Best Network Monitoring Software

The different types of network monitoring are:

1. Network packet analyzers, which are used to analyze the data in each packet that moves through a network in an attempt to determine if they are being routed properly, if users are visiting websites that are off limits, or if sensitive data is being exfiltrated from a network.

2. Access management monitoring prevents intruders from accessing network resources by spotting network vulnerabilities and remediating them before any harm can be done.

3. Application and services monitoring maintains network integrity by ensuring systems operate within normal limits. It also focuses on detecting which business units are using which application, on an organization-wide level.

Network monitoring software refers to systems whose software and hardware tools are used to track different aspects of a network and its operation, like bandwidth utilization, traffic, and uptime. This software is relied upon to help network administrators quickly and easily detect device or connection failures or issues that arise from traffic bottlenecks that end up limiting data flow. Moreso, these systems are designed to alert administrators when there is a performance issue via reports using network analytics and can do so by email or text. In addition, network monitoring software is able to extend to other parts of a network that are traditionally beyond their demarcation boundaries; it can detect devices or other elements that comprise or touch the network and also deliver status updates.

Sometimes known as network analyzers, networking tools, network traffic monitors or network sniffer software, network monitoring software is subject to a wide range of selection criteria. Network management software users on IT Central Station  (soon to be Peerspot) have weighed in with numerous recommendations on what it takes to have a successful experience with these types of products.

IT Central Station members believe that the best network performance monitoring tools are easy to use and implement. Implementation works best when there is a single point of configuration, for example. User-friendly solutions with easy-to-understand dashboards are preferred.

Performance and scalability factors into many assessments of potential network analysis tools. Some users emphasize the importance of distributed, highly-available monitoring clusters, which are typically available in enterprise editions. Ideally, the solution will be vendor neutral to cover most networking brands.

Network managers want a network management system to see detailed information on specific problems, even at the packet level, offering guided troubleshooting for remediation. This includes diagnostics on problems related to latency, packet loss, total bandwidth utilization, QoS and jitter. They want to trace the connectivity of each devices in a multi vendor environment. Some network manager solutions offer a "network analysis" section to dissect and analyze flows.

Reporting, monitoring and alerting capabilities are critical. For example, some monitoring tools can reveal end-user experience for the network. Network admins look for solutions with highly configurable alerting. They want detailed alerts. For example, which application was using which capacity and when? Granular data is essential, explaining where issues are occurring in regards to traffic latency and bandwidth utilization and deep packet analysis Quality of Experience dashboard (QoE).

Below are some of the many benefits of network monitoring software:

• Visibility: Having clear visibility is arguably one of the most valuable benefits of network monitoring software. Administrators can see all the connected devices in the network and can obtain a comprehensive view of how data is moving within the network to quickly identify and remediate issues that might otherwise undermine performance or be the cause of outages.
• More efficient for IT teams: Network monitoring systems include hardware and software that decrease the amount of manual work for IT departments, giving them more time to focus on other critical projects. When IT teams are not busy resolving network issues, they can shift their attention to projects that generate bottom-line value for your organization.
• Infrastructure insight: With reports on how network components perform, it is easier to anticipate when an upgrade may be necessary, whether network components need to be adjusted, or whether a new infrastructure needs to be implemented.
• Detect security threats faster: Using network monitoring software allows organizations to gain an understanding of what “normal” performance is typical for their networks so when there is unusual activity or network traffic levels suddenly increase, it becomes easier to determine if there is a potential security threat.
• Cost savings: Network monitoring software reduces downtime and speeds up remediation via root cause analysis and/or making it clear which network elements are being over- or under-utilized, thus saving your organization both time and money.
• Better customer experience: Performance issues can impact business operations, which can lead to a degraded customer experience. By implementing network monitoring software, performance problems can be detected in advance so you can provide an ideal customer experience.
• Usage insights: Network administrators can take immediate remedial action in the case of usage spikes (such as seasonal traffic jumps or logon storms) to ensure that usage is not affected.

When choosing a network monitoring software product, here are some of the key features and capabilities to look out for:

• Performance metrics: Good network monitoring software will include real-time performance metrics that deliver insights into network performance issues so they can be promptly and successfully addressed. By having access to how a user’s business network is functioning at your fingertips, you can fix issues immediately to avoid major issues that can potentially have harmful impacts.
• Device discovery: Every network monitoring tool needs to have device discovery capabilities in order to monitor new nodes. It is even better if the software can do this automatically as devices get added to the network so that users do not have to manually sweep for them.
• Intelligent alerts: Your network monitoring solution should provide real-time “intelligent” alerts that are capable of notifying the correct network engineer or administrator with the right information (such as severity and location) so that they can attend to the issues as soon as possible.
• Root cause analysis: Having access to issue diagnosis and root cause analysis aids in discovering issues so that companies don’t have to waste time manually figuring out what caused an issue but rather can immediately fix the problem.
• Network maps: If your enterprise has sprawling, complex networks, you will need network monitoring software with network maps that contain a visual representation of nodes and devices, allowing users to instantly view performance issues at a glance.
• Scalability: Choose a network monitoring tool that will scale naturally to match company growth and one that will be able to accommodate frequent network changes.
• Customizable dashboards: It is helpful to have a customizable dashboard so users can determine which performance metrics they want to see and also choose how they are displayed. Having network monitoring software that has a dashboard with clear visualization tools and reports saves valuable time when trying to sift through lots of information.