In an average quarter, 96% of businesses experience a network outage at least once. It's essential that businesses monitor their networks and take action to prevent costly downtime from occurring.
To aid in this task, it can be well worth using network monitoring tools. The best network monitoring tools can make it easy for network administrators to review activity and help prevent issues from occurring in the first place.
Ready to learn more about the importance of network monitoring tools? Below we'll take a look at the top nine features the best network monitoring tools should have.
1. Real-Time Metrics
One of the key things to look for in network monitoring tools is real-time visibility. With real-time monitoring and metrics, IT specialists will be able to see exactly what's happening on a network instantly. This will allow them to respond quickly to problems.
Being able to see network activity clearly and respond with speed can help ensure that all network issues are resolved as soon as possible. This can also help to prevent downtime and ensure there are no productivity setbacks.
2. Customizable Dashboards
A quality network monitoring tool should also have fully-featured, customizable dashboards. These can help administrators easily understand the data that is present and create reports that can be used to address specific concerns.
A dashboard should be user-friendly and straightforward while also providing sophisticated functionality and all the necessary information. A dashboard should also be changeable to meet the needs of the IT professionals using it.
3. Device Discovery
Automatic network discovery is also essential for a network monitoring tool. The tool should be able to identify and show connection information so that IT professionals can easily take inventory of the network's usage.
Ideally, the tool should automatically find devices and add their information once they appear on the network. Manual discovery shouldn't be necessary. With information about every connection and device on the network, IT professionals can easily identify potential threats and unauthorized devices.
4. Network Mapping
In addition to discovering new connections and devices, a monitoring tool should also be able to visually show the network connections through a network map. The network map will visually represent the network and will help administrators get a clear look at what the network is comprised of.
As a result, IT professionals will be able to identify performance problems and get visual information about the nodes and devices on the network, helping them do their jobs more effectively.
5. Smart Alerts and Notifications
You should also be able to set up intelligent SMS and email alerts and notifications when using a network monitoring tool. Network administrators should receive notifications if there are any network issues or needs that require their attention.
Getting instant alerts and notifications can help when there are computer security threats or incidents to be aware of. This can help network administrators take care of the network and resolve issues as quickly as possible.
6. Straightforward Scalability
Another thing to look for when choosing a network monitoring tool to use in your business is easy and straightforward scalability. As the needs of your business grow, you may find that you want to scale your business and connect a larger number of devices to your network.
You'll need to be sure that the network monitoring tool you use allows you to add devices easily. Network monitoring tools handle this in various ways, but you should be sure that it won't cause you too much trouble if you plan to grow your business later on.
7. Root Cause Analysis
In addition to giving you the ability to review network activity and get a closer look at connections, an excellent network monitoring tool should also provide analysis features.
Analysis features can help you determine the root cause of problems that arise, such as Wi-Fi that isn't working. They can help to automatically diagnose your network issues so that you don't have to spend all of your time doing so manually.
As a result, network administrators will be able to solve problems more quickly. They'll also be able to identify their causes more easily.
8. Reports Generation
A high-quality network monitoring tool should also offer extensive reporting features that can help professionals quickly get to the heart of network trends and performance data. With customizable reports and easy-to-use features that allow you to collect and review data, you'll stay on top of all things related to your network.
This reporting will help professionals stay on task and ensure that they know exactly what is happening on the network at all times. It can help them understand how the network is being used and how its performance can be improved.
9. Trend Forecasting
When choosing network monitoring tools, you should also be sure to look for performance trend forecasting features. With performance trend forecasting, the tool will be able to automatically identify trends in the way your network is being used. This can help you stay ahead of the curve and know what to expect as far as resource utilization and network traffic is concerned.
Knowing the trends can help network administrators prepare the network for increased activity. It will give them the best chance of keeping your network in great working order even in times of high activity.
Choosing the Best Network Monitoring Tools
As you can see, the best network monitoring tools have quite a few important features that can help you make the most of IT infrastructure monitoring. These network performance tools can allow you to keep your network safe and ensure that you're fully aware of all activity and performance issues.
If you want to keep your network fully protected at all times, consider using professional IT managed services. ThinkSecureNet is committed to providing businesses with the highest level of protection. We serve as a single source for service desk, data analytics, IT services, cybersecurity, and SRA throughout single-site or multi-location environments.
Ready to learn more about how we can help your business? Contact us today to find out how we can help monitor and protect your business network.
