Network Monitoring Best Practice: The Secret to Secure and Smooth Networks!
Network monitoring is essential for maintaining the health of your network and network and its infrastructure. The best practices to network monitoring include many processes that need to be completed in sequence to ensure your organization knows everything there is to know about the network’s functions, and what needs fixing if anything’s broken.
There is a specific list of best practices that help us monitor and optimize a network as long as we have the information we need. Thus, let’s get started right now.
Network Best Practices:
1. Define Clear Objectives
Identify Key Metrics
Here is where you determine which metrics are crucial for your network. The factors in this case include bandwidth usage, network latency, data packet loss, and overall error rates across the network. Identifying these metrics and logging them for maintenance would be the first step to ensuring a safe and efficient network.
Set Performance Baselines
Now that you’ve identified the metrics that need to be monitor, the next step would be to come up with a baseline so that it will be possible to parse the monitoring data and identify points of concern that will help us differentiate between standard network operations and anomalies that need to be examined.
2. Choose the Right Tools
Comprehensive Monitoring Tools
Real-time monitoring has its advantages. Employing monitoring software made by network experts is a sure-fire way to make sure you keep your eye on the ball Examples of such software include SolarWinds, PRTG Network Monitor, Nagios, and certain proprietary software that’s only available to certain companies.
Scalability
Your network needs to be scalable, but so do the tools you use to monitor them, or you could risk not having vital data on your network’s functions.
Compatibility
The monitoring tools chosen should be compatible with all the components of the network to allow for a unified approach to network monitoring.
3. Monitor End-to-End Network Performance
Device Monitoring
We will be able to keep an eye on routers, switches, firewalls, and other network devices to ensure they’re all functioning normally with the potential for nearly instant troubleshooting if an issue is detected.
Application Monitoring
Your web applications could be critical to your network’s function and purpose. In such cases, it’s important to be able to monitor the performance of such critical web applications and network services.
User Experience
We’ll also be able to track metrics that affect user experience, such as response times and availability which will let us know if they’re having any issues accessing any data that they should be able to access.
4. Implement Proactive Monitoring
Real-Time Alerts
The ability to set up alerts for key performance indicators allows for all people involved to get notified of potential issues as soon as they are discovered by the monitoring tools, usually before many users are even aware of said issues.
Trend Analysis
We will be able to parse the data we receive and use the available historical data to identify patterns that will help us predict performance issues that may affect your network later on.
5. Regularly Review and Update Network Configurations
Configuration Management
We will be able to keep a record of network configurations and changes for posterity. We’ll also be sure to use the industry’s best practices to regularly audit these configurations to ensure they meet the best practices and hold up to the highest of security standards.
Automated Backups
Automated backups will help ensure that your server settings and data are not lost in event of a power outage.
6. Ensure Network Security
Intrusion Detection
We’ll make use of the finest intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to monitor suspicious activity and to keep it to a minimum alongside maintaining Firewall monitoring best practices.
Access Controls
The best way to maintain network security is to Implement strict access controls and to limit the number of people who can access the network’s administrator settings.
Regular Audits
You (we) will need to conduct regular security audits. This is to to identify existing and potential vulnerabilities. This is also to ensure compliance with security policies enforced by the law.
7. Conduct Regular Training and Updates
Staff Training
Regardless of how vigilantly we monitor and maintain a network. It is important Regularly train and retrain your existing staff on how to use network monitoring tools and maintain best practices so as to keep your network free from intrusion due to accidents on the employee’s side.
Stay Updated
We’ll do everything to make sure you and your organization are able to keep up with the latest developments in network monitoring technology.
8. Document Everything
Comprehensive Documentation
Any network will benefit from flawless bookkeeping, or in this case, the maintenance of detailed documentation regarding the network architecture. This includes configurations, existing monitoring setups, and detailed incident responses.
Troubleshooting Database
The above information is then used to track and understand common issues and their resolutions, thus streamlining the troubleshooting process when needed.
We at Sensoft Solutions believe in dotting the Is and crossing the Ts in every process. After all, when it comes to monitoring your network, no shortcuts will do. We will make sure you have the best in network infrastructure monitoring best practices.
Aiming to improve your IT infrastructure? Our staff is here to assist you with your inquiries, professional advice, and tailored solutions. Send us a message and we'll be ready to protect your business data!
