Integrated process framework for network engineering, network operations and enterprise network management

A network is the critical backbone to any business enterprise. Information is exchanged between people and systems every second to carry out the functions of a business. No business enterprise can afford loss or compromise of network services in today's rapidly changing financial environments where minutes of network outage can mean millions of dollars of lost revenue. Despite the strategic importance of a network to a business, a paradox seems to exist in the way businesses value this strategic asset. Some networks are built like Lego sets and Tinker toys, using ad hoc engineering methods reminiscent of software hackers. People who are not properly trained operate networks with millions of dollars of revenue at stake. The application of quality principles to data networks or network services is a largely undefined and unexplored area of research.; In this dissertation, Baldridge performance excellence criteria and capability maturity model (CMM) principles are applied to the development and operation of business enterprise networks. The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Systems Engineering CMM (SE-CMM) and Software CMM (SW-CMM) are studied to provide a foundation for defining a quality framework for network processes. A system level framework, called the Network Maturity Model (NMM), is hypothesized as a means for defining and evaluating the quality of the processes used by a business enterprise to provide, operate, and maintain the enterprise's data network. The NMM provides a measure of the quality of a network according to the maturity of the organization's network development and operations processes. A system-level definition of network quality, called Quality of Network, is postulated.; The NMM architecture, consisting of a domain component and a capability maturity component, is developed. The domain of the NMM provides categories of network engineering, network operations and enterprise management processes that are considered for quality data networks. A means to evaluate the degree of compliance and use of these essential domain elements (called process maturity) is studied for inclusion in the capability component of the model. An assessment methodology, using the NMM, is defined. Construct and content validity of the NMM is established with a panel of subject matter experts.