Network Operations Centers

A network operations center (NOC) is an organization’s focal point for network troubleshooting, network element software provisioning and updating, router and domain identity management, network performance monitoring, and coordination with affiliated networks. A network operations center is a human/computer context from which a telecommunications network is supervised, monitored, and maintained. Large enterprises with extensive networks, as well as commercial network service providers, typically have one or more network operations centers.

These NOC characteristics have been predominant in large enterprises for the past several decades. However, the ever growing dependency on computers and other networked managed equipment now demands that almost every business incorporates NOC functions in order to maintain competitive levels of service quality and interconnectedness. Today’s reality is that network devices, software, firmware and hardware, as well as the people assigned to them, need to be managed with the same mission-critical approach that has long existed in telecom NOC's.

To some extent every individual in every NOC has similar needs:

· reacting to mission critical alerts
· performance monitoring of activities, people or processes for which they are accountable
· managing each of the systems or applications they are permissioned for
· communicating relevant information to those with a need to know