Network monitoring gives us valuable information for successful network management. It is important to locate and troubleshoot problems as fast as possible. In this article, I will talk about network performance monitoring benefits. But to get to that, we must first explain what network monitoring is, what are the goals of network monitoring and what kind of monitoring are there. Network monitoring is the use of a system that constantly monitors a network for problems and notifies that network administrator through a messaging system when some device fails or there is some strange behavior in the network. As the number of devices and their capabilities in a network grow and as corporations become more global the networks are getting more and more complex. This growth in complexity makes network management much more time consuming and that means that the more complex a network becomes, the more network monitoring system techniques need to improve in order to compensate for the increased workload. So what are the main focal points when it comes to quality network monitoring that will fight the workload increase? There are three:
1. Fault monitoring
2. Performance monitoring
3. Account monitoring
Performance monitoring
Performance monitoring checks the performance of network and network devices . Data obtained by this kind of monitoring allows network engineers to:
1. Automate detection of problems in the network and react faster
2. Establish network behavior model
3. Decide what needs to be measured in the network
4. Plan further network expansion
Serious companies recognize that proper network monitoring and management reduce operating costs, improve business processes and increase employee efficiency. Everyone wants to have the best possible network performance and knowing what is overused and underused in the network is the first step towards this. So, let us talk more about the benefits of network performance monitoring:
– Understanding network usage
Getting a clear view of how much strain is being put on your servers. This is done by establishing a profile for your assets. With these new insights and knowledge, it will be easy for you to make better decisions on how to use given servers for mission-critical applications.
– Reducing the cost of network management
When you are able to monitor all databases, applications, networking devices and servers at the same time, this helps you save time for network administrators and shortens the troubleshooting process when problems start popping out.
– Getting the best out of network through IT investments
The less bandwidth you use the more room you have for other applications – everyone knows that, and you should remember this as well. So, if you want an efficient network, make sure that you do not duplicate data needlessly. Minimizing your data replication is important for recoveries if a disaster occurs and for continuity of your operations.
– Optimizing resource utilization
What you would want to do is optimize your resource utilization as efficiently as you can. Resource monitoring and reporting lets you allocate tasks to underutilized servers. This technique can track your CPU, disk storage and memory utilization.
– Bringing all of your network’s elements together
Do you want to establish a private or hybrid cloud for your operations? Do you want to remove the expensive IT infrastructure parts you don’t really need? Network performance monitoring focuses on gathering information in real time, without human intervention and lets you see the real picture of your IT environment. This lets you virtualize certain network operations without negative impact on your network performance. 
How to choose your network performance monitoring tool?
When you are choosing the right network performance package for your network, here are some questions you should ask so you know what is the right thing for you:
– How many users can use it with one license?
– Is it scalable by size of the network?
– Does it support different device types and vendors?
– What is the support community for the product?
– Is there a free trial I can try before spending my money?
The only way you can know for sure if a network performance monitoring system can deliver what you need is to test it on a free trial. The benefits of network performance are many and can increase the profit in your company, if the right tool is used. So, do your research and know what kind of software your need. Don’t be fooled by the price – some of them have the best solution in this case isn’t always the most expensive one.
Author Bio: Miloš Zeković – ICmyNet Chief Customer Officer at Soneco
