What is Network Monitoring?

Network Monitoring is a process that enables IT professionals to determine whether a network is working properly in terms of performance, uptime and endpoint availability. Network monitoring tools help Managed Service Providers and IT Departments gain full visibility into the digital networks they manage. By relying on real-time automated device discovery, asset inventory and topology mapping, network monitoring tools enable full visibility on all network-based devices and IT assets. These systems are designed for proactive network monitoring, to prevent issues and to provide instant status updates and alerts about the network and devices.

Network monitoring and management systems can make sure that network-based devices like switches, routers, servers, load balancers, printers, firewalls, and anything that has an IP address and is connected to the network, are monitored for fault and availability and evaluated to optimize their performance.

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What Advantages NMS?

What are the advantages of a good Network Monitoring System?

Network Monitoring Software enables IT departments and Technology Service Providers to look at any digital network holistically and monitor anything on that network from firewalls and routers, to wireless access points and managed switches. It helps ensure that all devices are functioning correctly, that they are online and performing as expected.


“The number one reason that I see Service Providers leveraging our Network Monitoring Software is for the network asset monitoring and inventory: two fundamental aspects of monitoring IT networks.

One of the things that Domotz does when you first deploy an agent onto your network is to scan that network and look for all the MAC addresses that it sees.

But where Domotz becomes really powerful is in its capability of taking those MAC addresses and converting them into real world terms: you can then see the make of that device, the model number of that device, what type of device it is, so we’re really classifying all these MAC addresses that are out there, all these network-based devices into something that is usable and documentable for Technology Service Providers and IT professionals.”

J.B. Fowler - Chief Product Officer, Domotz

What are the key elements of Network Monitoring?

01. Network Inventory Asset Management

A network management system provides full knowledge of the networks being managed with real-time automated device discovery. Network devices are automatically discovered, identified and classified. Devices connected to managed switches and Wireless Access Points (WAPS) are automatically detected and located. Network topology mapping is another powerful feature of a network monitoring system. This feature provides full visibility and actionable insights on all network-based devices, IT asset inventories and infrastructures. Through integrations, devices are documented and tracked in real time using a preferred tool for professional services automation (PSA), documentation or productivity. Relying on a real-time asset inventory system also helps service providers to implement best practices in relation to cybersecurity and compliance.


02. Proactive Network Monitoring and Alerts

Adopting good proactive monitoring software enables the identification of issues at the network and device level so they can be fixed in real-time. By relying on SNMP resource usage monitoring and TCP service monitoring alerts are received when a problem occurs, so service providers can be proactive in resolving issues. In addition, features such as device response monitoring allow a simple, hassle-free way to periodically ping every single device on a network. This feature also provides WAN and LAN performance measures, statistics, alerts, and graphs to make sure network infrastructure is performing at its best.


“Through Domotz services, we've identified critical offline devices, network issues that we escalate to ISP's, troubleshot Zigbee connectivity issues, and even performed an out of band multi-router reboot to complete a remote LAN IP change (we don't suggest this...it's very stressful).

We use the service almost every day to visualize, monitor, or inspect something at remote sites.”

Derek Alldritt - BlackBridge Systems Inc.


03. Remote Management

For those looking to connect to devices remotely, network monitoring software can be used to remotely access any device on a network.

The remote management features accessible via network monitoring software should include:

  • Secure Remote Connection
  • Remote Power Management
  • Network Configuration Management
  • Versioning and Backup
  • Access Points Management

Secure remote connection features automatically scan open ports for available services and enable devices to be remotely accessed with a single click. This functionality can be used for Web Services (HTTP, HTTPS), Remote Desktop (RDP), and Console Access.

Network monitoring tools also allow the power cycling of devices from a distance with remote power management features for controlling PDUs, PoE switches and software-enabled devices.


“We’re putting Domotz on all our major jobs now. I really like that it’s like a remote AngryIP scanner on steroids. Especially love that we can log into any IP connected device and control it.”

Light Maleski - Field Operations Manager, eDesign Group


04. Security Threats Identification

No system, device or network, are above network security threats and vulnerabilities.

Many fields of cybersecurity are becoming more specialized nowadays requiring equally specialized MSPs, IT and Security Professionals to deal with these threats. To provide effective security to their clients, MSPs have to constantly improve their security expertise. They need to be able to set up security alerts for key events in the network monitoring system they use.

Being able to rely on features like network security scans enables service providers to identify and categorize network security threats and irregularities in their systems. Most importantly, notifications are sent when an unexpected device connects to a network and when configuration files associated with critical network components, such as routers or firewalls, are changed. Most people don't realize the importance of getting network monitoring alerts about new devices on the network until the network falls victim to an attack.

A network monitoring system ensures a network is more secure and protected from threats by leveraging features such as: 2FA, SSO, and centralized access to a network. In addition, more advanced network systems may have security cameras in place to physically monitor the network and a network monitoring solution should give the ability to monitor these security cameras and view footage in real-time too.


05. Scalability

Cloud solutions are becoming the standard for many software companies as they allow for faster, more scalable and easy deployment of new networks and technologies.

Deploying new software or technology often requires considerable investment so it is important to demonstrate the potential ROI of these upgrades before they are implemented . However, this is challenging to do if a network environment is not being proactively monitored and managed because it is difficult to show if a new software or technology delivered measurable results.

With a reliable network monitoring and management tool in place, IT professionals are equipped with historic data about how network equipment has performed over a period of time. This gives IT teams the ability to create an insightful picture of how a network will be able to support the launch of new technology.

By adopting solid network management software, service providers can provide their clients with the latest cutting edge technology which includes features like; mobile network access, easier maintenance, scalable deployment capabilities, efficiency, competitiveness and most importantly a higher standard of security.

NMS Connection

How can network monitoring software like Domotz help your IT business?

  • Monitor everythingMonitor remote networks and unlimited devices with network discovery capabilities and real-time diagnostics, monitoring and management. You must know and understand your clients’ networks to better support them!
  • Automate moreDomotz integrates with the major PSA and Ticketing systems to offer even greater automation capabilities, including immediately generating tickets when alerts are detected. This allows you to automatically perform a variety of diagnostic and preventive maintenance routines for your clients to identify potential issues before they become major problems.
  • Integrate with the biggestDomotz includes over 1000+ integrations with the hardware and software systems you already use on a daily basis like: access points, network switches, PDUs and firewalls, documentation systems and messaging apps.
  • Troubleshoot in real timeOur network monitoring software gives you all device details and network information at your fingertips so when something does go wrong you can investigate and solve the issue faster than ever.
  • Troubleshoot in real timeOur network monitoring software gives you all device details and network information at your fingertips so when something does go wrong you can investigate and solve the issue faster than ever.
  • Offer new monitoring and management servicesDomotz gives you the possibility to add new services to your offering like IoT device monitoring, security camera monitoring, Point of Sale Systems, Digital Signage, unified communications monitoring, etc. as a way to generate additional revenue.
NMS how to start

How to start your network monitoring journey?

  • Define what is important for you to monitorThink about what you need to monitor and why before choosing your network monitoring software. Evaluate which devices are crucial to your network infrastructure and if there are specific services crucial to business continuity. Monitor anything that makes up the backbone of the network like routers, firewalls, access points and switches.
  • Choose the right network monitoring software A good network monitoring tool should provide you with the features your business needs. The technology you choose to manage your networks should be accessible remotely and support all types of hardware and devices, regardless of the brand or whether they support a cloud solution. You’ll likely need in-depth information about the network architectures you manage, so be sure the network monitoring software you choose includes network topology mapping software features that will automatically plot the endpoints and interconnectedness of your networks.

    In addition, you’ll want to choose software with great automated device discovery features, pre-defined and customizable dashboards. Of course, it is also good if the solution you select can go above and beyond this. Some of the most desirable features in a network monitoring system include; remote power management, SNMP and TCP monitoring and device response time monitoring.

“Domotz SNMP monitoring has been super powerful so far. It has helped a lot in the conversation with our Hardware support team in showing the temperature history on a switch and the power from an UPS.”

Matt Donnelly - Mitchell and Company


  • Adopt a network monitoring system with great supportMake sure that the network monitoring software you choose is equipped with excellent customer support. After all, you want to be sure that if you ever experience any issue, you will get the help you need quickly. Ensure you will be dealing with an experienced and reputable support team that can provide great customer service when dealing with your support requests.
NMS All in One

Domotz: An all-in-one solution for your IT Service Business

Domotz is an all-in-one solution for businesses of all sizes including MSPs, IT and Security Professionals and System Integrators. Our customers around the world rely on Domotz because it is highly automated, helps to streamline operations and prevents business risk.

Domotz allows you to remotely and proactively manage and monitor all your networks, in real time, from anywhere.


“I just wanted to report that Domotz is an absolutely great service. Support has been on top of any issues I have had and been very helpful.

This is one of the top network device monitoring applications I have used.”

David A. Loegering - CEH Security Consultant, Dark Horse IT LLC


Often complex solutions require you to purchase extra tools and as a result, they can become difficult and expensive to deploy. In contrast to this, Domotz already integrates with all the major technology and systems you use, providing an all-in-one and simplified platform for proactive network monitoring.

Conclusion

Choose Domotz network monitoring software to gain more visibility across your networks. Proactively monitor devices and prevent issues before they become real problems.


“Since Domotz is on the market, we deploy this nice and useful monitoring application at each customer site.

All of our engineers love this tool that allows us to interact *immediately* after a network event occurred in a way *before* customers are recognizing a failure.”

Max Siegrist - onSpirix Inc


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