Network performance management (NPM) is the collection of methods that manage, enable, and ensure a computer network’s optimal performance levels. Typically, network performance management demands the routine monitoring of quality and performance service levels for each network component and device.
Today, networks must be built and managed to accommodate a variety of devices, applications, and data types. Many factors contribute to the complexity of network setups today, including mobile device proliferation, data explosion, and cloud computing. Moreover, depending on changing business needs, IT professionals have to reconfigure the networks, optimize them, change settings, and even upgrade the infrastructure to make it more efficient.
Network performance monitoring helps you manage all these elements from a single tool.
Definition of Network Performance Monitoring
Network performance monitoring involves assessing and optimizing the various networking infrastructure components to improve performance and usage. Businesses cannot succeed without a reliable and efficient network in place. Therefore, IT professionals constantly monitor their company’s and clients’ network infrastructure to ensure it runs efficiently and optimally and data and information move securely and uninterruptedly.
In general, network performance management reviews performance metrics at a granular level from across the network. For example, it reviews router performance and measures it at each port.
Key network performance management functions include:
- Error rates
- Network delays
- Packet loss
- Packet transmission
- Throughput
Network performance management takes a proactive approach to identifying and reducing bottlenecks and other network problems. These issues affect not only end users, but also business operations as a whole, including basic internal maintenance tasks.
Modern IT infrastructure demands actionable insights made possible by end-to-end visibility because it is more complex than ever before. Networks deploy a broad range of components to improve productivity, enhance network performance, and enable a positive user experience.
NPM identifies and mitigates problems related to internal functions by assessing the performance metrics of each network infrastructure component. Real-time monitoring of performance data or performance logs enables IT teams to proactively resolve network-based performance issues by identifying potential causes of outages before they create a negative user experience.
This level of greater insight and the improved performance it enables are among the benefits of NPM.
How does Network Performance Monitoring work?
Network Performance Monitoring solutions traditionally collected data from a variety of sources: SNMP, flow data, and packets. Each provides a different perspective on the problem that when combined, provides a complete understanding of the health of your network and the applications running over it.
These solutions are typically available as hardware, virtual and cloud software so you have complete visibility across hybrid or multi-cloud environments.
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) manages and monitors network devices and their functions. One of the most widely supported protocols, it provides the information necessary for fast detection of network infrastructure outages and failures. SNMP delivers critical information and network diagnostics about network device and interface availability and other performance indicators, such as bandwidth utilization, packet loss, latency, errors, discards, CPU, and memory.
Monitoring Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) devices, such as routers, switches, and printers, allows system administrators to quickly detect and remediate potential issues before they can cause major damage to an organization’s productivity.
Standard monitoring of SNMP devices involves configuring network devices to report various pieces of data. This data gives a detailed view of the health and operational status of these devices. Network monitoring allows devices to generate alerts when events occur outside the set thresholds. This flags networking issues that can lead to IT system and service downtime.
For example, for network devices like routers and switches, SNMP monitoring can collect information such as interface metrics for operational status, bandwidth in and out, and errors in and out. For printers, information such as operational status, printer current status, detected error state, and printer cover (i.e., door) status can be collected.
SNMP is supported on an extensive range of hardware — from routers and switches to endpoints like printers, scanners, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Flow data
Flow data is generated by network devices, such as routers, switches, and other devices. Much like a phone bill that tells you who you spoke to, how long you talked, how often, etc., Flow data provides similar information. It lets you know who communicates with whom, when, how much data was transferred across the network, how long, how often, etc.
Network flow data monitoring is a way to get insights into the health of the network traffic, everything from the source and destination of the traffic to data transferred and the protocols used. It is combined with other network monitoring methods to comprehensively view a company’s network performance. Flow data is configured in devices like routers and switches and collects data from IP traffic.
When analyzing data, it doesn’t drill down to the details like packet capture monitoring methods. Still, it gives a general overview of the traffic that helps to identify anomalies in traffic patterns that can indicate a security incident.
Full packet capture
Packet capture is the term for passively copying a data packet that is crossing a specific point in a network and storing it for analysis. The packet is captured in real-time and stored for a period of time so that it can be analyzed. Packets help diagnose and solve network problems such as:
- Troubleshooting detrimental network and application activities
- Identifying security threats
- Troubleshooting network errors, like packet loss, retransmissions
- Understanding capacity issues
- Forensic network analysis for incident response
A packet consists of two things: the payload and a header. The payload is the actual contents – a voice call, an email message, etc. While the header contains metadata, including the packet’s source and destination address. Entire packets or specific portions of a packet can be captured and retained.
Packet capture is another way to analyze and detect anomalies in network traffic. Instead of looking at traffic summary, it intercepts and captures data packets from anywhere on the network or a subnet. Packets are bits of information that travel from the source to the destination. Information transmitted over a network is broken into smaller packets that take different routes to the destination server. At the receiver’s end, they combine to form the complete message.
Two ways to perform packet capture are network tap and port mirroring. A network tap involves placing a device between a switch and the destination server. Port mirroring uses a switch port to send a network packet copy to another switch port connected to a network monitoring connection.
Network Performance Metrics
Metrics measure a network’s performance and reveal the issues and areas for improvement. They help identify potential errors, outages, and malfunctions in real-time so that IT professionals can resolve them as soon as they arise. Additionally, metrics provide insights into whether network infrastructure and devices are performing optimally.
Below are the commonly used network performance metrics:
Latency
Latency metrics are used to calculate the lag or delay in data transmission over a network. Data transmits faster over a network with low latency and more slowly over a network with high latency.
Low latency networks are vital in today’s digital world where applications and services are provided online and data is stored and accessed in the cloud. Too much latency in a network can stop applications from working properly and hurt customer satisfaction and business operations.
Bandwidth
In simple terms, bandwidth is the amount of data transmitted over a network within a specific timeframe. An example is how quickly you can buffer or download a movie. The more data you can download quickly, the faster the network’s speed.
IT professionals analyze bandwidth data to optimize usage and stay within the bandwidth threshold. Going beyond the threshold will overburden the network and translate to connectivity issues, slow network, and lost hours in productivity.
Throughput
While bandwidth provides a theoretical insight into the data transmission rate, the throughput metric offers insights into actual data transmitted over different networks. It does this by checking how many data packets reach the destination server. When the throughput metric is low, it means that data packets are frequently lost or dropped from the network and must be retransmitted.
Packet loss
While transmitting over a network, data packets can drop, get lost, or be corrupted. When the latter happens, it disrupts the end-user experience and can be detrimental to business in the case of a client-facing service.
IT professionals analyze this metric to reduce packet losses caused by congestion on the network, faulty hardware, or software.
Jitters
A jitter is a variation in the delivery time of packets over a network. Data shared over a network arrives at its destination in smaller packets. Depending on how these packets travel, they may experience different network issues, such as congestion or equipment failures, that can impact their arrival times.
By reducing jitters, network administrators make data delivery smoother and less glitchy.
Network availability
Business operations are adversely affected by an unreliable network that suffers frequent outages. The result can be a significant reduction in productivity and revenue. Network availability is the simplest and most critical network performance metric that provides insights into how often a network is operational and available for use.
Features Of Network Performance Monitoring Software
A major focus of a network performance monitoring tool should be to collect long-term data from a network and display it for analysis in easy-to-read ways. In contrast to active and passive network monitoring systems, performance monitors are typically focused on the longer term.
The best tools will offer the following main features:
Monitoring: Once devices and applications are discovered, they should be constantly monitored across all network devices, applications, and wireless access points, with special attention paid to critical metrics like uptime or disk space.
Analysis: The best network performance monitoring tools should offer additional features to aid in troubleshooting and help network administrators drill down to the root causes of recurring issues.
Reporting: As issues and problems arise, it’s important for network performance monitoring tools to be able to generate and archive reports of network performance to establish baselines.
Visualization or Mapping: A network performance monitoring tool should visually recreate the connections between elements within a network to provide end-to-end visibility and improve analysis.
Discovery: A best-in-class solution should automatically search for all devices and applications within a network.
Alerting: Network performance monitoring tools should come equipped with customizable alerts so the right person is alerted as issues arise and they can solve problems on the fly and reduce downtime.
Best Network Performance Monitoring Tools
SolarWinds ipMonitor
SolarWinds ipMonitor® is a cost-effective solution for organizations looking for a quick network performance monitoring tool. Designed to monitor up/down time and performance for the most critical IT areas—including networks, servers, VMware hosts, and applications—the automated discovery process in ipMonitor also comes with built-in recommendations about the most critical elements of devices and applications to monitor.
You can use its automated alerts and maps for greater monitoring insights.
Paessler PRTG
PRTG is a good choice for monitoring bandwidth usage and uptime for organizations new to network monitoring tools. The tool can also provide reliable data around switches, servers, and routers. PRTG monitors all types of servers in real-time with regard to availability, accessibility, capacity, and overall reliability.
N-able Remote Monitoring and Management
Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) can help users provide reliable service for a vast number of networks. It is especially useful for managed service providers, which are responsible for monitoring hundreds of networks at once.
In addition to performing the most critical network performance monitoring tasks, such as extremely detailed reporting, RMM also provides quick and secure remote access capabilities, including documentation and password management.
ManageEngine OpManager
This is another good on-premises network performance monitoring software for those looking purely for on-premises solutions and using Windows or Linux operating systems. Primarily used by mid-sized companies, OpManager has been praised for its email and SMS alert system. However, some users report its interface can be difficult to use.
Designed to provide a scalable solution for businesses of any size, the OP5 Monitor is free for the first 20 devices. It remains a favorite open-source solution for its automatic alerts and robust reporting tools.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (Free Trial)
Built for networks of all sizes, SolarWinds is designed to be powerful, affordable, easy to use, and easy to maintain. This network performance monitoring software can help network professionals quickly detect, diagnose, and resolve network performance problems and outages. It offers automated alerts that can help you ensure issues don’t go overlooked.
You can also drill down on metrics using the NetPath™ hop-by-hop analysis tool and PerfStack™ for cross-stack metric comparison. When you’re monitoring to troubleshoot issues, we believe this level of detail makes a difference.
This NPM is built with over a hundred prebuilt reports designed to help teams configure and monitor networks out of the box. Because every network is different, it also comes with plenty of customization and automation options. SolarWinds can also help networks adapt to changing environments, as they offer on-premises, cloud, and hybrid solutions.
Benefits of Network Performance Monitoring Software
There are a few critical benefits automated tools can offer organizations:
Staff and Budget
With the adoption of numerous new devices and apps—coupled with the fact many organizations are adopting work-from-home or hybrid work models—most networks may require highly trained network professionals to maintain the network, configure new users, respond to support calls, and plan and support network expansions and changes.
Network performance monitoring software can help maintain or even reduce headcount, which offers a directly quantifiable return. In many cases, these tools can also give network professionals more time to work on more complex projects, which significantly reduces costs and drives increased revenue and productivity.
Decreased Time to Resolution
Time to resolution is defined as the time spent resolving an issue once support teams are notified. Longer time to resolution means an organization is paying more for the support it takes to address problems and for the downtime and decreased productivity. Network monitoring software can come with real-time diagnostic data and often includes dynamic network maps.
This can be incredibly useful in resolving issues quickly and identifying issues before they become problems.
Decreased Support Calls
Though it is a great idea to have a help desk dedicated to resolving network- and device-related issues, an overwhelming number of support calls may be an indicator the network has recurring problems. Some network performance software can provide historical data around these problems, which can make these types of issues easier to address and less likely to occur in the future.
Additionally, network performance monitoring tools can often alert network management and support teams of problems before users even notice issues and generate support calls. The cost of support calls can be easily calculated by looking at the number of calls per week, the time to resolve a support call, and the cost per hour of support time.
By reducing the number of support calls through proactive monitoring and management of the network, you can directly improve cost savings.
Decreased Network Downtime
Network downtime is a major productivity killer. You can directly quantify downtime not only by calculating the cost of time a network professional spends troubleshooting and resolving the cause of the downtime but also by factoring in the loss of employee productivity, revenue, and the lost goodwill associated with downtime.
Adopting tools with automated, customized alerts can be an effective way to help an organization not lose revenue to downtime.
Network Performance Management Strategy
NPM involves establishing a strategy of network operations, policies, and workflows intended to prevent, mitigate, and solve network performance issues. Selecting network performance management software vendors and protocols depends largely on the particular needs of a business.
However, there are several NPM best practices that can help improve IT operations while reducing the chance of problems.
Analyze Network Management Performance Metrics Carefully
Effective network monitoring tools can provide a host of performance metrics that offer data about the health of the IT stack because so many different components are involved in keeping any network operational. It’s easier to spot troublesome areas for performance with a more comprehensive view of a multi-layered network. However, it’s just as important to have insight into which specific metrics offer the correct insights.
With the right data in hand, improve user experience and productivity as you mitigate problems with more carefully tailored network management policies.
Identify Security Issues
Security threats such as malware are often the cause of poor network performance, and can quickly spell disaster for the network and the business. An NPM system should be capable of detecting unsecured network devices, malware, and other network vulnerabilities.
This allows IT to develop network fault & performance management protocols to manage and prevent weaknesses before confidential data or end users are affected.
Gather High-Quality Data
Reviewing appropriate performance metrics is critical to effective NPM. It is a challenge to sift through the wide range of information a complex network generates.
Network performance management tools streamline the process by monitoring data relating to bandwidth usage. They also monitor network node outages, network traffic analysis, packet loss, and SNMP performance. They then convey relevant information to IT for evaluation or analyze the data using artificial intelligence/AIOps or machine learning.
Collect Data Automatically
Automatic data collection is essential because it can take time to identify a pattern of performance problems. Effective network performance management software logs all performance issues, such as the circumstances surrounding each problem. The IT team is better able to assess which problems demand closer monitoring or more in-depth investigation by referring to a log of past concerns.
Network Performance Management vs. Network Performance Monitoring
Although the terms are similar and easy to confuse, network performance management and network performance monitoring are distinct in terms of both intent and purpose.
Network performance monitoring processes aim at identifying bottlenecks in performance. In contrast, the network performance management process helps mitigate problems and restore the network to the required level of performance.
Network performance monitoring is just one component of NPM. It is the part that involves the process of watching, collecting, reviewing, measuring, and diagnosing network component metrics. Once these assessments are complete, management begins.
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