How to choose the ideal tools to monitor network
With the increased use of computers in businesses across the globe
today, stress and importance of networks is on the rise. This has given
rise to the need for maintenance of networks in optimum condition so as
to facilitate communication. Failure of networks almost always leads to
complete failure of communication, both internal as well as external.
Moreover, failure of communication leads to loss in business caused by
the reduction in productivity. A similar situation is caused even if
networks are slow or there is unknown data exchange, which leads to
network problems and therefore reduction in productivity, ultimately
damaging business. In such situations, it becomes very important to
constantly monitor the network for flaws or problems. Given such a
scenario, it is obvious that the market is flooded with various tools
to monitor network. However, it is important to identify the perfect
tool to reap the optimum benefits.
Prior to making a choice, it is important to understand that tools
to monitor network can be classified as data monitoring tools and
statistics monitoring tools.
The data monitoring tools actually monitor the kind of data that passes
through a network, whether it is appropriate or not and whether it
follows the protocols laid down by the various servers like FTP, SNMP,
HTTP or not. Statistical tools
to monitor network usually monitor the
kind of flow experienced by a network or in other words, monitor the
bandwidth usage, determines whether the same is optimum or not and
whether there is a need to increase the band width etc. These tools
generally monitor the kind of traffic received so as to identify
problem areas, bottlenecks and external virus attacks, if any. Both
have their own independent uses and hence, it is impossible to claim
one to be better than the other. In such situations, if you do require
some tools to monitor network, then an ideal choice would be something
that helps you monitor both quality and quantity of traffic. There are
many such tools to monitor network available in the market, which cater
to wholesome requirements of network monitoring.
Another point of concern while selecting ideal tools to monitor
network should be the size of your network.
For small networks, using some of the freebies available on the
Internet could suffice but for larger networks, it is important that
you invest in some good tools that are multi-faceted and help in
holistic monitoring of networks. Similarly, it is important to select
such tools to monitor network that are interactive in nature and
provide instant interaction, in terms of emails or messages to the
administrator, in case of any problem.
Reliability of data provided by the monitoring tool is very important
and should be high on your selection criteria. Similarly, scalability
of the tool as well as its sustainability and affordability should also
be considered before investing in such tools. It is important that you
get total value for money and can monitor your entire network at
affordable rates. It is significant to understand that such tools to
monitor network actually assist in expanding your business because they
help identify outages in network and prevent or resolve it so that
there is smooth functioning.