competitive advantage.

NEW DEMANDS ON THE NETWORK
Big data is the first step in the transition to the industrialised Internet - the Internet of Things. This expands what can be connected to the network to include different form factors of computing devices, sensors and objects. According to IDC, of the 7 billion things connected to the Internet in 2010, 5 billion were not computers. Devices from VoIP to smartphones, entertainment devices to industrial controllers, supermarket chill cabinets to CCTV, are expected to proliferate at five to ten times the rate of PCs.

To support these devices there has also been an explosion of applications. The network is underpinning a new era of online apps and a build-it-and-they-will-come approach driven outside of the IT team.

THE IMPACT OF DATA-DRIVEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Responding to the data explosion will require more innovative approaches to managing and delivering core network services because they will have to deal with an unprecedented amount of responsibility. Industry analysts predict the average company will need to manage 50 times more data by 2020. Security risks will evolve and new ones emerge. With the impact on revenue and reputation at risk like never before, network outage is not an option - if ever it was!

The growth in data and specific IP data requires many of the network workflows and processes to be automated in order to support scalability, cost-effectively and without disruption. Unified and consistent management of DNS, DHCP services, VLAN and IP addressing plans (DDI) is central to network efficiency as demands on the network increase, driven by new virtualisation, cloud and mobile architectures that allow organisations to handle even more data via more connected devices.

UNIFYING IP ADDRESS, DNS, DHCP AND VLAN MANAGEMENT
As these technologies are implemented greater transparency across the IP addressing plan is needed, to ensure IP data is well managed and the risk of conflicts eliminated. A consistent IP topology is critical to ensuring the integrity and consistency of network services and even greater efficiencies in security across DNS and DCHP architectures.

Network teams can take a proactive approach to planning network architecture in support of big data projects by unifying the foundation of core DNS, DHCP and IPAM services, so that interconnectivity between existing infrastructure and new investments can be achieved quickly and cost-effectively. Innovation in this area now makes it possible to take a unified approach to IP Address, DNS, DHCP and VLAN Management across mixed environments at an architectural level; vital for providing a solid foundation for big data to work. With this unified approach the provisioning of IP subnets and addresses, for example, can be reduced from weeks to minutes, in line with the VLAN plan.

With the impending switch to IPv6, now is a good time to review your IP and VLAN plans as well as your approach to DNS-DHCP services management. Taking a unified approach to DDI management can not only advance your network services, but also reduce costs. The network is instrumental in a data-driven world. Is yours ready to take your organisation forward? NC

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