Considerations for selecting the right Monitoring and Reporting solution

Considerations for selecting the right Monitoring and Reporting solution When looking

to integrate network monitoring or diagnostic capabilities to an existing network, there are many considerations that need to be looked at. Through this article we will describe different ways in which we will compare and contrast different monitoring solution and decide on what key factors are needed in choosing the right monitoring solution within an infrastructure. Implementation and Administration Most vendors all offer many features and benefits, some more than others and some different than the rest. But in order to keep implementation time, administration and cost to an overall low. We need to consider what needs to be managed and what features are most critical. Many vendors offer suites of capabilities that can be mixed and matched. But the benefits of choosing a vendor with multiple products is leveraged integration; the drawback in getting more tools than are needed, can lead to administration overkill and complexity across the network. Bandwidth and Monitoring Degradation in bandwidth performance across a network, could lead to significant productivity loss. In order to be sure that no unwanted traffic / network abuse /network attack is happening at any point in time. Strong network visibility must be ensured at all times by utilizing the following key aspects: Ensuring optimal bandwidth for critical applications Quickly and proactively troubleshoot any network incidents finding the root cause of problem. Being able accurately measure capacity planning for future application deployment Ensuring the QoS delivered by the ISP in line with the terms of the agreement Forecast and extrapolate bandwidth consumption over a period of time Provide a Global view of all external sites across geographical network layout Knowledge of traffic across the network and what causes bandwidth consumption can help determine behavioral anomalies and a better understanding of what goes on across an entire network infrastructure. This sort of information is crucial to the network administrators in order to enforce appropriate policies to restrict undesired bandwidth usage. Installation, Configuration and Deployment A good solution always begins by not having to undergo multiple steps during the installation and configuration phase in order to get it up and running. If the solution requires adding new equipment besides the main core on to the network, then it may not be the right one. If deployment requires vendor training and certification on how to use the product, then it also might not be the right one. Essentially, any product that takes more than an entire day to implement will probably render costly and valuable staff time in the long run. The fact of the matter is that an adequate solution should not require extra hardware or support by vendors in an deployment process. Real- time & Historical reporting Both capabilities must be taken into consideration in order to determine how the network reports on the data it collects. Tools that report in real-time often do so for problem detection and remediation. Real-time reporting isn't actually real-time; it is near real-time and it will help resolve performance problems perhaps before end users notice service degradation or a failed service. Historical reporting often times is useful to mark usage trends and plan for capacity going forward. The data collected over time can deliver valuable information around performance patterns as well. The solution must be able to provide back logs of past events in order to compare yearly or monthly data. Latency, jitter and Performance Monitoring The solution must provide the ability to track round trip response times for all connections. Every connection must be timed to determine how long it takes for a connection request to be completed. Tracking round trip response times helps to identify slow connections, where the lag is occurring;

(e.g. Is it server or network based issue, and is the latency a result of high connection or high bandwidth loads). Must be able to set application latency and jitter thresholds alerts Alert IT staff of Network/VoIP/Application lag and jitter BEFORE issues is noticed. Identify who, when, what destination is experiencing connection lag Ability to perform detailed forensic audits on users and systems to resolve connection issues Track failed connection and determine if these are viruses, worms or misconfigured systems Determine if lag and jitter is Server, Network or WAN related and deliver root cause analysis Integration Many vendors use standard protocols such as SNMP or can collect Cisco's NetFlow data, but some products also have their own proprietary protocols that might cause an integration headache when coupled together with multiple tools. You might want to consider not using Netflow or any flow protocols due within your environment due to limitations from routers and switches in an infrastructure. We must also consider the fact that these protocols can generate a load on the network. For this reason the solution must; Enable light weight protocols such as (CBT, SNMP or RMON) Not generate any unnecessary traffic on the network Cost and Pricing Consideration A key factor in choosing a monitoring solution is its cost and return on investment. When considering a monitoring solution; implementation, hardware and software cost must also be brought into perspective. Consideration must also be given to how flexible the solution is. No solution can meet all requirements. How much time, effort and cost will be involved in tuning the solution to meet the needs, can help in determining the total cost of the solution.

Considerations for selecting the right Monitoring and Reporting solution

By: Johnny Soueidan

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