A Network Mapping Software – perhaps my University project this year. Inputs most welcome.
I believe CIOs haven’t yet heard of a – good – software that, without spending half-a-day setting it up, maps one’s physical network graphically. For a system administration purpose, getting to know easily a MAC address, an IP address, the nature of the contactee (server, client, router, etc.) and to which physical area of the network (e.g. router n° 2, port n° 47 when it comes to the campus room from which I’m writing this very post) she/he is linked can only prove to be helpful.
In many small and medium businesses, the CFO also deals with Information Systems. Therefore, the network mapping software will have to avoid geeky jargon and by-far-too-technical features.
Furthermore, I’m extremely interested in software engineering project management, networks and security in general, and I truly don’t see any serious player on this market, unless companies want to spend zillions on information systems urbanization consultants.
I’m thinking of making this simple thought become a reality by making it a University project. One of my classmates, Pierre Pattard, seems ready to jump in the network mapping software bandwagon. Pierre’s really an expert in networks and security, and has a good software development background. We might get one or two more people on board before making a final go-or-not-go decision. We should first fine tune our goal and the raison d’être of such a network mapping software.
On this matter, your opinion is most welcome. Thank you in advance for your help.
Addendum 22nd September: we were joined by another excellent IT specialist, Jean-Sébastien Hächler. I guess the team’s set up, unless we find one last good profile. I’ll keep you posted.
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we have something like this sweeping our network on a weekly/monthly basis. Can’t remember the software’s name, but it was by a Finnish company.
Network mapping goes to Infrastructure/Security side, which in smaller organization’s might still be CIO’s turf, but probably is delegated to head of security/infra in larger ones.
There are some serious competition, because I’ve read about systems that not only discover the physical devices, but all the services and try to check if they are vulnerable to any known attacks etc. Sorry, I’m really bad with names, so that’s all I remember =)
In my own search for network mapping software, I’ve run into the problem where the “good” discovery/mapping software is bundled in a larger offering (NetViz, etc.) that I don’t need.
Hey Emit,
Thanks for your comment. I’d be interested in discussing the network mapping software thing a little further. Could you elaborate on your software, its architecture, and functional scope?
Many thanks.
[...] I had mentioned in a prior post (click on link for description) that my field project during my Master in Information Technology here at Ecole Centrale Paris could be a network physical mapping software. Well, this is now confirmed. [...]