IP Address Management System

 

 

What is the IP address management system (IPAM)? 

One of the most important and secured systems, IP Address Management or IPAM, is the administration that designs, tracks, and manages Internet Protocol Address (IP Address) in a network. 

 

Since working with IP addresses has really become important for today’s world, maintenance of such IP Addresses is equally important, but why exactly IP Addresses is important? Or more precisely: 

What is an IP Address? 

IP Addresses are some unique codes that help different computers to connect over the Internet.  

 

There are four types of IP address:  

 

1. Public: These are used outside of a network, basically a particular address that is connected to the whole network. 
2. Private: These are used inside of the network, basically an address that is connected to a home internet network. 
3. Static: When the computer assigns a single address permanently, it is a Static IP Address. 
4. Dynamic: When the computer changes the address each time it connects to the network, it is a Dynamic IP Address. 

 

As we now basically know about IP addresses, it can be clearly seen that IP addresses are really important because it helps us in sending and receiving information to the correct parties without any confusion as it is unique for every computer and it if we want to access our information in a private network. It is essential to access the IP panel with routerlogin.one to make sure you know your router inside out. Also, dynamic IP addresses make sure to lower security risks as they keep on changing. Along with a lot of other benefits, one of the biggest advantages is it (Static IP address) helps in tracing any user’s location from anywhere in the world. 

 

And due to all its advantages, it is very important to manage it. Here comes the role of the ‘IP Address Management System’ that manages these IP addresses and plans and tracks the importance associated with these addresses. 

 

What is the major content of IPAM?

Three major components of IPAM are: 

• IP Address Inventory Management 

 

It includes planning, allocating, and managing a company’s or organization’s IP Addresses. IT also provides real-time updates of usage of the network. 

• Domain Name Service Management (DNS) 

 

DNS is important for ensuring the quick and efficient availability of internet content for users. 

• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) 

 

DHCP is a network management protocol used to assign static and dynamic IP addresses to authorized IoT devices. 

 

Some of the important things we should know about IP Management System are as follows: 

 

1. IPAM system is the best way of removing network burden from your IT staff because handling your IP addresses or updating network issues manually can be a lot more chaotic. Using IPAM in your companies can increase productivity and reduce network problems. 

There are many good software and IPAM tools which can be used. Some of these are Infoblox IPAM, BlueCat IPAM, LightMesh IPAM, PHPIPAM, etc. 

 

2. As we know, sometimes IP address information is important for regulatory or legal compliance. Still, if there is some kind of information issue due to the network, it becomes important to determine the exact location where the problem has arisen. Doing it, IPAM would exactly take us to the location of the problem, which makes it easy for us to work in solving the problem rather than finding it.  

 

3. Without IPAM, there would be a lot of IP Address conflicts because then there are possibilities of having the same IP addresses due to which no device would be able to connect. Some of the companies which use spreadsheets for IP Management can face a lot of issues in handling a lot of data, and mainly this issue arises when the network gets bigger because it can lead to a possibility of duplication of IP addresses, which further can create an IP conflict. 

 

4. IPAM maintains easier administration because it keeps every single record of different IP Assignments such as when a host connected/disconnected the network, status of each IP Address, hostnames, and hardware associated with each IP Address and more similar information like this. 

 

5. Emerging technologies such as Cloud Computing and IoT have exponentially increased demand for IP addressing space, regardless of migrating IPv4 to IPv6 addressing plan. Managing hundreds, perhaps thousands of IP-connected devices has become a major headache, made even more difficult by DHCP leasing, adding the necessity to constantly keep track of which IP address is assigned to which device. 

 

6. When it comes to network security, accessing IPAM data makes it a lot easier to detect the issue. 

 

7. IP address management solution has the ability to collect data associated with devices, networks, services and then convert them into a clear picture. IPAM allows users to associate information for all objects in a database so administrators can search, sort, and export based on any data. 

Disadvantages of using an IPAM server

1. Lack of Real-Time Data Availability 
2. Human Error 
3. Management of Multiple DHCP/DNS Services 
4. Multiple Admins for IP Management 
5. Vendor-Related Shortfalls 
6. Limited/Exhausted Budget 

 

How does a particular company choose the best IPAM? 

A company or an organization chooses an IPAM on the basis of its requirements, such as the size of the organization and network, the number of devices within a network (including remote devices), and more. It would be best if you chose an IPAM solution capable of providing detailed information on the organization’s network health, meeting compliance needs, and securing the network from unusual network patterns or a network breach.