Any enterprise wishing to succeed in today’s world must be willing to embrace technology and move with the times. In recent years, we’ve seen countless technological tools and innovations being developed to improve services, optimize operations, and streamline the day-to-day running of businesses across all industries, and those who choose to ignore these tools often get left behind.
As well as looking for technological aids in areas like marketing, branding, cybersecurity, and communications with clients and customers, one area that should never be overlooked is IP address management (IPAM). IPAM is all about registering and managing the IP addresses of the many different devices that are used throughout your business.
In the past, IPAM was relatively simple, but as countless new forms of devices and advancements in technology have come about, the process has become far more complex, leading many modern businesses to seek out the services of enterprise IPAM solutions. If your company is considering doing the same or ready to make an IPAM upgrade, here are some questions to consider.
Which Format Is Right for the Business?
One of the first questions to consider when thinking about investing in an IPAM solution or DDI is what kind of format will work best for your company. IPAM solutions can be hardware-based, software-based, open-source, or even cloud-based, and each of these different formats has its advantages and disadvantages to take into consideration.
Hardware-based systems might have been useful in the past, but are beginning to become outdated and excessively costly, while software-based systems are hugely popular, but do come with license fees to take into account. Cloud-based systems may be more popular in the future but are somewhat limited for now, and open-source options are great for advanced users but can have compatibility issues.
How Scalable Is This IPAM Solution?
If you think you may have found an IPAM solution that seems right for you, be sure to question its scalability before proceeding any further. Scalability is of the utmost importance for the vast majority of modern businesses, and it’s something you always have to take into account when making big business decisions, as your company can grow and change over time, so you need tools and solutions that can adapt to those changes.
If your company gets bigger in the future, for example via a merger or acquisition, you need to know whether or not your chosen IPAM solution will be able to cope with that change, scaling to accept a large number of new devices onto the network, or whether it will struggle to scale. Finding a platform that can scale up and down with ease is absolutely key.
How Secure Is This IPAM Solution?
Of course, when assessing almost any kind of digital tool or product in today’s world, you also have to take security into consideration too. Cybersecurity is increasingly relevant for businesses across all industries, with hackers and cyber-criminals targeting enterprises of all shapes and sizes, aiming to break into networks, steal data, infect systems, and carry out all kinds of attacks for their own personal gains.
IPAM solutions can vary wildly in terms of how secure they are, with some offering much stronger security features and protection for your data and devices than others. It’s essential to try and find an IPAM solution that can offer the strongest levels of security, giving your business the best possible line of defense against any attacks. Given that a data breach or leak can be immensely costly, this isn’t something that should be taken lightly.
How Easy Will This Solution Be to Use and Switch to?
Ease of use is a common factor to take into account when assessing the quality and value of any kind of digital tool or technological aid, and it’s especially important when considering an IPAM solution. Switching your entire DDI infrastructure to a new provider can be a lengthy and complex process that could cause disruption to your business if handled incorrectly, so you’ll want to find a solution that is well-designed, easy to use, and quick to integrate.
This way, the migration process will be as simple as possible, saving you and your team a lot of time and effort. So try to focus on DDI vendors that have clearly proven themselves with demonstrable experience and expertise of the best practices for IPAM and history of smooth, seamless migrations for enterprises like yours.
Final Word
The right IPAM solution can be a big boost for your business, but it’s vital to choose with care, as the wrong choice could do more harm than good. Make sure to ask these questions and consider all angles when choosing the best IPAM option.