Network Operation Center

NOC – Network Operation Center

NOC. What is a NOC?

NOC (Network Operations Center) and what am I doing while working there?

Responding to What is a NOC?, a NOC or Network Operations Centers is an area where you have the right facilities to be monitoring the activity in telecommunications networks, service systems, TV transmissions, etc. For example, remember scenes from spy or war movies, where there are a lot of military or CIA agents in rooms with big screens, a lot of computers and always seen that they are on the run, well, that's a NOC.

Why do they have so many screens?, this is one of the things that I liked most about working in a NOC, having 8 monitors for my own!!!, and this why?, well then because when monitoring telecommunications networks it is required to have endless windows open with tools to see the alarms, confirm the problems, try to solve them and be in contact with field technicians, other NOCs or with your same work team, for example in my case a monitor I use for mail and group chats, another to open the program where I see the alarms that are generated on the network, another for the web interface where I open my reports of incidents and work orders and the rest for the tools with which I may check the radiobases , the switches, the topography of the network of some city, etc.

Do you always work during evenings and weekends? Well, do you stop using your mobile phone at night or on weekends? of course not!, therefore telecommunications networks must be available 24/7, that is, always, therefore working in a NOC requires that there are people taking care of and fixing the network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Now, is it cool to work in a NOC? yes if funny and if any of you study or studied a career related to networks (computer) and/or telecommunications, entering a NOC may provide you enough experience, because they have to deal and battle with the technology that allows us to communicate. As for the schedules, is it heavy to work at night? for me it is!!, but several of my colleagues find it quite comfortable although for them the morning schedule is too heavy, usually NOCs schedules are: morning (6 am to 3 pm), afternoon (2 pm to 11 pm) and night (10 pm to 6 am).