What can network monitoring systems monitor?

Network monitoring becomes useless when you cannot track the right things. The usual areas to be examined for network monitoring are bandwidth usage, application performance and server performance. It is like a fundamental task, on which all other network-building and -maintenance tasks are based. It generally concentrates on resources that support internal end users. So network monitoring systems have evolved to oversee an assortment of devices:

• BlackBerrys
• Cell phones
• Servers and desktops
• Routers
• Switches

Some network monitoring systems have inbuilt automatic discovery, which enables them the ability to continuously record devices as they're added, removed or undergo configuration changes. These tools segregate devices dynamically. Some common rubrics are:

• IP address
• Service
• Type (switch, router, etc.)
• Physical location

Beyond the obvious advantage of knowing exactly — and in real time — what you have deployed, automatic discovery and categorization of segments helps you plan for growth.