Q. What are the kinds of capabilities I should look for in a voice network performance and security management solution?
A. Software tools for managing enterprise voice networks should encompass several key requirements and objectives, including:
* Support Complex Voice Networks: A voice management solution should manage the entire voice network, not just one type of platform such as communications servers. With today's requirements, the solution must support multi-vendor, multi-platform environments. Point solutions can only address a small subset of the network and provide a myopic view of a network segment.
* Provide 24x7 Monitoring: Security management is a 24x7 operation. Software systems must be fully automated and provide near real-time data verification. Sporadic data analysis will miss critical events.
* End-to-End Analysis: In order to provide complete security coverage, a solution should analyze many types of information about application and system activity. Ideally, the objective is a single architecture to manage all elements in the voice domain. For example, a total management solution will integrate all components of infrastructure management including alarm management, inventory, system and usage activity, and event notification. Checkpoint verification and system monitoring should track users from the edge of the network through to the system endpoint. The ability to monitor the entire transaction including all events that are executed on voice platforms ensures complete accountability for maintenance and service levels.
* Robust Reporting: To paint a comprehensive security picture, reports should span the entire range of system and application activity. This includes alarms and events, access and activity. Reports that provide summary and detail information down to the transaction level ensure the right level of detail based on audience.
* Support Corporate Objectives: To fit seamlessly into the corporate environment, a solution should integrate and complement corporate standards. For example, a solution can assist with removing login accounts, mailboxes and system access when an employee has left the company. Another example may be to provide measurement results for monitoring service levels of maintenance personnel. Software can integrate with infrastructure management to identify security issues and then close the loop to secure vulnerable areas.
* Event Notification: Software can trigger notifications when an event occurs and send messages to an administrator or to the Network Operations Center. Event notification should be immediate and provide all necessary information. The ability to filter data so that users are not inundated with transactional events is a useful feature.
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