Network configuration

What is network configuration?

Network configuration is essential for maintaining a reliable, secure, and high-performing network. Proper configuration can:

• Enhance security by protecting against unauthorized access and cyberattacks
• Ensure connectivity by enabling smooth data flow and communication across devices
• Optimize performance by reducing latency and maximizing throughput
• Support scalability by adapting configurations to meet the evolving needs of the business

According to Gartner's Hype Cycle for Enterprise Networking, 2024: “over 80% of network issues stem from improper configuration and challenges with change management.” 1

Key areas in network configuration

• Device discovery identifies all devices on your network, allowing you to configure them via CLI or UI. Maintaining an up-to-date inventory simplifies reporting by enabling filters like device type, vendor, and location. Centralized inventory streamlines management, making it easier to track and configure devices efficiently.
• Configuration backup and restore saves the configuration settings of network devices, allowing them to be quickly restored to a previous stable state in the event of a failure, error, or disruption. This practice minimizes downtime and reduces business interruptions, especially during peak hours, and eliminates the need to reconfigure devices from scratch after a failure.
• Change management keeps accurate records of changes, allowing you to track who made specific configuration updates. While this may not directly reduce network issues, it significantly speeds up error resolution as it ensures that all modifications are well-documented, timely, and traceable across the network.
• Policy management defines appropriate access levels that are critical to maintaining network security. Uniform access across users can create significant vulnerabilities, particularly in a hybrid environment with numerous IoT devices. In fact, a recent report by IDC on AI in Networking, IDC AI Networking and Traditional Networking Analysis, 2024, states that 25% of companies are focusing on AI to enhance configuration, deployment, and policy implementation.
• Network automation enables firmware updates, power savings, device backups, and access rights management. This not only boosts network team productivity but also reduces the risk of human errors by eliminating repetitive, manual tasks.

• Manual error: Network-related problems due to human error have climbed over the last four years, from less than 26% in 2020 to nearly 30% in 2024.  
• Lack of documentation: Without proper documentation of configuration changes, troubleshooting becomes more difficult, and the impact of errors can be harder to assess and correct.
• Security vulnerabilities: Inconsistent access controls, failure to revert to a previous stable configuration, and other misconfigured security settings can create vulnerabilities, exposing the network to unauthorized access and potential cyberattacks.
• Device compromise: With the rise of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, hackers have more opportunities to exploit weak network configurations. Once compromised, these devices can grant attackers access to sensitive information and facilitate further exploits.
• Compliance violations: Improper network configurations can result in failure to meet industry regulatory requirements, leading to potential legal penalties, fines, and reputational damage.
• Expensive maintenance: Poorly configured networks often require significant time and resources to troubleshoot and resolve issues, driving up maintenance costs and operational inefficiencies.

Businesses continue to modernize their network configuration systems to help navigate the challenges outlined above. Key areas of innovations include:

• Cloud-based configuration management allows centralized, scalable management of network configurations, enabling easier updates, backups, and monitoring across distributed environments.
• Configuration task automation reduces the need for manual intervention in routine tasks like device setup, policy enforcement, and software updates.
• AI-driven optimization helps analyze traffic patterns, including those from hard-to-detect IoT devices, to optimize load balancing, proactively addressing performance bottlenecks or security threats and even offering firmware recommendations.
• Self-healing networks ensure that issues and failures are automatically detected and resolved, leading to faster recovery times and reduced downtime without human intervention.
• Real-time monitoring and predictive analytics using AI and ML monitor network performance in real time, identifying root causes of issues and offering recommendations before they impact operations