Abstract: NOC Theory and Practice

Timothy Brown
Matthew F. Ringel, Akamai

Network operations centers are not equal - some do it better than others, some do it far better than others, and some just do it. What are the elements that go into an effective, productive, and well-oiled NOC? In addition, what are the essential components a NOC, regardless of scale? What are the concerns on your mind when managing or building your NOC? Are your people happy, is your security good, are your procedures solid? Is there a good framework for evaluating NOC performance?

This talk will cover the following topics:

I. NOC Theory (Matt Ringel)

  • Introduction: definition of NOC as it applies to this presentation
  • Theory
    • Overview - what a NOC should do, as related to organizational needs
    • Methodology for dividing operations
    • Inputs and outputs of a NOC: what a NOC "receives" (events, calls, maintenance requests, etc)
    • What a NOC "provides" (status updates, resolutions, status information)
  • Scaling and Portability
    • Bare-bones NOC vs. NORAD-style NOC: compare and contrast
    • Modularity and the concept of a "portable NOC"
    • Disaster recovery and the portable NOC
    • "Carving out" a portable NOC
    •  II. NOC Practice (Timothy Brown)

  • Introduction: what is in a good NOC?
  • Physical concerns - security, location, ergonomics
  • What to do if you are rebuilding (or building) your NOC
  • People concerns - retention, care and feeding/happiness, productivity
  • Policies and procedures: how work should be streamlined within your NOC (focus on backbone NOCs)
    • III. Joint presentation - Evaluating your NOC (Tim and Matt)

  • Criteria for evaluation - what matters
  • The customer's perspective
  • What you should never say to a customer
  • What you should promise to a customer - ETR
  • Example evaluation

    • About the Presenters
    Timothy Brown has served as a founder and Director of the Internet Service Providers' Consortium. He has been responsible for building NOCs for enterprise, service provider, and content networking companies in the US.

    Ringel PowerPoint presentation
    Ringel HTML presentation
    Brown PowerPoint presentation
    Brown HTML presentation
    RealVideo stream