Choosing the right set of network management tools can be critical in defending and monitoring the activity on your company’s network, no matter the size. When looking at the options available today, everything from monitoring bandwidth from the devices that flood your network, to trusting the security of your network from incoming threats comes into play when it comes to the lifeblood of your company’s IT heart. Today, we take a look at some of the most important features to consider when researching and ultimately making the investment in the network management tools software of your future.

Often overlooked yet impeccably important is the overall feel and ease of use of your software. Your suite of network management tools will be responsible for the health of your network at all times, and give you the ability to track that health in real-time. Tracking in real time can come via a set of visualization tools that takes your analyzing and assessing of your needs to the next level. The ability to visualize your metrics such as router issues or growing bandwidth, can prove to be essential in neutralizing and preventing incoming threats to become larger, deeper seeded problems.

Many IT professionals today have become akin to pushing their business needs to a more tablet or mobile focused platform. With that said, finding a set of network management tools that offer a mobile/tablet application can prove to be very valuable asset if you have a staff that is consistently traveling and or working remotely. Everything from tracking bandwidth to keeping updated on security threats can be offered via these applications. Many applications also offer the ability to set up custom alerts that based off of criteria you set, can notify you when a certain chain of events happen that could cause potential issues.

Another feature to consider when looking at network management tools is the ability to set up custom alerts for everything from bandwidth issues to incoming security threats. Many tools available on the market today offer you the chance to set up alerts to be delivered via everything from SMS text message to emails sent directly to you. Once your parameters are set, automatic notifications will be sent to you when your limits are hit.

Another feature that is often looked past but yet can be valuable is a network configuration management feature that protects the safety of your network. Not only will a network configuration management tool within your network management tools increase overall safety of your network and the computers on it, but it will also ensure that as your company grows, the configuration of your network and its security settings will stay the same. With configurations of networks constantly changing and scaling up and down, the threats (both big and small) have more ability to sneak through your safety nets and cause havoc to your network. By having a feature that automatically regularly updates your settings and performs backups, your entire network is ensure with a security blanket without having to perform any manual functions.

The features mentioned above are just a few features to consider when doing your research into network management tools. Ultimately, as with any software you are considering making an investment in, it’s a good idea to look and see if the software offers a demo version you can download before making the purchase. Not only will this allow you to see if it is a software you and your staff can learn quickly, but if it’s one that will fit with your already established suite of software that you use regularly. It’s important to consider that even if the software is easy for you to use, it’s valuable to find one that you can also train new employees on rather quickly as your company grows and turnover occurs.