When it comes to managing your network operations, things are often fine—until they’re not. Network failures and service interruptions are inevitable at some point, which is when many businesses realize the importance of having a reliable Network Operations Center (NOC) partner. However, relying on NOC support isn’t just about reacting to crises; it’s about building a proactive, sustainable strategy for your network’s long-term success.
Selecting the right NOC partner can be a daunting task, especially when you’re under pressure. If you wait until an issue arises, you might find yourself scrambling to plan without fully understanding the bigger picture of your network’s needs. In this blog, we’ll explore the key factors to consider when choosing a NOC and engineering services partner—ensuring you have the right support to monitor, maintain, and grow your network with confidence, before and after problems arise. Here are important criteria to consider.
24x7x365 Monitoring and Support
Look for a partner who staffs with scalable shifts that are always available. Ideally, they have multiple people working multiple shifts. Some organizations will skirt this staffing model by using on-call staff. Another key consideration when considering outsourced NOC support is whether those resources are US based or international. Many organizations will leverage a “follow the sun” or use partial or complete overseas support staffing models.
NOC Expertise
Competency is more than technical expertise on the various required platforms, but also operational expertise and maturity.
- How well has a potential partner adopted an operational model like ITIL for performing NOC services?
- Do they have services defined in clear, concise terms so you understand what services you are receiving?
- How do they respond to learning new technologies?
New Technology Flexibility
When considering technical expertise, what is a potential partner’s ability to learn and adapt not only to the technologies you have now but to the technologies you may deploy in the future?
In the fast-moving world of IT there are new technologies, vendors, and products all the time in the market. Will your NOC vendor be able to grow and mature with you? Ask them to describe their OEM relationships and demonstrate how their staff are trained and developed over time.
Technology and AIOps
Does the potential NOC partner have the tools and expertise to manage and grow those with your service over time? Do they have AIOps deployed and matured? Can they provide trend analysis and insights into your network performance over time?
How do they measure and hold up service levels?
Ultimately, you have a NOC to respond when things break. How accurately and quickly can they diagnose and start the resolution process? Are they tracking the total time to repair? How about providing performance metrics on your third parties such as dark fiber providers, fiber splice teams, and your OEMs? Look to report on and demonstrate that your MTBR is as low as possible.
Flexible pricing models
Get charged for the services you leverage in a scalable way that allows you to be able to understand what you are being billed for. That may be a per device, incident, or staffing model.
Reputation and References
Here at Kore-Tek, our NOC services leverage a mature platform and services that have been delivering NOC as part of our offerings since we began.
Communication and Reporting
Do they have mechanisms for you to interact with and that escalate when necessary? Will the prospective partner provide a dedicated, named resource to ensure you’re taken care of (engineering and customer care)? Demand personalized services and accountability from your partner. And ask them to provide access to metrics and run books.
Depth of Bench for engineering services
Do they have staff to augment your team when you may need remote engineering or front-line maintenance services? Armed with the know-how of your network, NOC providers who also offer skilled engineering services hit the ground running and seamlessly integrate with your network, your team, and your processes. While you may not consider these affiliated services at the outset, it’s the perfect time to plan. Discovering your team or processes have gaps leaves your network and its users in a lurch. In those situations, you won’t have the time to research and evaluate quality and economical solutions.
Let’s put it all together with a real-world scenario.
Here’s the situation. Several alarms have been received by the NOC and an Incident has been created indicating a fiber disturbance. While the NOC responds to the Incident by shutting off lasers and rerouting traffic (as needed) to restore service, the underlying issue is revealed. A fiber cable has been cut. NOC contacts the field team where a tech is dispatched to splice the fiber. Fiber is restored and the Incident is closed.
However, the splice adds 2dB of loss to the system – which impacts the service level. A problem ticket is generated to address this issue. Ultimately, engineering teams work to resolve the physical plant condition, working in planned maintenance windows and coordinating with field teams to address the 2dB loss.
With an outsourced NOC provider, this all happens with minimal input from your engineering teams. Coupled with effective automatic failover strategies, AIOps, and other automations the underlying infrastructure can not only be managed by an outsourced partner, but also with 99.995% or greater uptime. That uptime ultimately means the business is able to continue operations.
Your network, your approach
In conclusion, selecting the right NOC and engineering services partner is a crucial decision that goes beyond simply responding to emergencies—it’s about ensuring long-term, sustainable network performance. By considering factors like 24/7 support, NOC expertise, flexibility with new technologies, AI capabilities, and service level metrics, you can set your business up for success. Don’t overlook the importance of clear communication, flexible pricing models, and a proven reputation. The right partner will not only respond to issues promptly but will also work alongside you to continuously optimize and grow your network. With the right NOC provider, you can gain peace of mind knowing that your network is in capable hands, prepared for both the expected and the unexpected. Take the time to evaluate your options now, before you’re in a crisis, and build a partnership that will help your network thrive.
Looking for more information on NOC services? Read on.
- What to think about ahead of your NOC RFP
- Network Operations Center (NOC) managed services overview
- Challenges of Leveraging AI for Monitoring and Managing Optical Networks
Key NOC and Engineering Terms Defined
- AIOps: Leveraging AI and machine learning to automate and enhance IT decision making and operations.
- Incident: An ITIL term for a break-fix issue.
- Problem: Underlying cause of the incident. If a problem is fixed, services are restored but the root cause may still be present.
- Root cause: Underlying cause of the problem and is part of Problem Management in many NOC agreements.
- Change Management or Managed Change: The responsibility to manage and add circuits, as necessary after the initiation of a NOC agreement. It may also include daily provisioning of the network (such as moving capacity based on time of day or events). Or, it may refer to ensuring firmware patches and software upgrades are completed.