Network

With so many network diagram tools on the market, choosing between them can be a challenge. This guide will help you choose the best network diagram software for your business, considering user-friendliness, suitability for business use, sophistication of features, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. For those who don’t have time to read the full list, SolarWinds® Network…

NetFlow, developed by Cisco, is a network protocol designed for the collection of IP traffic information and the monitoring of network traffic. It’s an efficient and popular way of gaining both a broad and detailed picture of what’s happening in your network. Analyzing flow data with NetFlow gives you comprehensive insight into network traffic flow…

Nagios is an extremely popular network monitoring solution. It’s an open source program driven by a large developer community, with users including massive enterprises (like Yahoo, Amazon, and Google), ISPs, and governmental bodies. It was released in 1999, under the name NetSaint, and has been refined over the years by numerous contributors. Nagios has certainly…

MIBs, short for Management Information Bases, are hierarchical databases of information pertaining to monitored devices. They can be accessed through MIB browsers, which retrieve data from SNMP-enabled devices like servers, routers, or switches. There are several MIB browsers on the market, including professional options and free and open-source tools. All these are designed to help…

ManageEngine is a popular IT software company on the market, delivering an impressive range of services covering help desk management, desktop management, application management, IT security management, network and server management, remote work management, privileged access management, and more. ManageEngine products include Service Desk Plus, OpManager, and Desktop Central. ManageEngine is a versatile vendor with…

As network downtime becomes increasingly expensive, IT departments must prioritize Wi-Fi analysis and invest in the best Wi-Fi analyzer to gauge performance, strengthen security, and prevent failures. There’s no denying it—networking has simultaneously become both more complex and more critical to business operations and everyday functioning. Early networks consisted of devices connected on a single…

Datadog is a well-known and popular tool, and the company that produces it is growing rapidly. At the same time, the application performance management market is also growing rapidly, and although Datadog is performing well, competition is increasing in the market. Many enterprises are finding competitors and similar tools are also useful, and in many…

PRTG, a tool offered by Paessler, stands for Paessler Router Traffic Grapher. This tool was first released in 2003 and has since become one of the leading network monitoring tools on the market. There are, however, several similar tools capable of delivering the same network monitoring experience as PRTG, if not a better one. This…

Network Magic was a program delivered by Cisco Systems. It was a popular tool for network computer management and monitoring, liked especially for its added security features, which included robust intrusion prevention and parent monitoring capacities. But when Cisco came out with its Smart Wi-Fi routers, the Network Magic program was discontinued—to the frustration of…

All businesses need a way to detect vulnerabilities on their networks. This is especially true for larger businesses and those with sensitive data—banking, government, finance, law, health care, and education are all industries in which safeguarding network data and infrastructure is paramount. But smaller businesses must also ensure their information is secure, without pouring all…

Network troubleshooting is a tricky process, and even if you’ve done it many times before, problems can arise in new ways anytime the network changes, a new device is added, or devices interact in a new way. Figuring out exactly where in the network the problem is and how to fix it can be difficult…

One of the most frustrating things when working on a laptop or other computer device is when the Wi-Fi won’t connect. Employees may end up walking around the office, seeing the number of bars go up and down. At home, these issues can be annoying, but at work they can lead to large amounts of…

The sheer volume of applications and devices on the market, paired with the rise of social media, has led to a flood of network traffic, putting network performance in jeopardy. As a result, IT departments are bombarded with service requests regarding pesky delays, broken images, dropped calls, and fragmented video conferences, all of which bring…

When you’re having problems with your network, nothing can feel like a bigger headache. You can’t figure out where the problem is or what’s causing it, and as soon as you solve a problem with one machine, another problem pops up somewhere else. But troubleshooting and identifying network problems can be straightforward. There are some…

Network intelligence might sound a little scary, like an artificial intelligence computer gone rogue, but the reality is less terrifying. As networks get more complex, organizations choose and deploy more complicated network technologies, products, and services. This allows people and businesses to perform more technical, high-power tasks, but it can also potentially open networks to…

Traceroute is one of the most widely used tools for network troubleshooting. It works by tracking packets as they move between computers and examining the path they take. Traceroute can then determine whether any delays or losses occur along the way and help you pinpoint where exactly a packet gets slowed down. Traceroute has been…

Network design is a crucial aspect of any enterprise-grade network. The way a network is designed impacts your network monitoring capabilities and your overall system performance, making it as important a factor as the infrastructure itself. Your topology structure will be the foundation for conducting quality of service monitoring and troubleshooting, so having a strong…

If disaster strikes, do you have a plan? Backing up your files, devices, and configurations can mean the difference between bouncing back from temporary data loss and letting it drive you out of business. In this guide, we’re breaking down network backup and network backup software. You’ll learn what network backup is, how it works,…

Table of Contents Router and Switch Configuration Benefits What Is a Switch? How to Configure Router Settings Switch and Router Configuration Management for Business Changing the settings on your router can feel like a daunting task. But as most IT professionals know, default settings aren’t necessarily the best settings, even if abiding by them requires…

Networks are growing in size and complexity. For many, this growth is being driven by the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, Cloud, and even Software Defined Networking (SDN). As these trends, and the many changes they bring, impact your network, the big question you need to answer is this: Do I have the network configuration…

Protecting security in enterprise environments is critical for several reasons, not least of which is the risk of a data breach or service disruption. The use of enterprise software and operating systems, and associated add-ons, can cause vulnerabilities that allow malicious actors access to your IT environment. Updating your systems regularly is important and patching…