Over the past year, we’ve been bombarded with requests about DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM). If you’re in the market for such a solution, let me give you a rundown of some important points to consider.
1. Enterprise vs. provider solution
When looking for a DDI solution it's important to know for whom the solution was originally developed. Many DDI vendors are enterprise application developers who do not understand the unique requirements of a service provider. Their solutions might work for a large enterprise with 50,000 IP addresses, but that’s not going to cut it for operators. Service providers are like enterprise networks on steroids, with upwards of a million addresses, and many solutions simply can’t meet provider demands.
2. Resiliency and redundancy
In an enterprise, if DDI fails, while embarrassing, it's contained within the organization. If DDI fails for a service provider, however, it'll be front-page news. Subscribers will voice their dissatisfaction, and some may even defect to the competition. IP resource management functionality, especially DNS and DHCP, is crucial to delivering services to subscribers. Any failure has repercussions on future earnings and will possibly be a career-changing moment for the person who chose the unreliable solution. So when choosing a solution, look for a vendor who has the expertise and experience in managing millions of devices; it will help ensure your services remain highly available and reliable.
3. Standalone vs. integrated
Enterprises usually deploy DDI with a single application layer because there is little or no need for integration or interoperability. When an enterprise needs to deploy another division, it will simply extend the existing IPAM system. Service providers, on the other hand, often integrate a number of business and operations support systems (B/OSS) applications. The advantage of using a solution specifically built for service providers is that it has a strong API for easy integration with other systems.
If you still need convincing that a service provider DDI solution is better than the enterprise alternatives, contact the Incognito team. I’m sure we’ll make you a believer.
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