A Network Operations Center (NOC) is a centralized location where a team of IT professionals monitor, manage, and troubleshoot a company's network infrastructure. The NOC is responsible for ensuring that the network is running smoothly and efficiently, identifying and resolving any issues that may arise, and proactively monitoring the network to prevent problems from occurring.
In a typical NOC, IT professionals use a variety of tools to monitor and manage the network, including network management software, monitoring tools, and security systems. They also maintain documentation of the network infrastructure, including diagrams, network configuration details, and other relevant information.
The NOC team is usually composed of network engineers, system administrators, and security experts, who work together to ensure that the network is secure, reliable, and available. They also provide technical support to users who experience problems with the network or related systems.
Overall, a Network Operations Center is an essential component of any organization that relies on a complex network infrastructure to conduct its business. It enables IT professionals to effectively manage and monitor the network, ensuring that it is always available and performing optimally.
3. Introduction
• NOC : A Network Operations
Center (NOC) is a
centralized location where an
organization’s network team
monitors, manages and
optimizes networks,
troubleshooting any network
event that might arise. It is
also known as “Network
Management Center”.
4. What is the NOC
responsible for?
These are some of the tasks the Network Operations Center is in charge of:
• Network monitoring and management of computer, telecommunications or satellite networking
environments. This includes infrastructure and user experience monitoring.
• Performance optimization.
• Network troubleshooting. This includes security software management to detect potential
misconfigurations or issues that might negatively affect network performance.
• Firewall management. It is also in charge of maintaining both physical appliances and software-
based firewalls. Besides, it is responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of other elements
such as VPNs.
• Patch and update management, from user devices to network hardware.
• Reports on network performance and incidents.
5. Benefits of having a NOC
Businesses require high availability and high performance at all times. Thus,
having a Network Operations Center can bring many benefits that contribute to
improving customer experience. For example:
• Improvements in network performance and availability.
• Optimization of resources and increased efficiency.
• Automation of repetitive tasks and increase in productivity.
• Increased business continuity and reduced downtime.
• Security enhancements.
• Improved visibility into the infrastructure or datacenter.
6. NOC capabilities
The NOC oversees network systems to manage data storage, update software and ensure
connectivity. Here are some of the tasks and operations a NOC will perform:
• Updating, troubleshooting, and installing software on systems connected to the
network
• Managing IT infrastructure and equipment
• Backing up data and ensuring its accessibility on the network
• Providing antivirus support
• Monitoring firewall and network security software
• Patch management
• Emailing management services
• Network monitoring, including analyzing the health of the network, reporting on
performance and network optimization
• Disaster recovery
7. Advantages of Managed NOC
Services
• Respond to Incidents Faster With 24/7 Support.
• Mitigate Advanced Security Threats.
• Optimize Your Network for Better Performance.
• Consult With Experts and Specialists.
8. Network Operations Best Practices
• Continuously monitoring a wide variety of information and network systems that include communications circuits, cloud resources,
LAN/WAN systems, routers, switches, firewalls and VoIP systems and application delivery.
• Providing timely response to all incidents, outages and performance issues.
• Categorizing issues for escalation to appropriate technical teams.
• Recognizing, identifying and prioritizing incidents in accordance with customer business requirements, organizational policies and
operational impact.
• Collecting and reviewing performance reports for various systems, and reporting trends in performance to senior technical personnel to
help them predict future issues or outages.
• Documenting all actions in accordance with standard company policies and procedures.
• Notifying customer and third-party service providers of issues, outages and remediation status.
• Working with internal and external technical and service teams to create and/or update knowledge base articles.
• Performing basic systems testing and operational tasks (installation of patches, network connectivity testing, script execution, etc.).
10. NOC Project Management
Project management for a Network Operations Center (NOC) involves the same basic steps as
any other project, but with a focus on managing the deployment and operations of the NOC.
Here are the basic steps involved in NOC project management:
Define the project scope: In this phase, the project manager identifies the project's
objectives, the requirements for the NOC, and the stakeholders involved in the project.
Develop the project plan: During this phase, the project manager develops a comprehensive
project plan that includes a work breakdown structure (WBS), project schedule, budget, and
resource allocation plan. They also identify and mitigate risks and develop a communication
plan to ensure that all stakeholders are informed about the project's progress.
11. NOC Project Management
• Establish the NOC: In this phase, the project manager sets up the NOC
infrastructure, including hardware, software, and network infrastructure.
They also hire and train staff for the NOC, define roles and
responsibilities, and establish operational procedures and policies.
• Implement the NOC: In this phase, the project manager deploys the NOC
and tests its functionality. They also train end-users and stakeholders on
how to use the NOC, and establish a support structure for ongoing
operations.
12. NOC Project Management
• Monitor and maintain the NOC: This phase involves ongoing monitoring and maintenance
of the NOC to ensure that it is functioning properly. The project manager tracks key
performance indicators (KPIs), identifies potential problems, and takes corrective action
to keep the NOC operating smoothly.
• Close out the project: The final phase of NOC project management involves completing
the project and delivering the NOC to the customer. The project manager conducts a final
review to ensure that all deliverables are complete and meets the project's objectives.
They also archive project documentation and conduct a post-project review to identify
lessons learned and areas for improvement.