Networking management systems (NMS) deployed in large, complex environments need to have the flexibility to adapt to the pace at which the systems they monitor grow and evolve. Many IT administrators find themselves saddled with a management solution that has long since been outgrown by the very environments they were intended to monitor.

If your NMS is giving you flashbacks of the days of the floppy disk, it might be time to start investigating some alternatives

IT engineers need reliable information on their environments to manage it effectively. Network management systems that are incapable of performing equal to the pace of today’s bustling, super-complex, multi-connected systems will leave your engineers feeling their way in the dark when problems arise. So what does a dynamic and adaptable monitoring system do that a static, outdated solution can’t? For starters, a dynamic monitoring solution will detect almost any device type on the network and poll it without requiring user-intervention. In short, if it can acquire an IP address, your network management system should be capable of monitoring, alerting and reporting on it 

NMS developers walk a tightrope when designing management systems that need to be both lightweight and multifaceted to simplify management of complex information systems. Auto-discovery and data-intake should occur almost seamlessly to give you valuable metrics and alerting about your systems. In addition, your network might dictate some unique monitoring requirements and if your current management system lacks customisability, you may be battling to get the output you desire.

Your management system should give you detailed visibility.

A common problem with many network management systems is that they lack well-designed user interfaces and present data in a somewhat clunky and disorganised way. With the range of device-types found in enterprises and Telco environments, graphical representations and well-designed interfaces play an important part in how quickly volumes of data can be re-purposed into valuable, actionable information. Detailed visibility includes the capacity to look at live, real-time events and also to explore historical data for more detailed and exploratory reporting and analytics. Performance and trend analysis rely on the ability to take a look at your network over specific time periods to draw informed conclusions based on the information available. Without historical data to draw from, you’re not really able to get that kind of insight into your environment.

Network management needs vary based on the size, type and geographical layout of organisations, and those needs grow and change as your organisation dictates. Your network management system needs that flexibility to remain relevant in fast-changing networks that can change in complexity at short notice.

Image credit: Pixabay

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