Exploring Network Engineering Services and Network Cutover Strategies
Table of Contents
Network Engineering Service Type Overview
The global network engineering services market is experiencing substantial growth, valued at USD 30.91 billion in 2016 and projected to reach USD 54.69 billion by2024, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.8% during the forecast period from 2017 to2024. Key players in this market include Accenture, Ericsson, IBM, Huawei, Juniper Networks, Dell, Cisco, Fujitsu, Aviat Networks, Tech Mahindra, and Mphasis.
Target Audience for Network Engineering Services:
- Network Engineering Service Providers
- Professional Service Providers
- Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
- System Integrators
- Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and Distributors
- Investors and Venture Capitalists
To excel in network engineering roles, professionals often pursue industry-recognized IT certifications like CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert), AWS (Amazon Web Services), and Red Hat certifications. Obtaining these certifications requires extensive training, and reputable training providers like SPOTO Club offer comprehensive courses to prepare candidates.
Network Cutover Overview
A network cutover is a critical event in networking projects, marking the culmination of planning, staging, testing, and configuration activities. While cutover types and activities may vary, there are fundamental principles that apply to all network cutovers.
- Discovery: Successful network cutovers begin with comprehensive network discovery. The depth of discovery depends on factors like familiarity with the network, cutover type, and technology involved. Collecting detailed information upfront, such as VLANs, credentials, SNMP strings, ACL locations, routing configurations, IP addresses of critical resources (DHCP, DNS servers), and more, is crucial to avoid last-minute scrambling or issues during the cutover.
- Planning and Testing: After gathering the necessary information and studying the network topology, it's time to plan the cutover activities. When possible, recreating the customer's topology in a lab environment using tools like GNS3 can be invaluable for testing and validating changes before implementation.
- Staging: Staging devices and configurations can significantly reduce work during the change window and minimize network downtime. For example, setting up new core switches in an adjacent rack to the production switches, carefully trunking the old switches to the new ones, and gradually migrating distribution switches, VM hosts, and other components over several days or weeks.
By following best practices for network discovery, planning, testing, and staging, organizations can streamline network cutovers, mitigate risks, and ensure a smooth transition during critical network changes.
For comprehensive training on network engineering services, network cutovers, and related technologies, consider enrolling in courses offered by SPOTO Club, a reputable provider of IT certification training with a team of experts and a proven track record of success.