The Best Features of Network Monitoring Solutions

Network performance has a major influence on an organization’s success. Outages and downtime prevent workers from working, and customers from purchasing. Even a slight hiccup can end up being detrimental. Investing in the best network possible is important, and it needs to be protected. The best network monitoring features provide enterprises with the insight they need to maintain their network.

Continuous monitoring

Continuous network monitoring is essential for fighting cyber attacks. Cybercriminals will always keep up with new security measures. Thus, you should at least know when they’ve penetrated your systems. Automated monitoring tools provide the intel you need. These tools record what normal user behavior looks like, alerting users to an unusual presence. Being able to recognize the difference between a cyber attack and normal behavior will allow your team to react proactively.

Continuous network monitoring could have prevented the Anthem medical data breach in 2015 by observing common user behavior. The attackers submitted database queries remotely to obtain PII records, clear abnormal behavior. The compromised database in the attack contained up to 80 million customer records. Preventing this massive attack was not difficult.

Data collection

Analytics help users optimize network performance in a variety of ways. For example, root cause analysis brings attention to network performance causes, and if there’s a trend you’ll know it.

Tracking network trends allow your team to make decisions in an informed and data-driven way. Teams will have a detailed history of network problems. Furthermore, the knowledge about consistent problems will help users create an improved and consistent network environment. In addition, network related technological advancements will be easier than ever to implement.

Root cause analysis

Finding the culprit of a network outage should not be a manual task. The manual process can take far longer than your company can afford. Due to increased reliance on networks, outages can cost millions depending on their length.  When you inevitably suffer an outage, finding the cause is crucial. Network monitoring tools include root cause analysis, allowing your team to figure out what you need as fast as possible.

Automated root cause analysis makes network repair a much faster process. The location and cause of the problem gets relayed to the proper network team. Eliminating problems that affect users as they arise should be the priority in networking. Otherwise, a spike or downtime can take time away from your entire company and customer base.

Managing network growth

The influx of BYOD devices has put a strain on enterprise networks. The number of people and devices utilizing your network grew, and their locations always change.  This causes network congestion and security risks, as BYOD devices put a strain on network teams. Network monitoring tools allow teams to keep track of these devices to reduce exposure of sensitive information. Thus, network teams see what applications were being accessed by BYOD devices, and any security risks could be taken care of.

Improving user experience

Users, from a workplace and customer perspective, are more demanding than ever when it comes to network performance. A simple outage or bug can lead to tremendous outrage from an online customer base. Traditionally, IT teams heard about network problems from these frustrated users. Users often don’t report their issues, so some problems could go unresolved or be more widespread than the team might realize. With modern network performance monitoring solutions, IT teams will seldom have to deal with customer feedback.