What is Network Monitoring? How it Works & Use Cases?

network monitoring and management

Introduction 

Network monitoring is a process that helps you monitor your networks and make sure everything is running smoothly. It’s an automated process that allows you to check your network traffic and performance at any time. The best part is that it can be done without having to buy expensive software or hire someone with specialized knowledge of the technology. 

In this article, we will cover: What is network monitoring? How does it work? Use cases for network monitoring and management. 

What is Network Monitoring? 

Network monitoring is the process of measuring, collecting, and analyzing data about the performance of a network. Network monitoring helps ensure that your network is running smoothly by detecting problems before they become major issues. This can also help you understand how users are using their devices on your network and help them get more from their experience with it. 

Network monitoring works in one of two ways: 

  • Detection: Detecting when there’s a problem on your network allows you to fix it sooner rather than later—and avoid expensive downtime costs associated with downtime caused by failure due to poor quality hardware or software 

How Does Network Monitoring Work? 

Network monitoring is a continuous process that helps you monitor network performance and detect issues quickly. It helps you find the root cause of an issue, so you can fix it faster and more effectively. 

Network monitoring relies on three key technologies: 

  • Application layer monitoring (ALM) technology—this is used to monitor traffic flows between hosts on your network, their applications and services, as well as how much bandwidth each has consumed over time; 
  • End-to-end visibility—you need this in order to see all devices within your network at once; 
  • Integration with other tools like SIEMs or log management solutions 

Types of Network Monitoring Methods 

Network monitoring methods are classified into two categories: 

  • Active network monitoring, also known as “live” or “real-time” monitoring. This type of monitoring involves analyzing packet data on the fly and attempting to detect anomalies before they happen or after it has already happened. 
  • Passive network monitoring, which involves collecting data from multiple sources over time and then analyzing them for anomalies. 

Use Cases for Network Monitoring and Management 

Network monitoring and management is used for various purposes. The following are some of the most common use cases: 

  • Monitoring network performance. Network performance can be affected by a variety of factors, including network latency and bandwidth utilization. Monitoring these metrics help you determine whether there’s enough capacity available to meet current demands without making drastic changes like adding more servers or upgrading hardware components in your infrastructure. 
  • Managing security threats to ensure that your network remains safe from cyberattacks by detecting suspicious activity on different devices within the system (e.g., hacking attempts). This ensures that you prevent any malicious activity before it occurs so that no harm comes to either yourself or others who may be affected by such an attack! 

Network monitoring is a continuous process that helps you monitor network performance. 

Network monitoring is a continuous process that helps you monitor network performance. The data collected is used to identify, isolate and troubleshoot problems. Network monitoring involves collecting information about the network’s performance, usage and other factors such as error messages or troubleshooting tools. It also helps in determining which devices are performing well or not so well on your network. 

Conclusion

Network monitoring is a useful tool for network administrators. It allows them to identify sources of network performance problems, correlate errors and provide the appropriate action plans to resolve those issues. Network monitoring solutions can be used for various purposes such as troubleshooting, application security testing and performance management.