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I Am InNetwork Diagram Integration And Standardization For Both Internal And Client Facing Situations
Can you think of anything more effective than standardizing the way you create diagrams both internally and for clients? I see MSP organizations consistently reinvent the wheel when it comes to both internal network diagrams as well as client diagrams.
This can be quite a labor-intensive task however it saves so much time once in place. Our recommendation is to discuss this with the client and aim to invoice them for the work carried out.
In fact, it is a good practice to bill your clients for any documentation tasks that relate directly to them as I discuss in more detail here.
After all, it directly benefits their organization. It is a good idea for all work carried out for a client to have a component of labor attached for creating an appropriate level of documentation if the change or service deems it ideal.
If you have hundreds of clients then it makes sense to come up with a strategy that injects consistency into the diagram creation process.
Below are a range of 100% human created articles for your viewing pleasure.This has several benefits, first you get reimbursed for documentation work that directly benefits them which is always a good thing.
Secondly, if a client has paid for say 2 hours of documentation that is accounted for in a service ticket then your staff have no reason not to spend that allocated time creating the required documentation.
It is a mistake to expect staff to do documentation in-between jobs or in their own time as it will not get done or if it does, it will be a poor standard. By charging the client, staff are now obligated to provide a professional standard the client is happy to pay for.
The type of network diagrams that we specialize in are quite narrow in that they are designed as quick reference for your support desk technicians or internal techs at your clients. ISP information, switch IP addresses or Firewall Virtual IP addresses as an example, common items that a tech often needs that will give them the best chance of pinpointing common issues.
This solution is not designed for highly complex Level 3 switching information with in depth information that is rarely used. We make the diagrams as simple as we can get away with while maintaining a high level of usefulness.
A diagram standardization project is not suitable for everyone. The aim is to make network diagram creation as scalable as possible for your support desk staff so that even junior members can follow the systems we put in place so that if it is followed, the same outcome is achieved regardless.
Modifications to suit your preference can be included however for it to work, that modification needs to be applied universally for all future diagrams created within your organization.
We integrate the completed diagrams into both MYGlue and ITGlue using LucidChart so a LucidChart license for your own staff would be required once the signoff is complete.
This is a start to finish system we have developed over 10 years and we have focused on getting good at one application that we feel has the most features for MSPs without being overly complex.
We have a library of high definition images and a set way of putting a network diagram together. The standardization and rigid framework is where the value is with this type of strategy and we understand that it is not for everyone.
If you want to stop having to retrain staff on how to create a network diagram everytime a new person starts and are continually frustrated by a lack of consistency across diagrams then sometimes forgoing the high level of customization and freedom can be the appropriate decision to make.
In a perfect world, you could get all of your clients onboard with this initiative however if you go in with a plan to slowly chip away at getting your clients to move across to a diagram standard with which you provide then ultimately it allows you to offer a better level of service for them.
The alternative is to attempt to fit in with a different standard for each different client and that option is never good for an MSPs profit margin.
We always start with a diagram review audit ideally with your own internal network diagrams.
Once we have reviewed the structure and current style of your network diagrams, we set a meeting to report our findings and recommendations. This comes in the form of both a written report and going through step by step with our findings and recommendations.
It is at this point we discuss any required modifications to the diagram creation strategy.
We then create your network diagrams in the new agreed to standard using LucidChart. There is normally a range of different network diagrams. On average it may be 8 to 12 network diagrams that we will apply the new strategy to.
Part of this task is sitting down and reviewing the images you want used for the diagrams you will create. The idea is to ensure the images retain the same look and feel across all clients.
So if you decide to use photorealistic images for all network devices for one client, the expectation would be that you would create all future network diagrams for clients in the same way each time.
This helps clients, keeps the costs to a minimum & increases the trust your help desk staff have in the diagrams if they have to use them for fault finding purposes.
This flows through to tickets getting completed faster & staff on the support desk under less pressure.
After agreement on the primary hardware items to be used, we then create a repository of High definition images that when coupled with the custom instruction guide, make the outcome of any diagram consistent and expected.
As an example using Meraki switches. We would include a Meraki image package which allows for a fast creation of realistic HD images in any stack configuration you may need.
The outcome is achieved using a combination of a single body while mixing the correct type of Meraki face plates. It saves someone spending hours looking for a stack configuration identical to the one you need or having a different aspect on every diagram created.
Once the initial diagrams are completed, we embed them into the appropriate clients' flexible asset. This gives your support staff easy access to key information regardless of location.
Once relevant network diagrams have been completed and instruction guides are in place we will undertake training for your staff so that they are able to become self-sufficient in creating network diagrams that are consistent across all of your clients.
By standardizing this part of your MSP it means that your staff will have more trust in your documentation, solve service tickets faster and you will be able to onboard new clients faster and appear more professional than your competition.
Lets face it, it has to be better than having labor intensive, inefficient network diagram creation where they are squirreled away in random locations that nobody can ever remember when needed and each diagram looking radically different from one to the next.
Below are a range of 100% human created articles for your viewing pleasure.Our team specializes in strategies for IT help desk providers and we assist in improving profit margins through standardization and consistent record keeping strategies, so you can be confident that our content is tailored to your needs.
Please feel free to explore our other articles and click on any that interest you. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how we can help you with your documentation needs, please click the "Get In Touch" button to the left and we will be happy to assist you. Thank you for choosing us as your trusted source for technology documentation.
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