Get proactive with your network performance and troubleshooting

When it comes to network performance and troubleshooting you have two options – be reactive or proactive!

Your network operations (NetOps) center wants reliable, trouble-free network performance. Your security operations (SecOps) center needs a protected network to avoid attacks. And end-users want a hassle-free experience. 

Staying proactive is the key to satisfying all these parties, but all too often, NetOps and SecOps teams react only after end-users start complaining about problems or when an attack is identified.

Network performance monitoring and diagnostic (NPMD) software can and should play a critical role as you strive to minimize downtime and spot problems before they impact end-users. Failure to do so means leaving valuable cost savings on the table. 

NPMD software helps to establish normal network performance with expected throughput and latency. These metrics help you avoid network blind spots so you can identify any unusual activity or performance problems. Continuous monitoring helps resolve outages more quickly and minimize degradation. It can even help teams identify ways to optimize performance. 

NPMD software has diagnostic, analysis, and debugging capabilities, and alerts teams via alarms and reports about any network abnormalities so that administrators can isolate specific problem areas to minimize downtime. 

Network visibility is especially important in light of the massive security risks facing enterprises today. The ability to spot potential security lapses allows teams to patch vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Companies cannot afford to have network blind spots if they want to keep their customers happy. 

NPMD software protects your business with network visibility

Problematic latency, micro-outages and reduced bandwidth are frustrating to workers and customers alike. Beyond disruptions, however, there’s a great risk of sensitive data—whether it be business intelligence or personal information—being held for ransom or stolen. The best NPMD solutions detect common network problems, such as:

• Performance degradation: Active tests such as RFC5357 (TWAMP) and MEF compliant (Y.731) (much more accurate and scalable than traditional ping tests) are conducted to provide next generation analytics systems with long-term packet loss and latency statistics to establish and identify deviations from baseline values and alert NetOps teams when degradations occur.
• Configuration errors: When network changes are made, configuration mistakes are common and can cause delays for users that take hours to resolve. NPMD solutions can help prevent these problems through proper validation of any network changes.
• Sensor failures: NPMD solutions help keep a close eye on all the areas of technology that are tough to monitor when a team is already burdened by ongoing tasks related to equipment maintenance and monitoring. This keeps sensors functioning at peak efficiency.

Why network performance tools are not all the same

The best NPMD solutions are easy to use and come with customizable network maps, dashboards, and alerts. One-click functions can provide immediate access to a wide range of monitoring settings and reports.

For example, a survey found that 96 percent of NetOps teams have been budgeting for enhanced monitoring tools specifically designed to better support users working from home. The report from Enterprise Management Associates, which analyzed the findings of its survey of 312 NetOps professionals, indicated that more than half of respondents (54.2%) are seeking tools that provide stronger security-related insights into home-office environments, and nearly half (49.4%) need more scalability in their tools because the teams themselves are operating in more locations and have to detect and fix problems quickly across the enterprise.

To meet the varying needs of enterprises, an array of platforms are available on the market today, with features that may include:

• Monitoring of end-user experience across the cloud, network, and applications, with capabilities that work together to analyze performance and usage in all these areas
• Special sensors that detect mobile devices and applications to go beyond the capabilities of traditional sensors
• Plug-in modules that support bandwidth analysis, netflow traffic, VoIP, and quality management for specialized network environments that require integrated NetOps/SecOps oversight 
• Ability to work with unstructured data by converting it into wire data for stronger, more comprehensive insights
• Analytics that can be used in planning network and server resources 
• Machine learning that helps advise teams on network and security performance, troubleshooting, planning, and cost management

Find the best solution for NetOps/SecOps convergence 

As technology grows more complicated, so do the challenges facing NetOps and SecOps teams. For NetOps and SecOps to converge, you need solutions that unify efforts and get to the root cause of problems more quickly. 

Given the size of the NPMD market and all the different options available, the right fit for your organization may not be immediately obvious. Accedian Skylight is a performance management solution for your network, cloud, and applications that can be deployed virtually or through a hardware-based appliance. It provides NetOps and SecOps teams with network traffic analysis, cybersecurity functionality, and automation to generate performance data and monitor what’s going on in both physical and virtual environments. 

With Accedian Skylight, you get the best of all worlds for NetOps/SecOps convergence and are assured of thorough monitoring for quick diagnosis and resolution of issues. 

Get a free copy of our guide on how to integrate NetOps and SecOps so you can take a holistic approach to stay proactive with network security.