Network operation centers (NOC) software
Protecting network operations infrastructure is one of the most critical job duties of an any IT operations manager. The best place to start such a large feat, and ultimately making your job and life much easier and less stressful, is procuring a strong NOC monitoring software. Often complicated tasks like monitoring devices coming and going from your network, to monitoring all traffic flooding your network and servers, having a NOC monitoring software puts all of the metrics you need to be concerned with in one place. Today we will look at those and other features to consider in your search for the best NOC monitoring software, no matter your company’s size or infrastructure.
Monitoring your network on the go
More and more professionals of all verticals, IT being no exception, are working remotely and crisscrossing the world in plane, trains and automobiles. Just because you are not sitting at your desk, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to see what is going on with your IT infrastructure at all times. Finding a software with a mobile or tablet friendly output can make a huge difference if you find yourself on the road often. Even more than being beneficial when you are traveling, having a tablet solution allows you to pull up your key metrics straight from your tablet while at home, not having to pull out your sometimes large laptop, log into it, etc; ultimately saving you valuable personal time and convenience. Many of the NOC monitoring software on the market today offers, iOS and Android solutions, making it tough to go wrong if you are often out of the office away from your main machine.
NOC configuration management
Network configuration management is an often overlooked, yet critical, feature to look at when researching NOC monitoring software. Throughout the day, your networks configuration is continually changing, creating a dangerous opening for threats to obtain access to your server and potentially cause harm to your IT operations and company as a whole. Having a configuration management feature allows for scheduling of configuration backups to boost your networking monitoring functions and ensure you are covered in the case of a network penetration. Typically, you will have these automatic backups run every, to ensure the next day you are starting safe, with little to no effort from you and your team. Having this feature will not only increase your overall safety from an IT infrastructure perspective, but also save you and your team valuable time.
Monitoring software custom alerts
When an issue inevitably does arise on your network, having customized preset alerts to notify you as soon as possible is a feature that you will strongly want to consider for a number of reasons. Whether the alerts come via SMS, email or from within the software itself, being able to react in near real-time to any incoming threat will help you immobilize and contain it as soon as possible, which is critical. Beyond security threats, receiving notifications for things like shrinking bandwidth are sometimes equally important, as low bandwidth can all but cripple your operations. If your company is one that constantly has employee devices (both personal and professional) coming on and off your network, receiving a notification as your bandwidth limit approaches can really make your job easier. Within the tool itself, you will also want to pinpoint exactly where the biggest bandwidth users are coming from.
Try out your NOC monitoring software first
It’s always good practice to try a free trial version of software you are considering an investment in, both to see if it’s a good fit and letting your employees try it out. This software should be no different, as it is one you will be using very often!