The Importance Of Network Documentation

By Ashley Ogilvie, IT Glue

You can’t effectively manage your clients’ IT infrastructure if you don’t have access to up-to-date information on it. Yet, many MSPs are falling into this trap; attempting to manage their clients’ networks with outdated or incomplete documentation, which is riddled with blind spots and prone to inaccuracies.

So why is network documentation such a crucial part of your job? Because when you have access to accurate and complete information surrounding your clients’ network, you’re able to provide better security, increase your transparency, and improve your overall productivity.

Know what you don’t know

When your network documentation is incomplete or is littered with stale data, you often run into two problems. For one, you waste time because inevitably you’ll have to find out what that unknown information is as soon as your clients encounter a problem. And two, you’ll leave your clients open to security risks that may or may not lead to actual security implications.

Rather than leaving your clients’ network unknown, or even partially unknown, good documentation shatters the mystery and enables you to be proactive, rather than reactive. Ultimately, you’re not just boosting your productivity, but your reputation as well.