To some it might feel like the local area network (LAN) has lost some of its importance. After all, it's old for a tech buzzword and these days everything is running from the cloud, so how important are local networks anyway? The answer is: Probably more than ever. The LAN is now the 'last mile' in terms of cloud service delivery, and if you're one of those businesses that's utilizing 5, 10, or more cloud services as everyday work tools for your employees, then that's a lot of network traffic competing for LAN bandwidth.
Today more than ever, an unreliable data network can literally bring a business to a standstill. For instance, if the systems attached to your network can't get an IP address by using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), then they won't be able to communicate with any other system. Similarly, if Domain Name System (DNS) isn't functioning properly, then your systems won't be able to look up the address of any system on the internet. The way in which you manage bandwidth and network utilization will directly affect the productivity of all users connected to your corporate network. To help you, we've tested and compared 10 of the top network monitoring software solutions available today. Most are cloud-based and all of them can help you keep your users connected and your network pipes safe.
Some of those services cross over into the category of infrastructure due to the criticality of the service. Monitoring services such as DNS then becomes more of an infrastructure management issue as opposed to a network consideration. DHCP probably fits the same description, although the managing of a DHCP service would be something for which a network administrator would typically be responsible.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) was first introduced in 1998 under Request For Comments (RFCs) 1065, 1066, and 1067. SNMPv2 and SNMPv3 have, for the most part, replaced the initial version and have seen widespread adoption across a variety of platforms. While SNMP is most frequently associated with networking, you can also configure operating systems (OSes), to include Microsoft Windows, to respond to SNMP commands. A key consideration for network management tools should be how they use SNMP to accomplish their tasks.
If you really want to know what's happening on your network, then you'll need to learn something about network flows. NetFlow was originally introduced for Cisco routers, providing the ability to analyze IP network traffic entering or exiting a specific interface. Flow data is sent to a collection point (typically a system running a database) to make query-based analysis easier. Other switch manufacturers followed suit, along with other similar sampling tools such as sFlow. A large number of networking hardware vendors including Arista Networks, Brocade Communications Systems, Hewlett-Packard, and others provide native sFlow support. You can find a full description of sFlow under RFC 3176.
A number of key features stand out as specific needs to adequately fulfill the role of network management. For one, from an administrator's perspective, it's nice to have visual graphics that give you a quick overview of the current system status. Having the ability to tweak the arrangement of graphical elements on a dashboard is an added plus. Providing a mechanism to alert someone of a problem is necessary across the board.
IP Address Management (IPAM) has become a vital capability for many large organizations. Keeping track of statically assigned addresses, along with a large number of DHCP pools, can't be adequately managed with a manual system. Integrating IPAM with a network management tool just makes sense as the same person quite frequently handles both functions.
Automation is the key to managing large numbers of devices. The more you can automate small administration tasks, the more efficient the process becomes. Automated alerting and repair fall into this category and represent a key differentiator between products. Add to that the ability to remotely connect to your monitoring system, and you have the makings of a solid product.
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a hot topic and not without a significant level of confusion—unless you happen to be either a vendor or a technologist with a vested interest. At a very high level, the term SDN is used to describe the functional separation of the network control plane and the forwarding plane, making it possible to dynamically configure data paths for optimum performance. None of these products really get into SDN, except at the top level of monitoring the performance of a switch.
In this roundup, we call out several areas to help focus the evaluation. While installation and setup is something you really only do once, it's still an area of interest. For the network management category, the initial configuration may include making changes to your switches in order to enable the transmission of NetFlow or sFlow data. Changes to production switches typically require a significant amount of justification and approval prior to implementation. It would be prudent to prove any of these test methods on a small test network before moving onto any larger environment.
That being said, we used an HP Procurve 3800 managed switch as the primary sFlow source. Enabling sFlow on the switch required the entry of a number of commands at the switch command line interface (CLI) over an SSH connection. We also had to upgrade the switch firmware to the latest version for everything to work correctly. At least one product (ManageEngine OpManager) provided a script to enable sFlow along with a one-page 'how-to' document to do that for you.
From an administrator's perspective, the user interface (UI) must be easy to navigate and customize. It should quickly present any problem areas and allow an operator to drill down for more specifics without a huge number of clicks. The customization of the UI and management of features must not require a programmer to make it properly work. Alerting is a basic requirement, with the ability to customize the priority and delivery an equally important feature.
Reporting should be equally as easy to administer. Creating a new report with a query specific to the information of interest should not require a database administrator. Extra points are given here for useful graphics and multiple export formats. Role-based access may not be a big deal for a small organization but it would be for a group with multiple IT administrators.
The bottom line with network management is to keep the network smoothly functioning, with an eye on overall usage. Having the ability to see trends and potential problems can help stave off any future problems and add value to any product.
The first step for any IT project is to define the requirements. For network management tools, the foundational pieces include the ability to see detailed information about key pieces of hardware such as switches and routers. Many organizations don't have the staff to monitor computer screens 24/7. Automated alerting and remediation would be a key requirement in that case to help reduce the administrative manpower required. Trend-based reporting and monitoring help determine utilization levels and identify potential bottlenecks before they become a problem. Good reporting tools would be another requirement, to include the ability to create customized reports and queries.
Once you have that list of essential requirements, you should be able to look at each one of these products and determine if they meet those requirements or not. If more than one product qualifies, you'll need to do some testing on your own to see which one best suits your needs. Pricing varies, starting with free, then from a low-end, per-server, per-month of $1.24 up to a purchase price of $1,995 for up to 50 devices.
Pros: Agentless, comprehensive and secure systems monitoring service. Excellent online help and technical support options. Sophisticated alert, collaboration, and workflow management features. Customizable dashboards put monitoring and in-depth troubleshooting information at technician's fingertips. Comprehensive and customizable reporting.
Cons: High volume of information and multiple customization options make it rather complex. Steep learning curve for those not familiar with monitoring tools and services.
Bottom Line: LogicMonitor is a venerable management tool that still sports cutting edge tools, including collaboration, workflow, and excellent dashboarding capabilities. Its steep learning curve my keep it out of reach of small businesses, but for those serious about their web properties, LogicMonitor is an able solution.
Read ReviewPros: Hierarchical device view summarizes performance data and alerts at every level. QR codes corresponding to a particular device or sensor can be printed out and attached to physical hardware for quick monitoring from a mobile app while in the data center.
Cons: Some functionality in Enterprise Console redirects you to the web console; however, this will change with Paessler PRTG Desktop when it's introduced. Sensor-based licensing model could get expensive in organizations running many roles per device.
Bottom Line: Paessler PRTG Network Monitor does s solid job as both an infrastructure management tool as well as a network monitor. Companies of all sizes could make good use of this package.
Read ReviewPros: Customizable user interface even more visually pleasing thanks to updates done since our last review. Support for Cisco UCS, Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, and VMware vCenter.
Cons: Everything must be installed on-premises. Cloud management requires a different product.
Bottom Line: ManageEngine OpManager primarily focuses on infrastructure management, but also gives IT generalists some good application performance management and network monitoring features.
Read ReviewPros: It's free. Extensible with other (not free) products. Good basic monitoring. Easy to use and understand.
Cons: The product is at the end of its life and will eventually be replaced by a new cloud-based product.
Bottom Line: Spiceworks Network Monitor is mature, free, and very slick, with enough IT punch to act as a one-stop IT shop for small to midsize businesses. It also gives you access to the Spiceworks community, which is an informed and responsive IT expert community.
Read ReviewPros: Agent installation can be automated. Advanced graph functionality. High level of customization. Now offers over 200 built-in integrations plus an API.
Cons: Heavy learning curve to several key features.
Bottom Line: Datadog is an infrastructure management service that's ideal for IT shops that can fully leverage its automation, application programming interface (API), and data analysis capabilities. Datadog also offers many integrations, dashboards, and alerts that smaller companies will find useful.
Read ReviewPros: Ability to automate agent installation, and manage system and vendor patch deployment. Ability to offer self-service options to users. Allows multiple vendors to integrate with ConnectWise Automate, supporting use of their products without leaving the software.
Cons: Some functionality requires plug-ins, URL changes. On-premises installation requirements.
Bottom Line: ConnectWise Automate, formerly known as LabTech, does a solid job as an agent-based infrastructure and network monitoring platform with good support for self-service and third-party integration.
Read ReviewPros: Self-establishing mesh network ensures reliable coverage. Network controller offers management and monitoring as well as IPS features such as rogue detection. Supports very high speed wireless connections.
Cons: Must use Ruckus access points.
Bottom Line: The Ruckus Wireless ZoneDirector 1200 WLAN Controller can bring enterprise-grade wireless network management into small and medium businesses transparently and without the need for wireless networking expertise.
Read ReviewPros: Good use of graphical elements on dashboards to visualize system status. Out-of-the-box support for VMware vCenter Hyper-V and Zen. Comprehensive and flexible reporting.
Cons: Some plug-ins require additional installation such as Python. Error conditions displayed on dashboard graphics are not clickable.
Bottom Line: Idera Uptime Infrastructure Monitor is a comprehensive infrastructure management choice for midsize IT shops due to its ability to manage cloud-based infrastructure and its decent support for third-party plug-ins.
Read ReviewPros: Good-looking user interface and dashboards with useful data presentation. Utilizes existing management protocols such as SNMP and WMI to gather its information.
Cons: Everything must be installed on-premises.
Bottom Line: Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold is a comprehensive infrastructure management service. Its new version offers capabilities such as cloud performance monitoring for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure as well as billing performance monitoring.
Read ReviewPros: Built on open-source software. Extendable feature set through apps. Decentralized architecture has its benefits.
Cons: App installation is a three-step process per app. Very limited reporting capabilities. Minimal alert functionality.
Bottom Line: Vallum Halo Manager keeps things simple, with features through apps that can be delivered quickly, and a decentralized architecture. But major usability concerns in the form of app installation and reporting prevent Halo from being a solid competitor in the network monitoring and infrastructure management arena.
Read ReviewiSpy is an open-source security software. Designed for Windows PCs, iSpy allows remote access of CCTV cameras, as well as watching the live feed and recorded footages. Users can download iSpy plugins for their system.
Windows
$7.95- Varies by plan
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The Security Monitor Pro is a video surveillance software that supports multiple IP cameras in any establishments. It has several features such as live previewing, hidden mode, motion detection, alarm.
Windows
$89.95- Free trial available
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Pixpo Viewer 2.0 is a video surveillance software. It offers live viewing feature of Pixpo cameras as well as manage them. It can directly send files into your own personal database. *NO LONGER AVAILABLE*
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An IP camera (Internet Protocol Camera), is a type of digital video camera commonly employed for surveillance which can send and receive data via a computer network and the Internet. The term IP camera or netcam is usually applied only to those used for surveillance that can be directly accessed over a network connection.
Did you know that the first centralized IP camera was developed in 1996? Such was the Neteye 2000 which was developed by Axis Communications, a Swedish network camera manufacturer. This task was completed under the team of Martin Gren and Carl-Axel Alm. Since then, huge developments have been made to advance the surveillance technology further. Though initially used to monitor the sea for oil spills, Axis took a step further. In 1998, they allowed the use of the IP camera to be integrated into existing analog CCTV systems, which a lot of customers still prefer to use at that time.
However, as technology has further developed, IP cameras have been more and more in demand to address security issues globally. This is also due to the increasing necessity of having everything easily-accessible. Since IP cameras connect to the internet and their feeds can be accessed from across the globe, it is not surprising that homeowners and business owners prefer to install such IP cameras. Thanks to smart devices and security camera software, the issue of security is now a relatively easy one to address.
DComplex LLC IP Camera Viewer is a video surveillance software. It allows monitoring of an unlimited number of surveillance cameras. It also has the capacity to detect motion and is sensitive to sound.
Windows, Mac
$14.99- Varies by plan
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Security Eye is a free software offered by security eye software. It allows users to transform computers into monitoring systems for security cameras. It can setup motion-sensors, set overlays of dates, and set timers.
Windows
Free
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ContaCam is a simple and lightweight solution for every surveillance system. Supporting OSs from Vista to 10, the software saves footages at SWF format, ideal for short recordings.
Windows
Free
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NCH Software EyeLine is a video surveillance software. It gives users the capability to monitor security via web cameras or security cameras. The footages can be viewed on site or from a remote location.
Windows
$70- Varies by plan
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FelenaSoft Xeoma is a video surveillance software. It can professionally video record events and is watermark free. It can also give visitors count, detect sounds and inform you of certain anomalies within the vicinity it covers.
Windows, Mac, Linux
Free
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IP Cam Soft UWP is a free video surveillance software for Windows. Users can view footages both on-site and remotely whether it be on tablets or mobile phones. It also supports 3000+ models of camera for maximum accessibility.
Windows
$3.99
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DeskShare Inc. IP Camera Viewer is an IP camera monitoring software. It has the ability to give the user capacity to view your cameras remotely and on-site. It can support over 2200 camera models which makes it quite an accessible software.
Windows
Free
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AnyCam.iO is an IP camera software which allows users to monitor multiple CCTVs and IP cameras at the same time for surveillance. This also features a video archive playback.
Windows
$19- Varies by plan
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Home Security Camera is a free video surveillance software with a minimum delay of only one to two seconds when broadcasting. There is also an option to add and search for new IP camera devices. Archived videos can also be viewed.
Windows
Free
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Camlytics is a smart camera monitoring software which features a free recording of the unlimited number of cameras (e.g. IP, CCTV, webcams, NVR, etc.), as well as people or car-counter, motion detection, and heat-map building capabilities.
Windows
Free- $129
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