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10 bad habits network administrators should avoid at all costs

8. Allowing ports and protocols outbound to the internet

Allowing access to any port and protocol out on the internet is a bad idea, according to IT consultant Ben Piper. "Allow only the standard tcp/80 for http, tcp/443 for https, and whatever else you know your organization requires. Block all else," he advised. Also, because some malware uses SSH (tcp/22), network admins should only allow it per-destination IP address, Piper said.

9. Using scripting to hack at automating networking

"Especially as IT continues to modernize at a rapid pace, one bad habit that network administrators need to break is incorrectly using scripting to hack at automating networking," said Cortney Thompson, CIO of Green House Data. "While scripting can significantly ease the burden of network administration, it must be done within a framework, as opposed to applying a hodgepodge, or trying constantly bridge legacy code gaps."

A DevOps model can offer a more efficient and scaleable direction for network automation, Thompson said. "This allows considerations for aspects of tooling, code pipeline, immutable infrastructure, upgrades, and resilience," she added." Applying a DevOps model to networking helps realize the DevNetOps benefits which support continuous integration and continuous deployment."

10 bad habits network administrators should avoid at all costs

2. Doing everything manually

When you automate processes, you get rid of a dull routine, improve efficiency, and have more control over the entire IT infrastructure.

3. Making changes without logging them in change control
It can be easy to say "I'll just make this one little config change," said Jim Frey, vice president of strategic alliances at Kentik and former network industry analyst. "But when someone else is trying to figure out why something is broken a few days or weeks later, it's essential to understand what changed versus the expected baseline. That's why having a change control process is critical."

to be continued....