Currently Empty: ₹0.00
What is Network Monitoring?
Network monitoring provides the information that network administrators need to determine, in real time, whether a network is running optimally. With tools such as networking monitoring software, administrators can proactively identify deficiencies and optimize efficiency.
Benefits of Network Monitoring
Clear visibility into the network
Through network monitoring, administrators can get a clear picture of all the connected devices in the network, see how data is moving among them, and quickly identify and correct issues that can undermine performance and lead to outages.
Better use of IT resources
The hardware and software tools in network monitoring systems reduce manual work for IT teams. That means valuable IT staff have more time to devote to critical projects for the organization.
Early insight into future infrastructure needs
Network monitoring systems can provide reports on how network components have performed over a defined period. By analyzing these reports, network administrators can anticipate when the organization may need to consider upgrading or implementing new IT infrastructure.
The ability to identify security threats faster
Network monitoring helps organizations understand what “normal” performance looks like for their networks. So, when unusual activity occurs, such as an unexplained increase in network traffic levels, it’s easier for administrators to identify the issue quickly–and to determine whether it may be a security threat.
What are network monitoring systems?
Network monitoring systems include software and hardware tools that can track various aspects of a network and its operation, such as traffic, bandwidth utilization, and uptime. These systems can detect devices and other elements that comprise or touch the network, as well as provide status updates.
Network administrators rely on network monitoring systems to help them quickly detect device or connection failures or issues such as traffic bottlenecks that limit data flow.
What are protocols for network monitoring?
Protocols are sets of rules and directions for devices on a network to communicate with one another. Network hardware can’t transmit data without using protocols. Network monitoring systems use protocols to identify and report on network performance issues.
SNMP
The Simple Network Management Protocol is an application-layer protocol that uses a call-and-response system to check statuses of many types of devices, from switches to printers. SNMP can be used to monitor system status and configuration.
ICMP
Network devices, such as routers and servers, use the Internet Control Message Protocol to send IP-operations information and to generate error messages in the event of device failures.
PRE HEADING
Categories of Tools for Network Monitoring
Network monitoring tools can be classified into the following five categories:
- Performance monitoring
- Availability monitoring
- Traffic monitoring
- Security monitoring
- Cloud Infrastructure
Note: Cloud Monitoring which spans all the above categories.
Performance Monitoring
Network performance monitoring is the process of reviewing the quality and efficiency of a network’s operations. Performance-focused network monitoring tools provide network admins with a holistic view of the network that allows them to identify emerging performance issues so they can take steps to nip them in bud.
Network performance monitoring involves analyzing real-time and historical metrics, such as bandwidth utilization, packet loss, latency and response times, to ensure the network runs at its optimal level. Examples include:
Checking the speed and reliability of data transfers
Analyzing traffic patterns to identify potential bottlenecks
Monitoring server response times for web-based applications
Performance-focused network device monitoring tools typically utilize techniques like SNMP alerts, event logs, syslog triggers, flow-based monitoring, packet capture analysis and streaming telemetry.
Availability Monitoring
The purpose of availability monitoring, also known as fault monitoring, is to help ensure the availability of network resources and infrastructure. Specifically, availability monitoring tools provide real-time detection of issues ranging from hardware failures such as a malfunctioning router to software issues involving a critical web application or connectivity problems. The classic example is continually sending ICMP pings to all critical network devices and servers to check whether the resource is available. Another way is to use SNMP traps to alert about status changes in a networking device (I.e. interface up or down)
Availability monitoring tools often come with alerting mechanisms to notify administrators by email, SMS, dashboard alarms or other methods.
Traffic and Bandwidth Monitoring
An enterprise network is like the highway system of a large metro area: Everything slows down during rush hour. Since businesses cannot afford to have this happen to their IT operations, they need to ensure they have ample bandwidth.
Network traffic monitor software analyses the flow of data across the network to help administrators understand who is using the network and for what purpose. It also provides bandwidth monitoring, which involves measuring the amount and speed of data transmission over a network to ensure optimal performance and avoid bottlenecks. Network trace tools help in troubleshooting by analyzing packets transmitted over the network to assist in identifying the source of network problems or slowdowns.
Security Monitoring
Security network monitoring is essential for safeguarding the integrity, availability and confidentiality of data and other IT resources and avoiding the steep costs of security-related disruptions. There are many types of security tools available on the market, including the following:
Network logging tools are used to collect, store and analyze log data from various network devices to maintain a comprehensive record of all activities that occur.
Network detection software continuously monitors network traffic to identify potential threats or malicious activities in real time so that immediate action can be taken against them.
Network control software helps organizations manage and control network operations, ensuring that only authorized activities are permitted and that potential vulnerabilities are patched.
Network surveillance software is used to keep a vigilant watch over network activities. These applications ensure that all data transmissions and activities adhere to security policies and that any suspicious or unauthorized activities are promptly detected and reported.
Network device monitoring is used to check for unwanted changes to the configuration of a device. Changes to ACLs or Firewall rules can have a drastic effect on how a network operates, even worse they can render a network unusable.
Together, these tools form a robust security framework that helps ensure a secure and optimized network environment.
Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring
Cloud infrastructure monitoring is needed to properly manage and secure cloud-based data, services, platforms and other resources. Network connection monitoring tools are used to track and analyze the connectivity between cloud services and data centers, while network visibility tools give network admins a holistic view of these highly complex cloud environments. By integrating these and other tools, organizations can preemptively identify and address potential issues to help ensure an optimized and efficient cloud environment