NetOps 2.0 Transformation: The DIRE Methodology

By Ray Belleville

"HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR NETOPS PRODUCTIVITY" WITHOUT WASTING TIME AND MONEY JUST BUYING TOOLS

Introducing NetOps 2.0 Transformation - The DIRE Methodology
NetOps 2.0 Transformation is a deep dive into why NetOps 1.0 does not scale in 2021 and how to transform painlessly into the DevOps/NetOps 2.0 era.

... No more dealing with unhappy customers, who want discounts and assurances.
... No more wasting time finding a solution that doesn't widely exist today.
... No more answering to the boss when things go wrong, even when it's not the network's fault.

In under 150 pages, the author will outline the challenges associated with network operations organizations, why we're hitting the limits of NetOps 1.0, and provide a 4-step formula for transforming to NetOps 2.0.

NetOps 2.0 Transformation - The DIRE Methodology has been in development for 27 years and adopted by professionals at Fortune 500 companies.

The author of NetOps 2.0 Transformation was in the same position as you. He was transforming a NetOps organization but didn't know how to do it in a way that got results.

Since the tech bubble burst in 2000, operations have been running on shoestring budgets. Ray realized that if he wanted to transform to NetOps 2.0 (without paying ridiculous sums of money to a consultant), he'd need to learn everything there is to know about network operations.

So, that's what he did. He already had many years of experience to build on, so he read blogs, listened to tons of podcasts, and spend hours on the Internet, learning every secret he could from the best in the business. He spoke with 100s of different colleagues worldwide about their specific challenges and how they solved them.

If You Can Read This Book, You Can Transform Your NetOps Organization
NetOps 2.0 Transformation is super easy-to-use.

... even if you're new to IT Leadership.
... even if you work on the network, but not as a Manager or Director.
... even if you've only just begun your networking career.
You can read this book in under 4 hours

The FASTEST Way to Reduce MTTR

Most people limit themselves by believing that good results take a long time.

While it can work that way, it doesn't have to.

Not when you apply the DIRE Methodology to your NetOps 2.0 Transformation, backed by years of experience.

Think about it.

By adopting the DIRE Method and supporting your organization with network automation, you could achieve an immediate reduction in MTTR.

Not in a year. Not in 2 years.

In just a few short months, with the help of NetOps 2.0 Transformation -- The DIRE Methodology.

Imagine What It Would Be Like To...

â ¢ Automate all the repetitive, time-consuming, and high-risk problems rather than chasing fires all day long.
â ¢ Mitigate the risk of unplanned outages by ensuring Network Hygiene is on autopilot.
â ¢ Enable your service desk to buffer operations through self-service assistance.
â ¢ Enable your application teams to deploy new revenue-generating services without unnecessary delay.
â ¢ Free up your top-level network engineers to work on our backlog of projects.
You can have all of these things with NetOps Transformations.

How Do We Know NetOps Transformations Works?

Ray Belleville is not just the author of NetOps 2.0 Transformations; he also used it to transform 100s of companies over the last 20+ years.

Since he started using the DIRE Methodology, the results have been phenomenal:

â ¢ Escalation rates are down
â ¢ MTTR is lower, and availability is up
â ¢ Total cost of ownership is down
â ¢ Employee satisfaction is up

Why are you going to love NetOps 2.0 Transformations? It will:

â ¢ Save you hours researching how to perform a transformation
â ¢ Put an end to SLA payments caused by human error
â ¢ Create an efficient and effective operations team that

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Feb 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781456637033

Book preview

Author

Introduction

C

ongratulations on purchasing this book. You are on the road to understanding network operations (NetOps) through the DIRE NetOps Methodology lens.

This book is for anyone who has a role in Network Operations. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your first year or 30th; there will be value for you.

Somewhere around 1996, when I was working on a consulting opportunity with Canada's government, I needed to classify the types of work an operator did every day. Things have not changed in these classifications for almost 30 years, but the needs have.

The results of my analysis provided four buckets: documentation, isolation, repair, and escalation. I hadn’t written them down in that order yet but quickly realized they spelled DIRE, and the acronym was born, evolving ever since.

We are at a time in networking where Engineers must know multiple vendor CLI syntax, hundreds of protocols and technologies, and dozens of tools. However, each new monitoring tool we deploy does not address yesterday’s problems. They only exacerbate them.

While there are many ways that NetOps can impact a business, including preserving the company’s reputation and increasing satisfaction for the network users. The focus of most companies is on the financial implications of outages.

A Ponemon Institute study¹ highlights the problems experienced by NetOps organizations around the globe.

Operator error is the third leading root cause for unplanned outages.

63% of organizations feel they do not have the resources to deal with unplanned outages.

22% of the outages are considered avoidable, improving by only 2% in 6 years

Average cost of an outage is $9000 per minute or $570,000 per hour

While these data points are alarming, they are often not enough to influence a change that will cost some upfront dollars to improve the overall health of the NetOps team.

Since the tech bubble burst in the early 2000s, companies have been running their NetOps organization as lean as possible, while their networks are growing in complexity, scale, and mission-critical status.

The challenge has been planning for the unexpected, which is where the NetOps teams have struggled. Once activities are outside a small deviation from the norm, structures begin to break down, overwhelming the team to a point where they cannot keep up.

There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.

DONALD RUMSFELD²

Being prepared for the unexpected is where we need to leverage our company’s domain knowledge and the how-to expertise to plan accordingly.

We’ve reached the limit of NetOps 1.0, and companies that don’t act fast will be left behind and continue to be at risk considering the pandemic we are living in right now.

The companies that transform will see fewer incoming tickets, faster resolution times, improved service delivery, and reduced friction between teams.

Using the netops understanding, techniques, and network automation tools identified in this book:

One company reduced P1/P2 incidents by an average of 34% each month.

Another reduced their network audit time from 3 months to 3 weeks.

And yet another reduced their escalation rate by 22%, freeing up their senior network Engineers.

I’ve worked on some pretty unique projects with some even more incredible people, who were all excellent teachers in their own right. This book aims to pass on the lessons I’ve learned from them and personal experience in a simple way to remember and provide quick returns.

Below is a brief list of some of the projects I’ve worked on in my networking career. When you contemplate the scale of the team of people it took to make these things happen, remember that is the team I was privileged to learn from, and in many cases, we learned through collaboration.

Creating the first National Internet Service Provider in Canada (iSTAR Internet)

Conducting the first trans-Atlantic 10GE testing with CERN and Carleton University

Architected a 35-building Research and Education campus network upgrade, including its network operations center from the ground up.

Deploying and supporting the largest IPTV network in the USA (2016-2017)

Creating a CCIE-level vendor/technology certification program, including all training materials, student guides, labs, and certification exams (written and practical)

Creating a Network Automation product that addresses the many needs of network operators.

In 2020, I saw that many companies were still struggling with Network Automation. They had tools, but they were not able to extract the full value.

This book will provide you with a deep understanding of NetOps and guide you with a methodology to transform your network operations into an efficient machine, resilient to change and increasing scale.

Let’s begin, shall we?

PART I

Goals Of A Netops Organization

V

irtually any discussion surrounding NetOps will have one of 2 goals in mind.

Increase Network Availability: Network availability is from the user’s perspective and defines how available