Here's another reader question that came in yesterday -
Once VoIP is deployed, what is the best way to manage it? Does it require more or different management tools than other networks? Thanks Ken! **Question sent to Ask Ken email inbox **

Like any other critical business application, VoIP must be managed proactively. The traditional approach, for service providers, is the FCAPS model which looks at five key areas - fault management, configuration management, accounting, performance and security. But FCAPS alone isn't enough because you need to constantly strike a balance between all the business critical applications’ performance on the network. You can't just worry about VoIP.

Managing the new converged environment requires different tools and processes and most especially training in new areas not previously included in network management.  Your staff will be exposed to a variety of new services. Tools and their usage integrated in the network management processes and procedures become essential to successful deployments.

As for tools, in the VoIP environment, they vary. Vendors provide some tools, but these are often focused solely on the vendor equipment and don't aid in taking a holistic view of the health of the network. NetIQ provides two very solid tools for VoIP Management and VoIP Security Management. NetIQ works well with both Cisco and Nortel VoIP solutions Another solution, Prognosis, is available from Integrated Research. Prognosis' focus is on managing the Cisco Call Manager platform. These two solutions represent some of the best in breed management and monitoring tools for VoIP services.

If your solution is from another vendor, or you've rolled your own VoIP service with something like the Asterisk VoIP PBX, you may be relegated to assembling your own custom toolket. SolarWinds provides and excellent network monitoring and analysis package, but this solution is not VoIP-centric. You'll need to add on tools to monitor jitter and other VoIP performance parameters. That may mean deploying a Linux monitoring system of yuor own design.

When evaluating any VoIP solution, it's important to ask your vendor about monitoring and management tools Don't discount the extra labor and effort involved in rolling your own monitoring toolset and incorporating these new tools into your network monitoring and management strategy.

Technorati Tags: network monitoring, network management, VoIP, tools, NetIQ, Prognosis