Network change and configuration management software

In short, network configuration management software helps to configure different devices, monitor your network for vulnerabilities and manage different devices within it.

Salient features of SolarWinds NCM include: Multi-vendor support Reduces the time needed to manage critical changes within the network Built-in troubleshooter helps to identify and fix problems within the shortest possible time.

Network automation takes care of all the repetitive tasks. Maintains standards and service levels to ensure uninterrupted service Standardized configurations that are easy to deploy Quick disaster recovery Integration with national Vulnerability Database ensures access to current CVEs.

In turn, this helps with the early detection of vulnerabilities Provides network insights for Cisco ASA. Gives precise information about hardware and software configurations, so you know which ones are nearing their end of service and end of life.

Visually appealing reports help to understand the network better. Integrated console gives the option to lock down devices to prevent unauthorized access Comprehensive access control Comes with an High Availability option to protect against operating system crashes and network connectivity problems. Official Download: Download Free via Solarwinds. Pulseway Pulseway is a powerful network configuration and management software that works well across a range of devices.

Compatible with most mobile and desktop devices, so users can access and give commands from anywhere. Users can create and deploy custom scripts to automate any network-related task. This is in addition to push and email notifications.

Comes with many built-in reports that provide detailed information on the status of networks Pulseway antivirus works with NCM to give complete security. Price: Pulseway comes in two plans — free and team. Official Download: You can access the free plan here. Source: BMC Below are the features of this software. It detects network vulnerabilities in real-time without downgrading the performance of a network. NCM software lets you make changes with ease and, what's more, you can even set permission levels to be sure that other admins can't mistakenly change too much, while still allowing them to request changes that need to be made pending approval.

Device configurations can be easily backed up and restored, standard practices for your network can be assigned, and many software options also provide automation of repetitious maintenance tasks to further ease the work load.. There's a great deal of power when a NCM is applied well, even to smaller networks, and below are some of the excellent choices when it comes to this type of software! Grab one of these great tools and keep track of your network configuration changes and change management quickly and easily.

It even provides a range of modularity for ease of combining with other tools so as to remain scalable to your needs. All this functionality is, thankfully, pretty easy to access via the heavily GUI-driven interface, which also offers a range of at-a-glance reporting on device, service, server, etc. WeConfig aims for a level of simplicity which can sometimes be well appreciated — with powerful software often comes a great number of settings, customizations, scripting, and all manner of other functionality.

WeConfig easily manages systems via a handy graphical interface, adjusts network address assignments, has automated discovery for network devices and tries to monitor for failures along the network thus providing some level of feedback despite being an altogether lightweight option. BladeLogic Network Automation, by BMC Software, is focused more on security and auditing and does a great job not just assessing those things but also providing quick-and-easy broad adjustments to settings as necessary to try and alleviate them.

With no need for additional hardware this software is a great option for swiftly scanning and assessing the vulnerabilities and weak points of a network, and even boasts the ability to monitor and check network compliance without performance degradation in the process, meaning it's easier to schedule a thorough assessment without having to plan around peak times! BladeLogic Network Automation even guarantees compliance with various regulatory standards and best practices, making it a great option for those needs especially.

This comes with the drawback of being a little lighter in some areas or less configuration options, but overall it can be a great solution that has everything in one place! It's a great option for a few week free trial, so it's worth a shot if you want a more broad option and are worried it might be missing some key features for your setup — the best way to find out is to try it! WhatsUp Gold has many of the options and functionality we expect of any decent NCM — permissions for management, automation, auditing and regulatory compliance measures, storage management and setup, and so forth — but it also boasts a powerful set of Network Management features built in beyond just configuration setup!

You can also search for and schedule automatic network backups of device configurations according to your preferred frequency. Adhering to security policies is often a frustrating task when it comes to configuration management and change control. NCM is also built to help you identify and close security gaps in the network, and ensure configurations and changes follow both internal and external policies.

Network change management is the process through which organizations standardize the way they implement network changes. The goal is to create an approach where making necessary changes to network devices causes as little disturbance to the existing systems as possible.

Network changes may be proactive efforts to improve the network or reactive responses to problems within the system. The network change management process is meant to ensure standardized approaches and reduce the frequency and impact of related incidents caused by the change, so changes are both prompt and efficient. These basic tenets are true of any kind of change management. Since network change management is intimately related to network configuration management, the network change management process has a greater focus on monitoring and managing configuration changes rather than managing software updates and patching.

These configurations are essential to the functioning of the components of a network. Config changes can be authorized or unauthorized, and they can either work or they can create errors. Network change management helps ensure the configuration changes made are authorized and work without a problem. As with regular change management, the goal of network change management is to have zero downtime and zero interruption to network system functions. A network change management tool can monitor any type of network change that occurs within an organization.

These network changes typically fall into one of three major categories that range from routine to critical, which are:. Network change management is critically important for maintaining network reliability and avoiding security vulnerabilities caused by unauthorized or failed changes.

Changes are an important and ever-present part of any network, no matter its size. Manual change and configuration management is time-consuming and prone to error.

In ever-growing, multi-vendor device environments, manual configuration management can also slow staff productivity. Investing in a quality network change management software can improve network performance by helping you reduce troubleshooting time. There are also many other important benefits to using network change management software. For example, network change control tools are built to help make it easier to track current and past configuration changes. So, when a change causes a problem in the network, you can more easily locate exactly where and when that change occurred with the ability to quickly restore to a previously backed up configuration.

The ability to see exactly when and where changes occurred—and who made them—is important for more than troubleshooting. It can also help protect your network from security vulnerabilities. A problematic configuration change can inadvertently make your network vulnerable to a cyberattack, and an unauthorized config change may also intentionally create a security risk. With configuration change management software alerting you to changes, you can fix problematic changes within minutes—significantly reducing your risk of cyberthreats.

Additionally, network change management can help you ensure your configuration changes comply with regulations. Adherence to internal and external security policies requires continuous monitoring and assessment. With a quality network change management tool, you get real-time configuration change monitoring and vulnerability scanning, and you can generate compliance assessment reports to help you ensure configuration changes are compliant with both internal and external regulations.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager includes an array of features making it much more than just a powerful network change management tool. One of the most important features of Network Configuration Manager is its network inventory software. With this feature, NCM can automatically create and maintain an up-to-date inventory of your network devices, so you know exactly what devices are operating, their locations, and reliable device data to help you make informed decisions.

Improve network reliability with change control monitoring, alerting, quick configuration rollbacks, and automatic backups. Developed by network and systems engineers who know what it takes to manage today's dynamic IT environments, SolarWinds has a deep connection to the IT community. SolarWinds uses cookies on its websites to make your online experience easier and better. By using our website, you consent to our use of cookies.