Network Alert Software: what is it?
At it’s core, network alert software is a tool that helps keep your entire IT system running exactly the way it should. From providing security coverage, to creating and stashing logs, to customizable alerts and alarms, this tool will run in sync with your suite of other tools, keeping them out of harm and running efficiently as well. It also plays quarterback to your monitoring system as a whole, taking in all of the various data points from different sources, and displaying it in an easy to understand format to keep your network afloat. Whichever network alert software you decide to go with, make sure to stay in tune with the most recent firmware updates, which keep you in the loop with new features and the inevitable bug fixes. Staying up to date in the maintaining of the software, can be just as critical as using it in the first place.
Alert software dashboard interface
A good trait of any software, not just your network alert software, is one with a dashboard that is easy to use and intuitive. When it comes to managing your plethora of alerts and configuring your sometimes-intricate alarms, you’ll want user interface that is easy to use, and simple to understand. The world of IT is an industry with often times high turnover, so by having an easy to learn and adapt to dashboard, new employees will have little downtime when learning the system. This will ultimately help your bottom line, with employee training often times being expensive if the software you use is foreign. Another good feature in a dashboard is the ability to access it, cleanly, from a mobile interface, both smartphone and tablet. By having your tools most critical metrics and features with you in the palm of your hand, you can react real time to any issues or changes.
Network event logging
Mistakes by employees ultimately will inevitably happen. Often times when there is an error, finger pointing, or the blame game can take place, causing a litany of problems internally. By having a network alert software that logs events such as setting changes, or delays in response to an alarm, you can pinpoint who did (or didn’t) do what and react accordingly. Event logging keeps tracks of everything on your network, so in the event of a security breach or gap, you can quickly identify the source and proactively put the steps in motion to contain and fix it. If you do want to use this feature, it’s best practice to set up user profiles for each of your employees that will use it, so you can use it most effectively.
Alert priorities
While having alerts and alarms for everything is great, some alerts are just more important than others. A feature to consider in your search for the best network alert software for you needs, is a system that you can prioritize alerts so that only the most critical come to you directly. While a low bandwidth issue can definitely slow down business and cause some problems, a breach of your main frames security, where you have customers (or sometime patients) sensitive information on, is something you will want all hands-on deck on. An advanced sort and filter feature can help you choose those alerts that you want to see, as soon as they happen. You can also go the opposite way, having some of the most basic and fixable alerts go to a certain employee, so the rest of your team is not bothered and overwhelmed with every single alert.