Network management or network monitoring is the constant surveillance of computer systems to detect slow or failing components. When a malfunction arises, your network administrator can be instantly alerted through a specialized alarm. Through the use of the right software applications and tools, your business network can be easily monitored and secured. The best practices that you can implement to protect the safety of your network are as follows:
Understand Your Inventory
One of the best places to start is by taking inventory of your network. This is where you uncover which devices require supervision and monitoring. These devices will need to be added to your network monitoring software. From there, you will be able to group them by vendor, location, and data center. With an inventory established, you have the tools to track changes, configure and locate devices, as well as assign IP addresses.
Create a Network Monitoring Policy
Your organization will need to appoint an administration team responsible for outline and defining your network monitoring activities. This step is where data on your corporate-owned devices and IT equipment will be gathered. One of the main purposes of creating a network monitoring policy is to give certain access to individuals who will collect network availability and performance data. From there, they will analyze how the data will be used toward compliance, auditing, and reporting purposes.
Network Alerts and Escalation Process
Determining a routing algorithm for your network system will help the flow of alerts when issues arise. This is where you appoint those who will receive the alerts and determine how the alert will be handled. Take advantage of auto-escalation alerts that can be delivered to the correct recipient in a quick and orderly fashion.
Prepare for the Future
As we continue to move forward with the advancements in technology your business will need to stay constant and up-to-date. You should always leave room for growth within your network and leave license room to add on more devices and interfaces. Understand that with growth and evolution, memory usage, disk space, and bandwidth usage will grow exhausted. Calculate accordingly.
Integrate Network Monitoring
If you take the steps to unify the different products and solutions used to advance the security of your IT infrastructure, you will experience less downtime and greater productivity.
If you have any further questions or concerns regarding network monitoring, call Hill Country Tech Guys for a free consultation.