Choosing the right SNMP monitoring software can be one of the most critical decisions your IT department makes. Everything from measuring bandwidth to tracking potential incoming threats becomes the responsibility of the software and its team of users. Quickly choosing a software without doing the appropriate research and needs-based analysis can mean the difference between an efficiently ran business without major interruptions and a network failure than can cripple your business. Below we will take a look at some of the most important features you will want to consider when choosing your SNMP monitoring software for professional or even personal use.
As with any software you purchase, the ability to quickly pick up how to use the software is an often overlooked feature that time and time again proves to be critical in getting the full use and capability of the software in a short time. Another reason the intuitiveness and “user-friendly” aspect of the software is important is for the inevitable turnover challenges that your company will face. With new employees in your company’s IT department, you will want to quickly ensure that they are trained to use the software adequately. The main dashboard that will be the primary screen you will be using with your SNMP monitoring software is crucial in monitoring the overall health of your network as well some other key metrics such as bandwidth and security that you will be sure to want to track. Having an easy to use interface will make all the aforementioned monitoring much easier and seamless.
As with much software currently being used in today’s professional landscape, finding SNMP monitoring software that offers a mobile application for your smartphone and tablet can prove to be very useful if you are in charge of monitoring your company’s network. It can prove to be especially critical if monitoring your network’s security is a task you are assigned, as many of the mobile applications available on the market today offer notification and alert settings that allow for up to the minute updates of incoming security threats. As any IT professional and security admin will attest to, the faster a threat can be identified and ultimately neutralized the less of a problem it becomes and the shorter the downtime for your network or servers.
Arguably one of the most important features your SNMP monitoring software can have is the ability to track and monitor bandwidth on your network minute to minute. With personal smartphones and a plethora of laptops and tablets now flooding many workplace’s Wi-Fi’s, it’s important for whatever SNMP monitoring you go with to include an option that allows you to track and manage the bandwidth your networks use. Much software offer custom alerts that you can setup to notify you as the bandwidth approaches a certain level. By recognizing and managing a potential issue early, the speed of your network and ultimately the efficiency of your business are not affected. Beyond security of your network, bandwidth monitoring is definitely a feature to strongly consider when searching for the best SNMP monitoring software for your needs.
One often overlooked feature when it comes to SNMP monitoring software is a cloud functionality that allows for the backup of your data and settings on a cloud based platform. Not only does the cloud offer a backup to your physical storage, but it also allows the IT user to access the software remotely even if he or she is not near her personal computer. If you are out of your home office often, this definitely a feature to think about.
As with any software you are researching and looking to invest in, check for a demo or fully-fledged trial version of the SNMP monitoring software you are leaning towards before purchase.