Network Documentation - the How to Made Simple Cover Art

The practical, easy way to document your network. This guide delivers an easy, professional way to document your computer network. Within this book you will learn how to quickly and effectively document the critical parts of your Computer network. You will get fast, accurate information about your network that is critical to solving problems. Information that can help you manage your network better whether proactively before you have issues or when you need it the most… at 2am when a server has crashed or you have lost internet connectivity. Building your network documentation has never been easier with this proven process contained within these pages. You’ll build you network documentation like a pro.

Dallas, Texas – 4/4/12 – Kurtis Kent, CEO of ManageWatch, has released a new book, allowing those who read it a much better understanding of their own computer network. The book captures critical information about documenting your network, and puts it all together in an easy to read and understand way.

Author Interview

Network Documentation – the How to Made Simple FAQ

Q: Why did you write the book?

A: Great question I think, during the 1990s I managed service teams and trained technical staff across the country. As a seasoned Network engineer, business owner, and consultant I understand the importance of good network documentation and have often found that most companies don’t have it, and quite a few engineers are not sure where to start to build it. Although everybody loves to use it <network documentation> when there are issues.  I frequently get asked about how to go about documenting a network and after having seen many examples and books on how to do documentation that were not that detailed and thorough or swung the other way to where you had to have a masters degree to read it. I set out to write a book that was easy to understand for both the small business owner as well as the seasoned network engineer.

I really believe that my background is fundamental to the success of this book and my other books. I worked in the field as a network engineer and consultant and later managed engineers. So I have been exposed to good documentation as well as not so good documentation. I have spent years developing the process on how to develop quality documentation simply with little fuss that collects the fundamental information about a network.

Q: What is the main message to your book?

A: that Great documentation is not that hard to develop, if you understand what you really need. It is easy to create thousands of pages of documentation on a really small network, but the information that is really needed and used on a daily basis to describe the operations of your network that can be handed to another technical professional is critical to supporting the network and not as hard as I hear it made out to be.  With the techniques and process that I teach in this book, the typical SMB owner that has a network and supports it with very little skilled expertise in house can create the necessary documentation of his<her> network. Often I hear that a business owner is being held hostage by their IT staff or consultant. Can you imagine what would happen if the IT consultant/engineer won the lottery and took off to parts unknown?  And all of your IT support knowledge of your environment with them!

Wow….. Just thinking of that sets me on edge. So the main message I guess is to stress the importance of documenting the network and to take the mystery out of how to do it.  It’s a process that I’ve refined down to make it simple and easy to create that oh so necessary documentation that many people are afraid to start because they do not know how to determine where to start, or what data is important or not important. I’ve made it easy to understand for the novice technical savvy person as well as useful for a seasoned senior engineer. For those small to medium business owners that are being held hostage out there, use this book as leverage to end the tyranny of that IT consultant.

Q: Did you learn anything from writing your book?  What was it?

A: Did I learn anything from writing this book…. Now that’s a deep question. This was more or less a refinement of the process and templates rather than a totally new endeavor. That is, I did not do a “brain dump” and package it. There was quite a bit of analysis on what data to collect, what data is really no longer needed as well as updating how to collect it <the data about the network>. My process on how to document a network is always in a state of constant development.

I did spend quite a bit of time editing and updating my automation tools that I developed for network documentation.  I have written numerous scripts and applications that assist me in various capacities. So learning is something that is constantly going on. If I am not learning something new daily, then I hope my funeral was a big success.

Q: What book(s) / author(s) have influenced your life and writing?

A:That is windy road so to speak…..I would have to say that there are many that have been influential towards different aspects of my life at various times. When I was younger, I got started in technology and computers from reading sci-fi, authors like Piers Anthony, <Robert A.> Heinlen, Asimov, Brian Daley, were authors that could take a complex idea or vision, and create a vivid picture that would enmesh you within their vision. These are authors that I could re-read their books numerous times (and have). Their style made it seem so simple and easy, and whether young or old, it resonated with many age groups. My children read some of the same books that I read at their age by these authors, and we both get the same vision, or sense, of what the author is conveying. That ability to break it down to where a fourth grader can understand it is what I have strived for in all of my writings. I would say that there are very few items that were not written with this general principal in mind.

Another very influential author is Dale Carnegie. His book How to win Friends and influence people has been very instrumental to me.  It is a book I try to read at least once a year. My father gave me my first copy when I was around 10 or 11 years old, and it just stuck with me I guess.  One of the biggest lessons learned is how to listen and understand people. So when I communicate or write, I am always looking for that feedback to make my communication better and that much more in tune to what is expected or needed at the time.  I think that is one of the reasons that people seem to rave about my works…. Whether they are a technical person or not, everybody seems to “get” the correct gist of what I am writing in a way that makes sense to them.

Q: Where can the book be purchased?

A: The book may be purchased through the publishing web site as well as online via Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983277508

About the Author

Kurtis G. Kent is a seasoned Technology leader and business Consultant. He holds many certifications and is the “Go-To” guy when his clients and engineers are looking to solve a problem. He is currently the CEO of ManageWatch where his innovative process and procedures drives the success of its managed Services delivery by providing real metrisc that are managed daily.