SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today outlined the three main drivers of network complexity -- changing New Technologies, IT Operations and Business Operations -- that many IT professionals face as they get their jobs done and provided best practices to help manage the chaos today and tomorrow. 

Networks have evolved from simple one-size-fits-all environments to a complex array of technologies and devices, both physical and virtual, as well as on and off premises services. This new technology evolution combined with businesses adjusting to the evolving needs of their employees and customers as well as operational priorities, equates to the job of the IT pro being more complex than ever before. Without the right skills, tools, support and resources, any seasoned IT pro could be left in a tailspin. 

How to Manage Network Complexity Chaos 

Step 1: Get to know New Technologies 

New technologies offer great promise and often deliver great value when focused around targeted problems. But, when it comes to introducing a new technology, it's important to know what problem the technology was designed to solve as the hype often outpaces the reality. Most new technologies like software defined networking (SDN) and Cloud are not an overnight reality for businesses. There is a considerable amount of work and training required upfront to get it off the ground, and IT pros need to be prepared to guide their organizations, determining what new technologies are relevant and when they should be implemented. 

Step 2: Evolve your IT Operations model to handle new and old services efficiently 

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Cloud, distributed workforces and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are some recent examples of issues that are placing a strain on IT pros as they balance managing business-critical IT services already on their plates with new services. Creating a model that leverages management tools for established high-volume services, and learning the management needs of new services is a critical best practice. Investing in tools too far ahead of the learning curve often results in shelfware. For new services, start by defining business objectives and how they translate to IT goals. Then, build operations practices to manage IT goals. Once the management challenges are understood, leverage tools to scale your ability to deliver those services efficiently. 

Step 3: Identify Business Operations requirements key to your organization's success 

Business operations requirements such as security, compliance and audit reporting are often treated as necessary evils by IT pros. These requirements alone rarely deliver any visible direct value until you have a problem, a security threat, or, need to troubleshoot an issue. But each requirement is critical to the business. Business operations don't have to be an afterthought and should be integrated into day-to-day operations. To help minimize network complexity, IT pros should automate business operations with software tools where possible. For example, configuration management tools can reduce time and errors making it easier to meet regulatory, corporate and security standards. 

Network Complexity Management for All IT Professionals 

SolarWinds delivers powerful and easy-to-use network management functionality out of the box with the power of customization to address enterprise scale and the complexity of today's networks at a price any organization can afford. From network performance to configuration and compliance to traffic analysis and more, IT pros can deploy SolarWinds network management products to build a robust IT management system that fits their evolving needs, including: 

· SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor - network performance management 
· SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer - Flow-based network traffic monitoring 
· SolarWinds IP Address Manager - IP address space management 
· SolarWinds VoIP & Network Quality Manager - VoIP and WAN performance monitoring and troubleshooting 
· SolarWinds User Device Tracker - Switch port monitoring and mapping 
· SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager - Network change and configuration management solution 
· SolarWinds Log & Event Manager - Log collection, analysis and real-time event correlation 
· SolarWinds Firewall Security Manager - Multi-vendor firewall management 
· SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset - A collection of network troubleshooting tools 
· SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper - Automated network diagram generator 

About SolarWinds 

SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) provides powerful and affordable IT management software to customers worldwide from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses. In all of our market areas, our approach is consistent. We focus exclusively on IT Pros and strive to eliminate the complexity that they have been forced to accept from traditional enterprise software vendors. SolarWinds delivers on this commitment with unexpected simplicity through products that are easy to find, buy, use and maintain while providing the power to address any IT management problem on any scale. Our solutions are rooted in our deep connection to our user base, which interacts in our online community, thwack, to solve problems, share technology and best practices, and directly participate in our product development process. Learn more today at http://www.solarwinds.com/. 

SolarWinds, SolarWinds.com and thwack are registered trademarks of SolarWinds. All other company and product names mentioned are used only for identification purposes and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.