Best Practices for Effective Network Monitoring and Management

Network monitoring and management is a process that entails oversight, monitoring, and control of a computer hardware and software in order to ensure that all the components are in good condition and used to maximize productivity. The process is overseen by a network administrator or a network manager.

Network monitoring and management is important because it keeps information or data secure, reduces cases of breakdown, and increases productivity. Here some of the best practices for effective network monitoring and management.

Understand the Components of Your Network and the Behavior of Your Users

For you to be more effective while managing your network, you have to know its components and understand their functions in detail. This includes the routers, switches, servers, and other interconnected devices. Keep an inventory of all the elements you manage and pay attention to security details and IP addresses. Observe over a couple of months the network trends and behavior of your users; note both the normal and the recurring trends.

Understanding the network components and behavior over time will help you identify or foresee potential problems and come up with solutions beforehand. In case of poor network performance, you will have a general idea of the problem and fix it immediately hence save time. Studying your network trends will also help you come up with an automatic response for recurring problems such as alerts when the network goes below the expected range.

Specify the Person to Be Alerted When a Particular Problem Occurs

In large organizations where there is more than one network manager, it is easy for a small network problem to go unnoticed. This is because each administrator is occupied or dealing with other issues. In such cases, organizations can use an SMS alerting method or the alert escalation matrix that specifies who is to be informed when a problem occurs.

This way, a small problem will not escalate to a big issue or go unattended. In addition to the quick problem mitigation, specifying the person responsible will also reduce the pressure exerted on the IT team since each person will know what to do when a problem arises.

Dealing with network problems faster and efficiently will increase customer satisfaction, which will increase productivity in return. There will be reduced lagging and delays since message alerts will reach the right person.

Monitor the Entire Network Management System

Knowing that a router has a problem without the clarity whether it’s the network, server, or bandwidth problem is not enough. Even if you were to call an engineer, you wouldn’t be sure whether you need to contact your internet provider or the software representative. Monitoring all layers and using a network management system that supports multiple technologies will give you an in-depth insight of the problem. This is effective because you have a full picture of the entire system. You will also know who to engage when a problem arises. Monitoring the entire system makes it easier to investigate and fix problems on time.

Specific Configuration and Effective Change Management

Tailor your network management strategy to address specific needs or to serve a given environment. This is because even minor configuration mistakes can lead to great loss of data. Set the boundaries of your management system and specify the devices and systems that should receive or send information.

Prepare your system to be adaptable to new changes in technology, new services, software, or even hardware.

Carry Out Regular Reports

You can get reports daily, weekly, or monthly depending on the nature of your system. The reports give you an overview of the general performance of your network. This may include conditions of routers, history and availability of network devices, breakdown trends, cases of reduced performance among others.

Regular reports will give you proof of performance and help you come up with improvement or corrective measures. It will also help you rectify problems on time since you’re more likely to identify them regularly.

Conclusion

Effective and thorough network monitoring and management is an important aspect in every organization. It not only results in the smooth running of all network devices, but failure to carry it out can bring significant risks ranging from loss of data to downtime. The above practices will help you to monitor and manage all your network systems effectively.