A Day in the Life of a Network Analyst
The sun had risen hours before the network analyst entered the office at 9:00 AM. People wondered how he got away with the late starts to his workday, yet he simply ambled over to the coffee pot, filled his cup, than sauntered to the boss' office.
"The link to Hong Kong went down again about 4:00 this morning. It's the third time in the last two weeks."
The boss looks at him and wonders aloud, "Any clues as to what is going on?"
He replies, "I logged in from home, checked all the routers, and after I reset the link, it came back up."
He then jumped into a long technical explanation of the problem, throwing in phrases like "high packet loss rates", "corrupt headers", "routing tables", and "malformed TPC/IP packets", and watched as the boss' eyes slowly started glazing over.
When the analyst finished, the boss simply looked at him, and asked for a recommendation. Upon receiving the suggestion, the boss simply nodded his head in quiet acquiescence and said, "Get it done."
The life of the network analyst seems to be a life of ease and luxury. However, much of a network analyst's work goes on behind the scenes and long after everyone else has gone home. Have you ever heard of the now common phrase "24X7"? A network technician was probably the person who coined it.
Though problems as described above do happen (too frequently it sometimes seems), on a well-run and well-planned network, down time is rare and very short-lived. Why? Because of the network analyst.
Every system that a company uses is dependent upon the network analyst. Whether the analyst is a specialist in telecommunications or in Local Area Networks (LAN), no company, big or small, could exist in our modern society without somebody filling the role of network analyst.
However, what does a network analyst do? What is their role in the 24X7 operations of a major company? Why are they so important to keeping the systems running?
Some of the most critical roles of a network analyst are:1. Ensuring dependable telephone service throughout a company. This covers a range of responsibilities from ensuring a sufficient number of external phone lines are available, acquiring new lines as required, voice mail systems are functioning, telephone switchboards are working as desired, and the infamous automated answering systems are directing people to the right area in an efficient manner.2. Planning and managing external network data links. This responsibility covers WAN links that may include a variety of technologies from fiber optic broadband links, copper-based DSL, satellite, or even wireless radio.3. Monitoring and managing the LAN. This covers every telephone and network connection inside of a company. Every computer, fax machine, printer, telephone, and modem that is inside of a company is probably connected to the LAN in one manner or another.4. Planning for expected growth in network traffic. This responsibility covers new applications in development, changes in protocols, the addition of servers, or simply the reallocation of network resources due to personnel being relocated throughout a building.5. Network Security. This is a very broad topic covering every aspect of the security of Information System (IS) assets in a company. This may include firewalls and DMZ for the company internet web site/email, or account/password control for remote users.6. Connectivity trouble-shooting. The network analyst must ensure that all problems and issues are resolved promptly and with a minimum of end-user down time.
To accomplish these tasks, meetings occupy a significant portion of an analyst's day. These meetings may cover a proposed new network based application for the accounting department, additional phone jack requirements for the publicity department, or a new link to bring a new branch office on line.
In almost every aspect of a companies plans, a network analyst must be involved to ensure the availability of sufficient network bandwidth to meet any potential increases in network traffic.
A network analyst works long hours, both from home and the office, and receives little recognition or reward for a job well done. The only real reward a network analyst will ever receive is the silence of a phone NOT ringing after a long night performing upgrades or resolving a problem half a continent away.
