06 December 2024
Martin Hodgson, Director, Paessler GmbH
IT monitoring presents most enterprises with quite a dilemma: you need to invest a lot of time and money in something that, in the best-case scenario, will never be needed. On the other hand, you can’t do without monitoring.
Every enterprise is dependent on the availability and performance of its IT. Businesses are required to keep on top of an ever-growing number of systems, even as cyber-attacks increase in scale and sophistication. With so many solutions to choose from, how can leaders ensure they select a monitoring tool that suits the unique needs of their enterprise? Here are the key considerations for enterprises when choosing a network monitoring solution.
Broad solutions vs. specialist solutions
An enterprise needs two types of monitoring tools to support day-to-day operations, if it operates under a traditional IT environment. When buying new kit, business leaders should consider both IT infrastructure monitoring tools (ITIM) and network performance monitoring and diagnostics tools (NPMD).
Businesses can first consider broad solutions, which offer easy implementation and operation. Such solutions monitor entire infrastructures or networks with all their components, including superficial traffic measurement, always focusing on a holistic overview rather than deep analysis. These monitoring tools provide the foundation for the day-to-day operation of an IT environment.
But ideally, enterprises should consider combining a broader monitoring tool with a specialist solution: a broad solution takes care of the initial alerting and shows correlations to other areas, while a specialised solution will enable more in-depth root cause analysis.
Only buy what you need
It’s critical to analyse the actual requirements within the business before sourcing new kit, to avoid running into unnecessary investments. Start from a strong foundation and only buy what is really needed. An accurate inventory is elementary. Enterprise leaders should work with their network teams to assess whether they need to monitor IT infrastructure, network, or both.
Some enterprises might want to prioritise quick alerting in the event of an issue. Others may prioritise a tool that can offer in-depth analyses for finding the root cause following a system breach, as well as long-term optimisation. Many enterprises may find they only need a selective extension of an existing monitoring setup. Or existing monitoring tools may be improved following integration into a new, higher-level monitoring scenario. Some businesses will need to implement a completely new, homogeneous overall concept. That’s why it’s critical for leaders to analyse the actual requirements within the company before sourcing new kit, to avoid running into unnecessary investments.
When sourcing new kit, many companies opt for open-source software with the hope of setting up a quick, inexpensive solution. This is something to watch out for, because at a first glance, these systems offer significant advantages. They are usually customisable and can be used with no license cost. A closer look, however, usually shows that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. The above average effort required for implementation and configuration, as well as the often-limited range of functions, are drawbacks that cannot be ignored. For the most part, only basic functions are integrated, which are not capable of detailed network monitoring. The lack of responsible manufacturers is another problem: product support is generally provided by the community and is correspondingly unreliable, often leaving the user to solve problems and answer questions themselves.
Meeting the demands of a hybrid environment
Cloud first strategies can make sense and have a clear appeal. But, if your enterprise does decide to run hybrid infrastructure, it needs comprehensive monitoring to match and ensure availability and performance. Otherwise, the lack of acceptance and efficiency of the hybrid environment will quickly negate any potential benefits.
Innovations in monitoring solutions have made it possible to integrate the private and public cloud as well as traditional IT infrastructure with the design of workflow, optimising employee experience and promoting better security at the same time. Businesses that consolidate all of their monitoring data in one tool can achieve centralised dashboards and alerting for the most holistic picture. These comprehensive tools bring data from all locations, from OT environments, IIoT sensors, wired and wireless networks, and traditional IT devices and systems, under one umbrella.
Key considerations when it comes to cost
Having the ability to use what is right - at the lowest cost - is key.
The price point for a solution will depend on the size of a company and the number of devices that require monitoring. SMBs might use inexpensive introductory solutions as a first step. While introductory monitoring solutions offer only a limited function range, they at least provide a foundation through bandwidth monitoring. Because of the reduced range, this type of software is suitable for smaller networks or for an introduction into network monitoring. If monitoring should be expanded, a transition to a solution with higher performance and more extensive monitoring becomes necessary.
All-in-one monitoring tools can be beneficial because they offer flexible price points, where solutions can be adjusted to growing network structures through scalable licenses. As well as quick installation, all-in-one solutions often come with professional, reliable manufacturer support. All the same, the price ranges from Euro500-50,000 and higher – one more reason to analyse the actual requirements within a company to avoid running into unnecessary investments.
Look out for transparency in licensing models
While selecting a solution, it’s important to ensure that the manufacturer provides a transparent licensing model. This prevents the user from having to buy necessary functions as separate add-ons. Enterprises should also look out for the ISO 9001 certification, a globally recognised standard for quality management. Monitoring tools that hold this certification are solutions that will likely deliver when it comes to customer satisfaction, well-functioning processes, and high-quality product parts.
