Network management is filled with Aha moments. Having dealt with 100s of IT managers, there’s something new to learn every day.  Simple Network Management Protocol-based monitoring systems are the day-to-day workhorse for IT operations. Though it’s the go-to platform for network information and updates, there are inherent information gaps and blind spots that invariably leave one groping for answers when problems arise.

SNMP monitoring is comprised of status updates. The information represents system and device state conditions (up, down, utilization % etc.) and status changes (threshold alert). Useful for monitoring up-time and available but lacking details to find out WHY something is happening. When complaints start to roll into a help desk, SNMP-based systems often fall short in providing insight to solve problems.

When you need to know what’s happening on a network, 9 out of 10 people will reach for a network analyzer. Analyzers have been around since the time of flat topologies and network hubs. They collect packets directly from the network and present findings in long form. One of the most popular tools is Wireshark. It simplifies searching for a needle in a haystack (all communications on the network) by laying all the straws (packets contain the detailed information) end-to-end, literally presenting everything in order from the 1st to 10,000th packet. All you need to do is examine each packet and know what you’re looking for.  Even in the hands of a skilled user, it’s a very time-consuming process while problems go unresolved.

Rather than using packet analysis as the means of last resort, we used it as our starting foundation. Continuous packet analysis decodes and delivers the most valuable information about a network and business operations over any other monitoring or log aggregation system.  We coupled this to an enterprise relational database to store and query the data, and then created an easy-to-use point-n-click interface to examine and understand the information. Now, whenever you need to know why the network is slow, who’s hogging all the bandwidth or why someone can’t get their email, the answers are just clicks away.

Inspector is not a new piece of technology to manage, but a better process to get more from your existing technologies. It complements SNMP-based platforms by continuously tracking all network activity and communications. When you know exactly how much bandwidth was consumed hour by hour and minute by minute for any user, system or application, troubleshooting becomes “no trouble at all” because problems can be fixed before they become a disruption.

Please give Inspector a try. We offer a free evaluation, comprehensive and confidential end-to-end network analysis that’s fast, easy and non-disruptive to your operations.

http://www.congruitytech.com

303-800-5421