So what is network monitoring? How can you utilise it to your advantage? There are many types of monitoring available for your network. Some of these include SNMP, active monitoring, containers, and cyberattacks. In this article, we’ll review the main functions of network monitoring and why you should know about them. This will help you choose the right type of monitoring for your needs.
SNMP
SNMP for network monitoring is a powerful network management protocol that can monitor all network devices, including high-powered servers and obscure temperature sensors. A centralised monitoring system can cover all network devices and add new tools for network admins. To get started, you must decide which network monitoring software you need. Here are a few options:
Traps are agent-initiated commands that notify a manager of specific events. For instance, a CPU utilisation trap could alert a manager when the CPU is at eighty per cent for a minute. Traps are one of the most important SNMP functions because they allow early detection and containment of network problems. The acknowledge trap command is available only in SNMP v2 and later. The SNMP protocol is widely used for monitoring networks, but you must know which version to use.
Active monitoring
There are two types of network monitors: passive and active. Passive network monitoring uses historical traffic to analyse issues in the network, while active network monitoring generates data about specific aspects of the system. Both network monitoring types use a similar resource usage level, but passive monitors generate smaller amounts of data. Both types are useful in different ways, but they serve different purposes. Read on to learn more about each type of network monitor.
Active monitoring in network monitoring is the practice of constantly testing the performance of networks to identify issues before they affect users. This type of network monitoring combines the capabilities of virtual agents that cycle through transactions 24 hours a day to diagnose potential problems. Because issues can be resolved before users experience them, IT efficiency is improved dramatically. Further, quickly responding to alerts in real time allows IT teams to focus more on performance baselines and solve problems before they affect users.
Containers
Several tools are available to manage the performance of containerised environments. One such tool is Datadog APM. It provides visibility into application layer issues within containerised environments, such as high request latency. In addition to providing insight into containers’ performance, Datadog APM can detect upstream service and code-level problems. Consequently, these tools can help you identify the root cause of performance issues. With these tools, you can get an accurate picture of the state of your containerised environments.
Network monitoring tools for containerised environments need more flexibility to track the performance of a modern application, as they do not share the same physical hosts. These tools can monitor applications and microservices across multiple instances by enabling observability and automation. The benefits of this approach are many. Not only do they offer a single pane of glass for all metrics, but they can also be customised to meet your application’s specific needs. Datadog can also help you implement capacity planning by giving visibility to application code performance.
Cyberattacks
The main differences between cyberattacks and network monitoring are the attacks and the methods the attackers use to carry them out. Malicious actors launch cyberattacks to disrupt business processes and create user mistrust and confusion. Passive attacks, on the other hand, monitor network activity but do not alter data. Examples of passive attacks include DDoS attacks and SQL injection, where malicious code is inserted into servers to obtain sensitive data. A zero-day exploit, a newly discovered vulnerability in an organisation’s IT infrastructure, is a common way to gain access. On the other hand, a phishing attack involves sending socially engineered emails to large numbers of people to entice them to click on malicious links.
Most cyberattacks are conducted for financial gain. Cybercriminals usually target businesses or organisations that rely on technology to maintain operations. In their attacks, they attempt to obtain sensitive information to steal money or goods. To further their goal, they use the information they gain to cripple computer systems and steal vital corporate data. The destructive effects of cyberattacks can be minimised if continuous cyber monitoring is conducted.
Costs
When deciding on the costs of network monitoring tools, an organisation should consider how many staff members are required to support the monitoring tools. These staff members should have the knowledge and experience to keep the monitoring tools updated and running properly. Monitoring tools should be at most 10% of an organisation’s annual amortised network cost. Depending on the scope of your network, annualising these costs will give you a reliable ROI comparison. Even open-source network monitoring tools have associated costs. Understanding these costs is essential to determining ROI.
Another benefit of network monitoring is its ability to pinpoint the source of a network problem. With monitoring, network technicians will be able to find the problem. This monitoring technology helps network technicians pinpoint the problem location before it impacts the business. This prevents network issues from affecting users and costing the company money. Proactive monitoring can also detect problems before they impact your business and increase customer satisfaction. It’s essential to consider the benefits and costs of network monitoring, and the time it will save you. There are some paid and free log management tools; you can check this post.
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