
The value of Network Configuration Management software may not be immediately apparent, and some might wonder what it even really is and does! In short, as the name very much implies, it’s for the configuration of a network – obviously this doesn’t seem terribly useful on a small scale (although, to be honest, it still can be!) but as you reach moderate and large-sized networks the immense power of Network Configuration Management, or NCM, really comes into play! Being able to take a swift glance and assess the status of a wide range of devices – servers, VMs, and running services for example – is extremely useful.
You can easily assess and make broad sweeping changes to an entire network structure from a single management console, and rest assured that it will do its best to make sure that all configurations are appropriate and non-conflicting.

Almost anything a NCM does can be done by hand, but it requires manually accessing and logging into device after device, changing settings one by one, over and over. Repetition breeds chance after chance for mistakes, and if anything needs to be changed halfway through you have to start over! NCM software lets you make changes with ease and, what’s more, you can even set permission levels to be sure that other admins can’t mistakenly change too much, while still allowing them to request changes that need to be made pending approval.
Device configurations can be easily backed up and restored, standard practices for your network can be assigned, and many software options also provide automation of repetitious maintenance tasks to further ease the work load.. not to mention user tracking, change histories, and more. There’s a great deal of power when a NCM is applied well, even to smaller networks, and below are some of the excellent choices when it comes to this type of software!