Network monitoring performance software

By default the system shows you too much irrelevant information and it alerts on way too many general conditions. BE Warned - without tuning the alerts you will get many false positive alerts. Network Performance Monitor vs Atera. Network Performance Monitor vs PagerDuty. In just fifteen minutes, the experts at Software Advice can help you narrow down the right software for your organization.

Call us for a Free FastStart Consultation: Get Advice. Other Software. About Network Performance Monitor SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor NPM is a cloud-based network monitoring solution that enables users to detect, diagnose, and resolve network performance issues.

Full view. Capacity planning. Value for money. Customer support. Ratings Snapshot 5 stars. Likelihood to Recommend Not likely Very likely. May Excellent system for monitoring Pros This has to be by far the best networking and services monitoring tool I have ever used. Cons It is an amazing system and I would recommend to anyone. October Solarwinds npm I have used multiple network monitoring softwares and there is no comparison with the support and quality of software with SolarWinds.

Cons Its a bit costly and fortigate firewalls are not supported completely to provide its site to site vpn details like it shows for cisco asa. Reasons for Choosing Network Performance Monitor More customization and better visibility and very user friendly.

Reasons for Switching to Network Performance Monitor To get more visibility and quality with more customization in reporting and alerting with a vast number of supported devices.

December Experience with Network Performance Monitor It is a very good tool, they have better results with the most used and modern brands and models on the market, but many times in environments there are devices whose brands and models no longer even have support.

Pros The tool is easy to implement and configure, plus you don't have to wait long to see the results. Cons Not all makes and models are supported out of the box, and the certification of your MIBs can be complex and even cumbersome. Reasons for Choosing Network Performance Monitor Greater supported out of the box for older makes and models. There are seven types of network monitoring systems:.

Traffic monitoring tools are called traffic analyzers or NetFlow monitors. While network performance monitors query network device statuses, traffic analyzers examine throughput data from network devices and also extract the headers of passing packets to quantify traffic by protocol, source, and destination. An SNMP agent needs to be resident on each device. All network device manufacturers ship their products with an SNMP agent already installed.

All that is lacking is the SNMP manager and this is the role that the network performance monitoring tool provides. It depends on your needs. Unless I misunderstood, SpiceWorks Network Monitoring has not been under development for several years.

This was from a support person at SpiceWorks. We have been pretty happy with it but are looking for something else due to the lack of development. Thank you for your comment. Thanks Tim, good list of tools. Thank you, Tim. It is the most complete list I saw. We actually tried many of the above. Some of them are pretty hard to use. Some become too expensive when your network grows… Some do not have important features we needed. This one had all the features we needed out-of-box, also was easy to use.

Yes, they have real-time monitoring, visualization and user defined alerts. We started using it as simple desktop application for small size network and the same installation gradually grew into multi-user distributed system monitoring thousands of nodes including secure monitoring of our remote sites.

The most cost effective solution They have free version as well. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Comparitech uses cookies. More info. Menu Close. We are reader supported and may receive a commission when you make purchases using the links on our site.

Network monitoring is something that every connected organization should be doing. However, with such a huge range of network monitoring software and tools, choosing the right one for your environment and budget can be challenging.

In this post, we compare and rank the best network monitoring tools. Tim Keary Network administration expert.

Most network security issues arise when configurations are changed and SolarWinds NPM identifies these and can automatically resolve many. Alongside solid vulnerability scanning and advanced options to create and monitor policies, this is by far the top choice for network monitoring systems.

Get a day free trial. Helps you get to the bottom of DNS, app and infrastructure issues. Runs on Linux or a physical appliance. Installs on Windows Server. Nagios Core One of the top open-source network monitoring tools. Includes a dashboard view, alerts system, community plugins, and more. Includes an alerts system and community plugins. Icinga Open source network monitoring system with a DSL.

Includes extensions. Spiceworks Connectivity Dashboard Free network monitoring software with a high-quality dashboard and simple alert system. What should you look for when choosing network monitoring tools and software? We reviewed the network monitoring tools and software market and analyzed the options based on the following criteria: An autodiscovery system to log all network devices A network topology mapper The ability to collect live network devices statuses by using SNMP A facility to analyze network performance over time Graphical interpretation of data, such as charts and graphs A free trial period, a demo, or a money-back guarantee for no-risk assessment A good price that reflects value for money when compared to the functions offered.

Pros: Designed with large and enterprise networks in mind Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps and inventory lists in real-time based on devices that enter the network Has some of the best alerting features that balance effectiveness with ease of use Supports both SNMP monitoring as well as packet analysis, giving you more control over monitoring than similar tools Uses drag and drop widgets to customize the look and feel of the dashboard Robust reporting system with pre-configured compliance templates.

Cons: This is a feature-rich enterprise tool, small LANs and operations may find it overwhelming. Key features: Live network mapping and protocol analysis Alerts on performance thresholds that are adjusted through machine learning Correlation with data from SNMP and other sources.

Pros: Has one of the most intuitive interfaces among other network monitoring tools Cloud-based SaaS product allows monitoring with no server deployments or onboarding costs Can monitor both internally and externally giving network admins a holistic view of network performance and accessibility Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps on the fly Changes made to the network are reflected in near real-time Allows businesses to scale their monitoring efforts reliably through flexible pricing options.

Cons: Would like to see a longer trial period for more advanced testing. Pros: Designed to work right away, features over customizable widgets to build unique dashboards and reports Leverages autodiscover to find, inventory, and map new devices Uses intelligent alerting to reduce false positives and eliminate alert fatigue across larger networks Supports email, SMS, and webhook for numerous alerting channels Integrates well in the ManageEngine ecosystem with their other products.

Cons: Is a feature-rich tool that will require a time investment to properly learn. Key features: All-in-one solution with automatic network discovery Real-time application and network device monitor Powerful reporting, analytics, and alerts. Pros: One of the most holistic monitoring tools available, supporting networks, infrastructure, and real user monitoring in a single platform Uses real-time data to discover devices and build charts, network maps, and inventory reports Is one of the most user-friendly network monitoring tools available User monitoring can help bridge the gap between technical issues, user behavior, and business metrics Supports a freeware version for testing.

Pros: Both network performance and bandwidth utilization monitoring Locally hosted software A good deal for small businesses Alerts for device problems Integrated server and application performance monitoring. Cons: This is a copy of Nagios Core, which is an impressive rival. Pros: Automatic device discovery and network topology mapping Tracks network device statuses with SNMP Identifies traffic throughput at each device Alerts that can be forwarded as notifications by email Processes device status alerts.

Cons: The free trial only lasts two weeks. Pros: The monitoring package is able to monitor many networks on different sites and unify their data The console is browser-based and can be accessed from anywhere This system offers out-of-the-box performance thresholds but it is also possible to create new rules Automated system asset inventory creation and maintenance Traffic analysis features in the higher plan.

Cons: This service is the only package offered by Auvik, so there are no related services to add on. Pros: Uses a combination of packet sniffing, WMI, and SNMP to report network performance data Full customizable dashboard is great for both lone administrators as well as NOC teams Drag and drop editor makes it easy to build custom views and reports Supports a wide range of alert mediums such as SMS, email, and third-party integrations into platforms like Slack Each sensor is specifically designed to monitor each application, for example, there are prebuilt sensors whose specific purpose is to capture and monitor VoIP activity Supports a freeware version.

Cons: Is a very comprehensive platform with many features and moving parts that require time to learn. Pros: Open-source transparent tool Simple, yet informative interface Flexible alerting options support SMS and email Robust API backend makes it a great option for developers who want to integrate their own custom applications.

Cons: Open-source version lacks quality support found in paid products Installation can be technical and complex. Pros: Transparent open-source tool Can be configured via GUI or DSL, making it a good choice for admins who enjoy CLI tools Supports built-in visual reporting Modules allow for different functionality, keeping the base installation sleek and lightweight Can run on Linux as well as Windows operating systems.

Cons: Reliant upon the open-source community for support and updates Designed for more technical users, other options have better out-of-box features. Pros: Completely free tool Web-based dashboard allows access from virtually anywhere Integrates well into other Spiceworks tools like Spiceworks Inventory and Cloud Desk Alerts are configured by default, allowing users to get actionable insights right away.

Cons: Interface could be less crowded, specifically around the home dashboard Would like to see more alerting features Lacks integrations into other solutions outside of the Spiceworks ecosystem. What is the difference between network monitoring and application performance monitoring? What is the best remote network monitoring tool? What are the types of network monitoring software?

Performance testers — Issue commands, such as Ping and Traceroute to gather statistics. Protocol analyzers — Based on packet sniffers for LANs. Wireless sniffers — Based on packet sniffers for wireless networks. Firewalls — Read packets traveling through the network boundary.

Intrusion detection systems — Identify standard and anomalous traffic patterns. SIEM tools — Examine log files for signs of security breaches. How do I monitor all network traffic? How does a network monitoring tool work? What makes a good network monitoring tool? A good network monitoring tool should include: An autodiscovery function to compile a network inventory An automated network topology mapper Drill-down views giving a network performance summary and then statistics per device type through to each individual network device Performance expectation thresholds that define acceptable performance.

An alerting mechanism so that operators will be drawn to the dashboard if a problem arises. Color-coded data visualization to aid rapid status recognition. Pre-written report templates to automatically extract key network performance statistics for analysis and presentations.

Can I get your recommendations for free version. Which one will be the best option. Hi Jack, Thank you for your comment. The SNMP system empowers device agents to send out a warning without waiting for a request if it detects a problem with the device that it is monitoring. Site24x7 Infrastructure catches these messages, which are called Traps, and generates an alert. This alert can be forwarded to technicians by SMS, email, voice call, or instant messaging post.

The Network Monitor also has a traffic analysis function. This extracts throughput figures from switches and routers and displays data flow information in the system dashboard. This data can also be used for capacity planning. It is available for a free trial. Start Free Trial. Atera is a package software that was built for managed service providers. The network monitoring system operates remotely through an agent that installs on Windows Server. The agent enables the service to scour the network and identify all of the network devices that run it.

These are sent to the Atera network monitoring dashboard, where they appear as alerts. Atera offers an automated topology mapping service, but this is an add-on to the main subscription packages. They have a free version, open-source, one-time license and subscription. Nagios XI focuses on monitoring. Although the software is easy to install, it will initially take some time to adjust to your requirements. This is because Nagios XI does not auto-discover devices.

You have to configure each device that needs to be monitored with a configuration file. Zabbix is an open source monitoring tool. It is popular for its easy-to-use and pleasing Web GUI that is fully configurable. Zabbix focuses on monitoring and trending functionality. This software is frequently used for monitoring servers and network hardware. One of the highlights of Zabbix is that it can predict trends in your traffic.

Zabbix can forecast future behavior based on historical data. Since it is open source, it has an active user community spread around the world and good documentation. Zabbix gives the freedom to use the open-source solution without vendor lock-ins including all components. Zabbix is powerful for SMB networks below 1, nodes. Over that, the software can get slower and its performance decreased.

It is another open source infrastructure and service monitoring tool. Icinga was developed in by the same team of developers that brought you Nagios. It is a very easy to use and flexible tool for SMB and enterprise networks. The software focuses strongly on monitoring infrastructure and services. Icinga is popular at providing superior altars and reports of the general health of your IT infrastructure. All alert dependencies can be displayed in the dashboard and sent via email, SMS or mobile message applications.

Since Icinga is open source it is completely free. With its strong community forum, you can get all the support you need. Formerly known as Labtech, ConnectWise Automate is a new cloud-based manager and monitoring solution that can keep track of your IT infrastructure devices from a single location.

ConnectWise Automate discovers all devices in your network so they can be monitored proactively. The network visibility is improved because the tool interprets problems and initiates an automatic pre-defined action to mitigate the issue. Use Windows Patch management or third-party software. By extending the ConnectWise suite, the software can also allow a premier remote control. You can resolve issues quickly by allowing remote support, remote access and even remote meetings.

The price of the software is based on quotes. You can get a price on their official site tailored accordingly to the size of your network. With LogicMonitor you can get full visibility of the performance and health of your network. This software will automatically discover IT infrastructure devices and monitor them proactively.

Besides from extraordinary monitoring capabilities, the software also improves the performance and health of your network. LogicMonitor can help identify incoming issues by providing predictive alters and trend analysis. Logic Monitor is popular because it comes with a highly customizable dashboard, alerts, and reports.

The software supports over different technologies, including hybrid cloud monitoring and networking devices, in order to provide granular performance metrics. OP5 Monitor is free for up to 20 devices, and has a pricing plan based on your specific requirements.

Look for a network performance monitor that uses SNMP to gather device statuses. Also, use a bandwidth analyzer that can communicate with the brand of switches that you have on your network. It is impossible to manually watch the statuses of every device on your network around the clock so you have to get an automated network monitoring tool. Get a system that uses performance thresholds and raises alerts if these are crossed.

Systems that forward alerts to you by email or SMS let you assume everything is OK with network performance unless you are notified otherwise. These monitoring features will take care of the network and allow you to safely pay attention to other tasks.