NOTE: This article originally appeared here.

If you’re not prepared for the future of networking, you’re already behind.

That may sound harsh, but it’s true. Given the speed at which technology evolves compared to the rate most of us typically evolve in terms of our skillsets, there’s no time to waste in preparing ourselves to manage and monitor the networks of tomorrow. Yes, this is a bit of a daunting proposition considering the fact that some of us are still trying to catch up with today’s essentials of network monitoring and management, but the reality is that they’re not really mutually exclusive, are they?

In part of one this series, I outlined how the networks of today have evolved from those of yesteryear, and what today’s new essentials of network monitoring and management are as a consequence. By paying careful attention, you will likely have picked up on ways the lessons from the past that I described helped shape those new essentials.

Similarly, today’s essentials will help shape those of tomorrow. Thus, as I said, getting better at leveraging today’s essentials of network monitoring and managing is not mutually exclusive from preparing for the networks of tomorrow.

Before delving into what the next generation of network monitoring and management will look like, it’s important to first explore what the next generation of networking will look like.

On the Horizon

Above all else, one thing is for certain: We networking professionals should expect tomorrow’s technology to create more complex networks resulting in even more complex problems to solve. With that in mind, here are the top networking trends that are likely to shape the networks of the future:

Networks growing in all directions
Fitbits, tablets, phablets and applications galore. The explosion of IoT, BYOD, BYOA and BYO-everything else is upon us. With this trend still in its infancy, the future of connected devices and applications will be not only about the quantity of connected devices, but also the quality of their connections tunneling network bandwidth.

But it goes beyond the gadgets end users bring into the environment. More and more, commodity devices such as HVAC infrastructure, environmental systems such as lighting, security devices and more all use bandwidth—cellular or WiFi—to communicate outbound and receive updates and instructions inbound. Companies are using, or planning to use, IoT devices to track product, employees and equipment. This explosion of devices that consume or produce data will, not might, create a potentially disruptive explosion in bandwidth consumption, security concerns and monitoring and management requirements.

IPv6 eventually takes the stage…or sooner (as in now!)
Recently, ARIN was unable to fulfill a request for IPv4 addresses because the request was greater than the contiguous blocks available. Meanwhile, IPv6 is now almost always enabled by default and is therefore creating challenges for IT professionals even if they, and their organizations, have committed to putting off their own IPv6 decisions. The upshot of all this is that IPv6 is a reality today. There is an inevitable and quickly approaching moment when switching over will no longer be an option, but a requirement.

SDN and NFV will become the mainstream
Software defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) are just in their infancy and should be expected to become mainstream in the next five to seven years. With SDN and virtualization creating new opportunities for hybrid infrastructure, a serious look at adoption of these technologies is becoming more and more important.

So long WAN Optimization, Hello ISPs
There are a number of reasons WAN technology is and will be kicked to the curb in greater fervency. With bandwidth increases outpacing CPU and custom hardware’s ability to perform deep inspection and optimization, and with ISPs helping to circumvent the cost and complexities associated with WAN accelerators, WAN optimization will only see the light of tomorrow in unique use cases where the rewards outweigh the risks. As most of us will admit, WAN accelerators are expensive and complicated, making ISPs more and more attractive. Their future living inside our networks is certainly bright.

Farewell L4 Firewalling 
With the mass of applications and services moving towards web-based deployment, using Layer 4 (L4) firewalls to block these services entirely will not be tolerated. A firewall incapable of performing deep packet analysis and understanding the nature of the traffic at the Layer 7 (L7), or the application layer, will not satisfy the level of granularity and flexibility that most network administrators should offer their users. On this front, change is clearly inevitable for us network professional, whether it means added network complexity and adapting to new infrastructures or simply letting withering technologies go.

Preparing to Manage the Networks of Tomorrow  

So, what can we do to prepare to monitor and manage the networks of tomorrow? Consider the following:

Understand the “who, what, why and where” of IoT, BYOD and BYOA
Connected devices cannot be ignored. According to 451 Research, mobile Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connections will increase to 908 million in just five years, this compared to 252 million just last year. This staggering statistic should prompt you to start creating a plan of action on how you will manage nearly four times the number of devices infiltrating your networks today.

Your strategy can either aim to manage these devices within the network or set an organizational policy to regulate traffic altogether. Nonprofit IT trade association CompTIA noted in a recent survey, many companies are trying to implement partial and even zero BYOD policies to regulate security and bandwidth issues. Even though policies may seem like an easy fix, curbing all of tomorrow’s BYOD/BYOA is nearly impossible. As such, you will have to understand your network device traffic in incremental metrics in order to optimize and secure them. Even more so, you will need to understand network segments that aren’t even in your direct control, like the tablets, phablets and Fitbits, to properly isolate issues.

Know the ins and outs of the new mainstream 
As stated earlier, SDN, NFV and IPv6 will become the new mainstream. We can start preparing for these technologies’ future takeovers by taking a hybrid approach to our infrastructures today. This will put us ahead of the game with an understanding of how these technologies work, the new complexities they create and how they will ultimately affect configuration management and troubleshooting ahead of mainstream deployment.

Start comparison shopping now
Going through the exercise of evaluating ISPs, virtualized network options and other on-the-horizon technologies—even if you don’t intend to switch right now—will help you nail down your particular requirements. Sometimes, knowing a vendor has or works with technology you don’t need right now, such as IPv6, but might later can and should influence on your decision.

Brick in, brick out
Taking on new technologies can feel overwhelming to those of us with “boots on the ground” because the new technology can often simply seem like one more mouth to feed, so to speak. As much as possible, look for ways that potential new additions will not just enhance, but replace the old guard. Maybe your new real-time deep packet inspection won’t completely replace L4 firewalls, but if it can reduce them significantly—while at the same time increasing insight and the ability to respond intelligently to issues—then the net result should be a better day for you. If you don’t do this, then more times than not, new technology will indeed simply seem to increase workload and do little else. This is also a great measuring stick to identify new technologies whose time may not yet have truly come just yet, at least not for your organization.

At a more basic layer, if you have to replace three broken devices and you realize that the newer equipment is far more manageable or has more useful features, consider replacing the entire fleet of old technology even if it hasn’t fallen apart yet. The benefits of consistency often far outweigh the initial pain of sticker shock.

To conclude this series, my opening statement from part one merits repeating: learn from the past, live in the present and prepare for the future. The evolution of networking waits for no one. Don’t be left behind.

NOTE: This article originally appeared here.

Learn from the past, live in the present and prepare for the future.

While this may sound like it belongs hanging on a high school guidance counselor’s wall, they are words to live by, especially in IT. They apply perhaps to no other infrastructure element better than the network. After all, the network has long been a foundational building block of IT, it’s even more important today than it was in the days of SAGE and ARPANET, and its importance will only continue to grow in the future while simultaneously becoming more complex.

For those of us charged with maintaining the network, it’s valuable to take a step back and examine the evolution of the network. Doing so helps us take an inventory of lessons learned—or the lessons we should have learned; determine what today’s essentials of monitoring and managing networks are; and finally, turn an eye to the future to begin preparing now for what’s on the horizon.

Learn from the Past

Think back to the time before the luxuries of Wi-Fi and the proliferation of virtualization, and before today’s wireless and cloud computing.

The network used to be defined by a mostly wired, physical entity controlled by routers and switches. Business connections were based on T1 and ISDN, and Internet connectivity was always backhauled through the data center. Each network device was a piece of company-owned hardware, and applications operated on well-defined ports and protocols. VoIP was used infrequently, and anywhere connectivity—if even a thing—was provided by the low-quality bandwidth of cell-based Internet access.

With this yesteryear in mind, consider the following lessons we all (should) have learned that still apply today:

It Has to Work
Where better to start than with a throw back to IEEE RFC1925, “The Twelve Networking Truths”? It’s just as true today as it was in 1996—if your network doesn’t actually work, then all the fancy hardware is for naught. Anything that impacts the ability of your network to work should be suspect.

The Shortest Distance Between Two Points is Still a Straight Line
Wired or wireless and MPLS, EIGRP or OSPF, your job as a network engineer is still fundamentally to create the conditions where the distance between the provider of information, usually a server, and the consumer of that information, usually a PC, is as near to a straight line as possible. When you forget that but still get caught up in quality of service maps, automated functions and fault-tolerance, you’ve lost your way.

An Unconfigured Switch is Better than the Wizard
It was a long-standing truth that running the configuration wizard on a switch was the fastest way to break it, whereas just unboxing and plugging it in would work fine. Wizards are a fantastic convenience and come in all forms, but if you don’t know what the wizard is making convenient, you are heading for trouble.

What is Not Explicitly Permitted is Forbidden
No, this policy it’s not fun and it won’t make you popular. And it will actually create work for you on an ongoing basis. But there is honestly no other way to run your network. If espousing this policy will get you fired, then the truth is you’re going to get fired one way or the other. You might as well be able to pack your self-respect and professional ethics into the box along with your potted fern and stapler when the shoe drops. Because otherwise that huge security breach is on you.

Live in the Present 

Now let’s fast forward and consider the network of present day.

Wireless is becoming ubiquitous—it’s even overtaking wired networks in many instances—and the number of devices wirelessly connecting to the network is exploding (think Internet of Things). It doesn’t end there, though—networks are growing in all directions. Some network devices are even virtualized, resulting in a complex amalgam of the physical, the virtual and the Internet. Business connections are DSL/cable and Ethernet services, and increased use of cloud services is stretching Internet capacity at remote sites, not to mention opening security and policy issues since it’s not all backhauled through the data center. BYOD, BYOA, tablets and smartphones are prevalent are creating bandwidth capacity and security issues. Application visibility based on port and protocol is largely impossible due to applications tunneling via HTTP/HTTPS. VOIP is common, also imposing higher demands on network bandwidth, and LTE provides high-quality anywhere connectivity.

Are you nostalgic for the days of networking yore yet? The complexity of today’s networking environment underscores that while lessons of the past are still important, a new set of network monitoring and management essentials is necessary to meet the challenges of today’s network administration head on. These new essentials include:

Network Mapping
While perhaps a bit back-to-basics and also suitable as a lesson we all should have learned by now, when you consider the complexity of today’s networks and network traffic, network mapping and the subsequent understanding of management and monitoring needs has never been more essential than it is today. Moving ahead without a plan—without knowing the reality on the ground—is a sure way to make the wrong choices in terms of network monitoring based on assumptions and guesswork.

Wireless Management
The growth of wireless networks presents new problems, such as ensuring adequate signal strength and that the proliferation of devices and their physical mobility—potentially hundreds of thousands of network-connected devices, few of which are stationary and many of which may not be owned by the company (BYOD)—doesn’t get out of hand. What’s needed are tools such as wireless heat maps, user device tracking, over-subscribed access points and tracking and managing device IP addresses.

Application Firewalls
When it comes to surviving the Internet of Things, you first must understand that all of the “things” connect to the cloud. Because they’re not coordinating with a controller on the LAN, each device incurs a full conversation load, burdening the WAN and every element in a network. And worse, many of these devices prefer IPv6, meaning you’ll have more pressure to dual-stack all of those components. Application firewalls can untangle device conversations, get IP address management under control and help prepare for IPv6. They can also classify and segment device traffic; implement effective quality of service to ensure that critical business traffic has headroom; and of course, monitor flow.

Capacity Planning
Nobody plans for not growing; it’s just that sometimes infrastructure doesn’t read the plan we’ve so carefully laid out. You need to integrate capacity for forecasting tools, configuration management and web-based reporting to be able to predict scale and growth. There’s the oft-quoted statistic that 70 percent of network outages come from unexpected network configuration changes. Admins have to avoid the Jurassic Park effect—unexpected, but what in hindsight were clearly predictable outages is the bane of any IT manager’s existence. “How did we not know and respond to this?” is a question nobody wants to have to answer.

Application Performance Insight
Many network engineers have complained that the network would be stable if it weren’t for the end users. While it’s an amusing thought, it ignores the universal truth of IT—everything we do is because of and for end-users. The whole point of having a network is to run the business applications end-users need to do their jobs on. Face it, applications are king. Technologies such as deep packet inspection, or packet-level analysis, can help you ensure the network is not the source of application performance problems.

Prepare for the Future

Now that we’ve covered the evolution of the network from past to present—and identified lessons we can learn from the network of yesterday and what the new essentials of monitoring and managing today’s network are—we can prepare for the future. So, stay tuned for part two in this series to explore what the future holds for the evolution of the network.