Network Monitoring Tools

What are Network Monitoring Tools?

Network Monitoring Tools are the activities, methods, procedures, and tools utilized in the operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning of networked systems.

Network monitoring tools continuously monitor a network for problems such as slow or failing components (caused by overloaded and/or crashed servers, network connections or other devices), and will alert the network administrator in case of severe slowdowns or outages. Commonly measured metrics include response time, availability and uptime, consistency and reliability.

Network monitoring systems are typically employed on large scale corporate IT networks. Additionally, some tools also work alongside network monitoring tools to supplement the data collected by providing additional network context to improve the depth, accuracy, and quality of the data these tools collect and analyze.

Network Management Systems

Network monitoring tools often share features with network management systems (NMS). The primary difference is that NMS products let administrators configure and control networks.

Network monitoring tools give IT teams visibility into network status, health, and usage. A product strictly designed for network monitoring likely won’t include administrative features like resource provisioning, access management, and network configuration.

Components of Network Monitoring

• Network Operation keeps the network running. It monitors the network to find and identify any problems as soon as possible, and ideally before users are even aware or affected by those problems.
• Network Administration is a broad area of network management that tracks and assigns resources within the network.
• Network Maintenance involves monitoring, repairing and upgrading the hardware and software that make up a network.
• Network Provisioning activities ensure certain services are supported within the network, monitors access rights and privileges for security, and configures network resources to support various services (usually related to telecommunication protocols and devices).

Network Monitoring Tools Comparison

To compare network monitoring options, you should consider the following factors:

Network Managment Features: Many products and services include both network monitoring and network management in one product or platform. If you only want network monitoring features, don't pay extra for a product that has network management features. Conversely, if all-in-one monitoring and management is your goal, don't choose a product tightly focused on monitoring alone.

Real-Time Visibility: Many network monitoring tools provide real-time insight into network infrastructure, while others focus on after-the-fact analytics. Businesses looking for constant visibility into their network should be sure they are considering options with real-time visibility.

Automation Features: Some network monitoring tools provide automation features to determine thresholds and identify network devices without a need for human labor. If you are looking to reduce human labor as much as possible, be sure to choose a network monitoring tool with a robust set of automation features.

Infrastructure Analytics: Some network monitoring tools also provide analytics on network applications and software usage. If your business is looking for an all-in-one analytics tool, consider a network monitoring tool that provides additional support for infrastructure analysis.

Pricing Information

There is a very broad range of options available, from low end, free or open-source systems, to higher end enterprise platforms that can be quite expensive. Many higher-end systems are close to $10,000 for the first year of use, and some are considerably more.