Network Asset Inventory is a detailed record of all network devices, equipment and resources in an organization.

What is Network Asset Inventory?

Network asset inventory is a systematic and updated record of all network devices, equipment, software and resources that belong to an organization.

Components

Hardware

  • Routers: Routers
  • Switches: Switches
  • Firewalls: Firewalls
  • Access Points: Access points

Software

  • Operating Systems: Operating systems
  • Network Software: Network software
  • Security Software: Security software
  • Management Tools: Management tools

Services

  • Network Services: Network services
  • Security Services: Security services
  • Monitoring Services: Monitoring services
  • Backup Services: Backup services

Inventory Information

Identification

  • Asset ID: Asset ID
  • Name: Name
  • Type: Type
  • Category: Category

Location

  • Physical Location: Physical location
  • Logical Location: Logical location
  • Network Segment: Network segment
  • Data Center: Data center

Configuration

  • IP Address: IP address
  • MAC Address: MAC address
  • Firmware Version: Firmware version
  • Configuration: Configuration

Status

  • Status: Status
  • Health: Health
  • Performance: Performance
  • Availability: Availability

Tools

Automation

  • Network Discovery: Network discovery
  • Asset Scanning: Asset scanning
  • Configuration Management: Configuration management
  • Change Detection: Change detection

Management

  • Asset Management Systems: Asset management systems
  • CMDB: Configuration Management Database
  • ITSM: IT Service Management
  • Network Management: Network management

Monitoring

  • Network Monitoring: Network monitoring
  • Performance Monitoring: Performance monitoring
  • Security Monitoring: Security monitoring
  • Availability Monitoring: Availability monitoring

Inventory Process

Phase 1: Discovery

  • Network Scanning: Network scanning
  • Asset Discovery: Asset discovery
  • Manual Entry: Manual entry
  • Import from Systems: Import from systems

Phase 2: Documentation

  • Asset Registration: Asset registration
  • Configuration Documentation: Configuration documentation
  • Relationship Mapping: Relationship mapping
  • Dependency Analysis: Dependency analysis

Phase 3: Maintenance

  • Regular Updates: Regular updates
  • Change Tracking: Change tracking
  • Performance Monitoring: Performance monitoring
  • Lifecycle Management: Lifecycle management

Use Cases

Resource Management

  • Resource Planning: Resource planning
  • Capacity Planning: Capacity planning
  • Asset Optimization: Asset optimization
  • Cost Management: Cost management

Security

  • Security Assessment: Security assessment
  • Vulnerability Management: Vulnerability management
  • Compliance: Compliance
  • Risk Management: Risk management

Operations

  • Network Management: Network management
  • Troubleshooting: Troubleshooting
  • Maintenance: Maintenance
  • Upgrades: Upgrades

Best Practices

Documentation

  • Comprehensive Coverage: Comprehensive coverage
  • Regular Updates: Regular updates
  • Accurate Information: Accurate information
  • Version Control: Version control

Automation

  • Automated Discovery: Automated discovery
  • Change Detection: Change detection
  • Performance Monitoring: Performance monitoring
  • Alert Management: Alert management

Security

  • Access Control: Access control
  • Data Protection: Data protection
  • Audit Trails: Audit trails
  • Compliance: Compliance

Metrics

Inventory

  • Asset Count: Asset count
  • Asset Types: Asset types
  • Asset Status: Asset status
  • Asset Health: Asset health

Performance

  • Availability: Availability
  • Performance: Performance
  • Utilization: Utilization
  • Efficiency: Efficiency

Costs

  • Asset Value: Asset value
  • Maintenance Costs: Maintenance costs
  • Upgrade Costs: Upgrade costs
  • Total Cost of Ownership: Total cost of ownership

References