If you’re running a computer network for your business entity, you should understand what DDI is and why you need it. DDI is a reference term. It contains three elements: DNS, DHCP, and IPAM.
If this is a bit confusing to you so far, keep reading. In this article, we’ll break down the three elements that collectively makeup DDI. When we finish, you’ll understand why you should invest in it for your business to keep your computer network running smoothly.
DNS
As you start to learn about DDI in networking, it helps to comprehend each of the individual elements that go into it. The first one is DNS or domain name system. This is:
- The “internet’s phonebook”
- A way to translate domain names to IP addresses
Think of it this way. Humans find websites according to the domain names that a webmaster chose for each one. However, a web browser must find them through an IP address.
Your domain name system is what translates a domain name to an IP address. Once it does this, a web browser can load the internet resources you are trying to access.
Once you comprehend this, you’ll see why you need DNS functionality on your computer network. Without it, you can’t get to the content you need online throughout your workday.
DHCP
Next up as part of DDI is the second letter, which stands for dynamic host configuration protocol. It is:
- A network management protocol
- A way to assign devices network configuration parameters and IP addresses
In other words, this is a method through which you can keep all of your network devices running smoothly. By using the DHCP protocol, you ensure that your network devices can communicate with other IP networks without any issues.
IPAM
IPAM is the third DDI element. It stands for IP address management. It is another methodology or set of best network practices.
You implement it in your computer software. It is for IP address assignment management and planning. You can also use it for closely-related computer network resources.
You administer IPAM through software. Once you have it in place on your network, you can manage, track, and plan how information moves there.
As an admin, this is something that you want. With it, you can ensure the assignable IP address repository stays up to date. If you don’t do that, then it’s much easier for your network to crash and for hackers to take advantage of it.
Why You Need DDI
Now, you know a little about the three elements that collectively make up DDI. If you look at all three of them, individually or separately, you’ll see that you need each one for security and classification purposes.
It also makes sense why, as a website or network admin, you’d want to combine the three of them. They’re all loosely related to each other in the sense that you need all three to run your network safely.
When you’re using DDI, you can monitor what is happening with your network in real-time. You can also centralize and automate several critical network features. If you didn’t have a DDI solution in place, it would make keeping track of your network and what it was doing much more complicated.
Different DDI Solutions
You should also understand that there are now several different DDI solutions on the market for all business types and sizes. You can get hardware-based ones, software-based ones, or even cloud-based ones.
As a business entity, what you need to do is look at your needs and see whether you’ll be okay with a relatively simple DDI solution, or whether you require a more complex, custom-designed one. You can modify any of the ones you get to suit your needs.
However, generally speaking, the bigger and more complex your network is, the more rigorous and powerful of a DDI solution you will need. Frankly, most CEOs, CFOs, and other company heads won’t know what DDI solution will make the most sense for your network.
That is something that the IP department should figure out. They can get together and discuss the cons and pros of a software, hardware, and cloud-based options, and then contact a company that can install it for you.
Occasionally, you might want to create a proprietary DDI solution, but much like designing an app or a massive, sprawling website, it’s not going to be cheap. Small and mid-sized companies will usually do fine with a more one-size-fits-all DDI option.