A good network monitoring platform can help your business track network performance, ultimately setting you up for higher efficiency and productivity. But with so many network monitoring solutions on the market, you may be overwhelmed with choices.
How do you choose the right network monitoring platform for your needs?
These are some of the most important tips for choosing the right network monitoring software:
1. Assess your needs. Before you even start your first online search, you should take some time to assess your organization's needs. What is your motivation for securing network monitoring software? Have you been having trouble with outages recently? Are you interested in scaling your business in the most effective way? Are you just interested in optimizing for network availability and productivity overall? Beyond that, think about any existing software that you're using and any limitations associated with those pieces of software. For example, have you used network monitoring systems in the past? If so, what were their critical limitations? And what might a better network monitoring platform look like? The better you understand your organization's needs – including how and why those needs haven't been met in the past – the better your ultimate decision will be.
2. Evaluate your priorities. Next, evaluate your priorities. If you've already done a deep dive on your organizational needs with respect to network monitoring, this should be relatively straightforward. What are the critical features you need to be successful in this space? How much are you willing to pay for network monitoring software? What things are you willing to compromise on and what things will you not budge on? If torn between two very similar products, how would you break the tie? If you know all these things going in, you'll have a much easier time sorting through the various network monitoring platforms on the market.
3. Broaden your search. You may already be familiar with one or two network monitoring platforms, especially if you've used some in the past. You may have even gotten a referral from someone you trust. But if you want to choose the best network monitoring software for your organization, it's a good idea to broaden your search. In other words, reach further and explore more potential platforms. This should make it much more likely for you to find what you need – and make it easier to compare between your available options.
4. Take advantage of free trials. Most software companies offer free trials of their services before you have to commit to payment. As you start exploring different network monitoring platforms, you'll probably be able to rule out some options immediately. But if a piece of software seems like it's worth considering, take advantage of a free trial for it. This is your best opportunity to learn how the software works, get a feel for how it flows, and start speculating about how you might use it in your organization.
5. Compare apples to apples. As you begin narrowing down your list, it will become more important for you to compare software platforms directly. Because network monitoring software comes in so many different forms and styles, it's important that you compare products apples to apples. In other words, compare these platforms as directly and evenly as you can.
6. Highlight usability. Obviously, core features and functionality are important, but you also need to consider usability. Appropriately designed, usable pieces of software are much more painless to use, and they make it easier to train your new employees. If usability isn't on your current list of priorities, consider adding it.
7. Consider scalability. If you plan to grow your organization, you’ll need to think about scalability as well. Network monitoring software can help you scale your IT network, but you also need to choose a piece of software that can scale with you. Is this platform going to serve you equally well in the future?
8. Introduce it to the team. Before making any final decisions, consult with the rest of your IT team. Have them try the product, get their feedback, and take their opinions seriously. If they have any legitimate objections, consider them carefully.
Choosing a network monitoring platform is a major step forward for your IT department. But you also need to think about how you're going to integrate and use your network monitoring platform once it's been secured. Consider taking some time to educate and train your employees on how to use this software, and set parameters for how it's supposed to be used. Formally document these processes so they can be followed well into the future in a consistent way.
