Network Monitoring Tools
Network monitoring tools can have many important functions that can increase the scaleability and usefulness of a network. They ensure that the computers and devices on the network are functioning at the highest level possible, and are available. They also can help increase the productivity and ease of an IT department's job, so it's important that they choose the right product that suits their needs the best. Network monitoring software detects and reports failures of connections and devices. Typically it does this by sending watchdog messages over the network to each host to check that it is responsive to requests. It will double check that all computers and devices are up to speed by measuring the processor utilization of hosts, bandwidth, and any other important aspects of that organizations operation. When the software detects failures, slow responses, or other unexpected behavior, it will then notify the system administrator by sending an alert to a designated location such as an email address or phone number. Many tools now have an included smart phone app that will notify the system administrator of alerts and allow them to remotely check on the networks operations. There are hundreds of different programs that can preform these functions and more. They also have a very wide price range--anywhere from free to hundreds of dollars--so its important to do a comparison of the different ones to see which has features that would best suit the company that will be using it. A very small company might be okay with just using Ping software. This software is included in most computers and is a very basic way to test that two computers are connected, and connection performance. A larger company or one looking for greater scalability might choose from one of hundreds of other programs with various features that increase the ease of network monitoring. One new and advanced program that a company might consider is offered by GoToAssist. One benefit of this company