Table of Contents
- Summary
- DDI Primer
- Report Methodology
- Decision Criteria Analysis
- Evaluation Metrics
- Key Criteria: Impact Analysis
- Analyst’s Take
- Methodology
- About Ivan McPhee
- About GigaOm
- Copyright
1. Summary
Private and public enterprise networks often span dozens of buildings, hundreds of locations, and thousands of users, each using multiple private and public IP addresses. Moreover, as enterprises adopt more cloud-based solutions, take advantage of hybrid networks, and deploy more IoT devices, the complexity and challenge of managing network services will increase. As the number of devices in enterprise networks grows, efficient IP address management becomes more critical.
DDI is a collective term encompassing domain name systems (DNS), dynamic host configuration protocols (DHCP), and IP address management (IPAM). DNS associates IP addresses with hostnames to keep network traffic flowing, DHCP provides dynamic IP address assignments for devices or users accessing the network, and IPAM manages all IP addresses across the network (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. DDI’s Three Core Components
Designed for server, network, and other infrastructure and operations professionals responsible for DNS, DHCP, and IP address allocation, DDI solutions help transform network management and reduce operating costs. By combining DNS, DHCP, and IPAM capabilities within a single solution, DDI solutions enable enterprises to manage their IP address, DNS, and DHCP services to increase operating efficiencies and enhance overall availability and scalability to support corporate growth. Among other features, DDI solutions are made up of network discovery, bidirectional APIs, DNS analytics, DNS firewalls, auditing, reporting, cloud integration, and Microsoft Active Directory, DNS, and DHCP integration.
This is the second year that GigaOm has reported on the DDI space in the context of our Key Criteria and Radar reports. This report builds on our previous analysis and considers how the market has evolved over the last year.
This GigaOm Key Criteria report highlights the capabilities (table stakes, key criteria, and emerging technologies) and non-functional requirements (evaluation metrics) for selecting an effective DDI solution. The companion GigaOm Radar report identifies vendors and products that excel in those capabilities and metrics. Together, these reports provide an overview of the category and its underlying technology, identify leading DDI offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.
How to Read this Report
This GigaOm report is one of a series of documents that helps IT organizations assess competing solutions in the context of well-defined features and criteria. For a fuller understanding, consider reviewing the following reports:
Key Criteria report: A detailed market sector analysis that assesses the impact that key product features and criteria have on top-line solution characteristics—such as scalability, performance, and TCO—that drive purchase decisions.
GigaOm Radar report: A forward-looking analysis that plots the relative value and progression of vendor solutions along multiple axes based on strategy and execution. The Radar report includes a breakdown of each vendor’s offering in the sector.