For an IT professional tasked with the all-encompassing job of not only protecting their company’s network from potential threats but ensuring it’s overall speed and efficiency, a strong set of performance monitoring tools are something they can’t go without. From monitoring bandwidth and network activity to tracking the overall use of a plethora of applications and devices, today we look a look at some of the most important features to consider in your search for the best performance monitoring tools to fit your needs.
In many cases the number one most important aspect to consider during your research is the overall intuitiveness and ease of use of your main user interface that you will be monitoring every day to track the overall health of your network. The quicker the primary user of the tool can become competent in using it effectively every day, the quicker the tool becomes valuable and you are able to identify and neutralize threats. Many user interfaces offer visualization tools that allow the primary user to monitor everything from bandwidth usage, which will improve the overall speed of your network if you can limit specific user’s use, to overall network monitoring that allows you to keep an eye on the devices coming on and off your network. If you do have a lot of foreign devices using your network consistently, a network configuration management feature is one you will want to consider as well.
If you are an IT administrator who is constantly on the go and often work remotely, there are a few features you will want to seriously consider when researching the best tool to fit your needs. First and foremost many performance monitoring tools on the market today offer the ability to set up numerous custom alerts (via SMS, email or both) that will notify you of any potential threats lurking on your network. You can even set them up to trigger an alert when a certain chain of events happen that you have identified as a potential issue on the prowl. Another crucial feature for the on-the-go professional is for your tool to offer an iOS or Android application for your mobile phone or tablet. With many IT laptops often bulky, most IT professionals love the convenience of a mobile or tablet application that can let them do everything from monitor network traffic to maintain the overall health of their network and servers.
A suite of performance monitoring tools that have the ability to accept a wide range of third party add-ons and even internal additional add-ons can prove to be beneficial in a tech landscape that is constantly changing. Beyond ensuring your potential tool is compatible with all of the operating systems your company may currently be using, forecasting the scope of work you will want to accomplish with it is also important to make sure it is capable. One great way to ensure this is to see if the prospective tools you are considering offer a trial version. Beyond seeing if it is aesthetically acceptable, you’ll also be able to see if it runs smoothly with your current arsenal of tools.
The features mentioned above are just a few of a laundry-list of things you will want to consider. A final option to consider and one that is often overlooked is the ability of your new software to be accessed on a cloud-based level. A cloud-based access point is now often considered to be even more reliable than traditional setups as it allows for third party back up of your data and network configurations. If something were to go tragically wrong at your onsite location, the cloud has the ability to keep your performance monitoring tools running and can slightly minimize the overall damage and consequences.