Through its primary functionality, NCM streamlines our network configuration and compliance processes. By consolidating access to this information, NCM eliminates the need to retrieve configurations individually from multiple switches. Instead, it provides a centralized dashboard where all configuration data can be conveniently accessed.

We leverage NCM for network change management purposes. For instance, if our organization mandates password changes every three months or monthly, NCM excels in facilitating this task. It enables us to simultaneously push password changes to multiple devices efficiently.

The real-time change detection capability enhances our network security by enabling us to monitor and track any modifications as they occur.

When it comes to managing configurations across multi-vendor devices, NCM has some limitations. It's primarily focused on Cisco equipment, making it less compatible with other vendors like Telnet or Extreme Networks. While it's possible to configure other vendor equipment, it can be challenging to achieve seamless integration.

This solution has helped our organization by allowing us to store all the device configurations for the various network devices in NCM and making it easy for us to retrieve and look them over.

We have a limited number of devices, mostly Palo Alto and Cisco devices. It covers all our network assets. SolarWinds offers additional functionality, including warranty management. This feature ensures comprehensive management of warranties associated with network devices, providing users with a holistic solution for network infrastructure maintenance.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager has greatly enhanced our network configuration and compliance management, revealing previously unnoticed issues with our switches. It has identified constraints in some of our links, indicating suboptimal quality. The built-in tools within the software have alerted us to any discrepancies in configuration that could potentially impact link performance.

With SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager, real-time change notifications play a crucial role in mitigating network issues. We adopt a "manage by exception" approach, where notifications are configured to alert us to any deviations from the norm. Two key factors are critical in this process: the timing of these alerts and their integration into our reporting and fault-finding procedures. These alerts are instrumental in conducting root cause analysis and identifying the reasons behind network downtime.

The primary benefit of using SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is its ability to save time and improve productivity. For example, in the event of an outage at a branch location, such as a bank with multiple branches, having network configuration backups allows for quick restoration of settings on a new device, eliminating the need to configure from scratch. This feature significantly reduces downtime and streamlines the recovery process.

NCM has provided for the following benefits - Mainly to to with audit readiness on 3 fronts - regular configuration backups, configuration hardening and Vulnerability management.

It significantly reduces the time required to make changes to routers and switches. A single script can be run on all the devices on the network at the push of a button. It also helps to enforce change management as change is implemented via the NCM interface and managers do not have the exec password but rather request for change via NCM which can be approved by those designated to.

We are using this product for efficient automation and a short learning gap. It is part of our tool set.

We can proactively monitor our infrastructure in a single pane of glass, unlike before when there were a lot of network management tools that would need to be looked at.