What is a network configuration management tool?

A network configuration management (NCM) tool is a type of software that helps automate how you manage settings for devices across your network. For computers, routers, switches, printers, and more, you can use a network configuration management tool to view, change, back up, and restore device settings—which in turn helps streamline your process, improves security, and helps prevent errors. 

A network configuration management tool helps automate repetitive tasks within the network configuration management process. It can help you create and maintain correct settings for the devices on your network and all the firmware and software installed on those devices.

With an NCM tool, you can ensure the settings on your devices are secure. A configuration tool can help you quickly see if vulnerabilities exist within your devices, so you can fix their configurations. It can also provide improved security when it comes to backing up your config settings—with an automated tool, you can quickly replace failed devices by uploading configurations from the archive onto the replacement hardware.

Network configuration management software also offers tools for tracking configuration changes and managing device lifecycle. For instance, it can notify you regarding device configuration changes, or offer built-in reports to enhance inventory visibility, support compliance, and make it easier to plan ahead. 

Manually managing configurations for all the devices on your network is often a time-consuming process. No matter the size of your business, good network configuration management is critical to ensuring configurations are accurate and backed up. With an NCM tool, you can reduce the effort involved in managing numerous device configurations across a heterogeneous network, and ultimately minimize network downtime. 

Why is a network configuration management tool important?

A network configuration management tool is important because it can help reduce network downtime, maintain auditable security, and help you manage a variety of device configurations within a dynamic network. Using a network configuration management tool is critical for any organization, as it helps maintain security and supports optimal operation for devices across the network.

Managing configurations through a manual process can be difficult and prone to error. Those in charge of configuration management must endlessly engage in repetitive tasks across many devices, constantly making sure everything is up-to-date and secure. At the same time, compliance violations, configuration conflicts, and faulty configuration changes can leave your network vulnerable to security breaches or downtime, which can also impact business productivity and overall security.

When you automate network configuration management with an NCM tool, you can help simplify many processes like scheduling backups, quickly highlighting configuration errors, and executing scripts for batch changes. Automated NCM software can also let you compare configurations to easily view changes and roll back improper changes, with the ability to maintain an archive of configurations to more easily restore a backup file if needed.

Network configuration management requirements

Network configuration management involves managing network configurations through automated tools, regular network configurations backup, and policy management. With better network configuration management tools, you can save time, lower the risk of downtime, and gain the control and visibility you need. 

An NCM solution should include the following requirements:

Automation. Your NCM software should reduce the time you spend managing changes by automating repetitive tasks—leaving your admins free to turn their attention to more important tasks. 

Inventory insight. Good configuration management requires insight into your device inventory, hardware and software settings, and lifecycle status. 

Centralized admin tasks. Use multi-device baselines and custom views for visibility into network configurations, changes, and drift management. A dashboard can also offer the ability to customize user accounts for teams and even lock down unauthorized access.

Security assessment. Your network configuration management system should offer reporting and auditing tools to help you proactively catch network vulnerabilities and monitor for unauthorized configuration changes. With regular network audits performed as part of your network configuration management process, you can help ensure your network is compliant and secure.

Tools for visibility. Promote best practices, consistency, and priorities in your NCM process with a dashboard offering both big picture overviews and critical details. Your NCM tool should offer a unified dashboard where you can set baselines and quickly view changes. The software should be compatible even for multi-vendor, complex networks. 

Backups and updates. Choose a tool that allows you to save current configuration settings from across your network, so you can fix inappropriate configuration changes or even restore settings to replacement hardware. An NCM tool can also help you distribute updates to firmware and even update configurations in bulk. 

How a network configuration management tool works

A network configuration management tool works by automating the repetitive processes critical to maintaining a functional and secure network, such as:

Configuration discovery and backup. The first step of network configuration management involves discovering all the devices on your network, regardless of vendor, and registering their current configuration settings. These settings are then retained in an archive. When setting changes occur on a discovered device, you can immediately view the change within the dashboard and ensure it’s correct. If a device needs an update or approaches end-of-life, you have the visibility you need to act. 

You can also schedule regular automated network backups to maintain an up-to-date archive that can be restored to devices as needed. A faulty configuration update or change can cause problems like a security breach or a network outage. Sometimes the fastest way to address a device performance problem is to overwrite the faulty configuration with a trusted one stored in a backup.

Automated scripts. A network configuration management system uses script execution for automating regular tasks, whether for single or multiple devices. These scripts can replace manual work and help eliminate human error. At the same time, the tool offers visibility features to help track uploads, downloads, and script status across the network. With this visibility, you can ensure service levels are upheld across the network. 

Compliance and security. Your network devices need to comply with industry standards and protocols for security. Network configuration management can help ensure you comply with industry standards. With an NCM tool, you can run reports showing key information about configurations across your network and compare configurations against a database of current known vulnerabilities. 

How to choose a network configuration management tool

Choosing the right network configuration management tool for your needs begins with asking the right questions about your business and what kinds of devices you use. 

The first thing to consider is what operating systems your business runs on. Determining the system requirements of the network config management software will help narrow down your options. For example, SolarWinds^® Network Configuration Manager is built to run on Windows Server. 

From there, you need to consider the size of your network and what kind of funds you have available. When picking your network configuration management system, you need to remember this is a critical service for the functionality and security of your business and you should be prepared to pay for the best possible solution for your needs. The larger your network, the more powerful a tool you may need. If you expect your network to grow, you’ll want to make sure whatever NCM tool you select will be able to scale with your business. 

The next thing to consider is whether your selected network configuration management software comes with a free trial. It’s important to test out your NCM tool before you commit to it. When you can try the software beforehand, you get the opportunity to see if it suits your needs. 

What is SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM)?

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is a comprehensive network configuration management tool designed to control configurations through automation, backup, and policy management. SolarWinds NCM helps you ensure your network is secure and can quickly locate the most current configuration or roll back to previous configurations.

SolarWinds NCM comes with features and benefits that make it a great network configuration management solution. These include: 

• Support for multiple vendors
• Reductions in the time required for managing critical changes to the network
• A built-in troubleshooter designed to help identify and resolve problems within the shortest possible amount of time
• Network automation to take care of all the repetitive tasks necessary for keeping your network functioning
• Maintenance of service levels and standards to ensure uninterrupted service
• Easy-to-deploy standardized configurations
• Fast disaster recovery, so you can be up and running again in no time
• Integration with the national Vulnerability Database to allow comparison with the current Common Vulnerabilities & Exposures (CVEs)
• Network Insight^™ for Cisco ASA, including the ability to manage firmware upgrades, audit Access Control Lists, and do backups of configuration files for Cisco ASAs
• Precise information about software and hardware, so you can keep an eye on which ones are approaching the end of their lifecycle
• Visually appealing and clear reports designed to help you better understand your network and prove compliance
• Comprehensive access control, with an integrated console that gives you the option to lock down devices as needed to prevent unauthorized access
• A High Availability option to help protect against network connectivity problems and crashes

What makes NCM network configuration management different

SolarWinds NCM takes your network configuration management to the next level by providing powerful automation and managing capabilities.

With NCM’s automated network configuration tools, you can simplify the network compliance process. The tools let you deploy standard configurations, detect inappropriate changes, audit configurations, and quickly correct violations. NCM’s fast disaster recovery means you can rest assured that you can restore the most current configurations to roll back blown configurations or get a replacement device up and running. 

You can also rest easy knowing you’re protected from malware thanks to NCM's integration with the National Vulnerability Database, which offers access to current CVEs and allows you to quickly identify vulnerabilities on your Cisco devices. 

SolarWinds NCM comes with Network Insight, which lets you:

• Gain insight into your Palo Alto Networks firewall and use the deeper visibility for more effective troubleshooting.
• Automate firewall activities in Cisco ASA. More easily discover security contexts, back up config files, use Access Control Lists (ACLs), and even manage firmware upgrades. 
• Gain visibility into critical data center switches for Cisco Nexus. Filter, search, and easily identify configuration changes for ACLs. With parent/child detection, you can view interface configuration snippets and leverage Virtual Device Context (VDC) support. 

NCM is also a part of the SolarWinds Orion^® Platform, which means it easily integrates with other SolarWinds systems tools to provide a more comprehensive view into overall infrastructure health and supports the ability to quickly troubleshoot issues across your network.

If you’re looking for a network configuration managing solution, download a fully functional, 30-day trial today to see if SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is the best NCM tool for your config management needs.