What is NOC (Network Operations Center) Monitoring?

Not sure what a Network Operations Center (NOC) is, what it does, or how it relates to remote monitoring and management services? Good news! You’ve come to the right place…

NOC (pronounced like the word “knock”) stands for “network operations center,” which is the central place in an organization where administrators supervise, monitor, and maintain a company’s telecommunications network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Generally speaking, NOC monitoring roles can be broken into three individual subcategories:

• Computer. NOC specialists in this environment must manage computer networks that may contain hundreds or even millions of servers.

• Telecommunications. NOCs must manage power outages, communication line alarms, and any performance issues that may impact the company’s network.

• Satellite. NOC engineers in this environment are responsible for monitoring satellite network environments that process large amounts of voice and video data.

The main purpose of an NOC (also referred to as a network management center) specialist is to provide an enterprise with network troubleshooting, software distribution, router updates, domain name management, performance monitoring, and affiliated network coordination.

If any action from IT or the managed server provider (MSP) is required, an NOC technician typically creates tickets or alerts to pinpoint the issue and categorize the threat based on severity. In some organizations, the NOC and the MSP can create technical teams which collaborate to resolve the issue and identify the root cause to prevent the same problem from happening again in the future.