What Is Network Management? 

Network monitoring, security, network automation, and other technologies hosted on-premises or in the cloud are used by network management to coordinate network traffic and data movement throughout a business. The main objective of network management is to provide end users, such as business users within the company and end consumers, with a secure, dependable, and high-performing network. Network management is always at the top of the list of IT chores, and since COVID-19, this has only worsened. Distributed firms typically employ network management to keep in touch with diverse teams and business units. Network administration controls data movement into and out of various host environments, including on-premises servers, private clouds, and public cloud platforms.

Functions

Provisioning:

Network administrators can provide new network devices in an environment using this feature. Automating this process reduces costs and removes the possibility of human error.

Mapping or Discovery:

Thanks to this capability, the software can learn about a target network's features. For example, the nodes in a network, their connectivity, the vendor kinds and qualifications for these nodes, their performance characteristics, etc., are some features that are typically detected.

Monitoring:

The network management software can monitor the network using this function to look for issues and recommend fixes. The software can set itself up to receive notifications from network devices or poll them regularly. Sending an SNMP Trap is one way for network devices to provide information about themselves. Network flaws, such as malfunctioning or incorrectly configured nodes, performance snags, nefarious actors, intrusions, etc., can be found through monitoring.

Configuration management:

With the help of this feature, the program can ensure that the network configuration is stable and meets the user's requirements.

Regulatory compliance:

The network management software can use this capability to ensure the network conforms to all relevant laws and standards.

Change control:

With the help of this feature, the software may make sure that the network updates are implemented in a controlled and timely manner. In addition, change control enables audit trails, which are helpful for forensic analysis following a network intrusion.

Software Asset Management:

This function enabled the software to inventory software installed on nodes along with details like version and install date. Additionally, it can also provide software deployment and patch management.

Cybersecurity:

This function enabled the software to use all the data gathered from the nodes to identify security risks in an IT environment.

Different Types of Network Management:

You might have particular teams or individuals devoted to network management, depending on the size and nature of your company. Each operation often has a section dedicated to it in large, spread global corporations. One type of network administration may be assigned to a team by some horizontal lines of business, and the remaining tasks divide into standard functions.

Network accounting and utilization management: Employees use more network resources as network requirements change, driving up business expenditures. The Network Accounting Management Team tracks consumption trends and looks for abnormalities in utilization across departments, business operations, office locations, online products, and individual users. Network accounting management is intimately related to some companies' profitability, particularly for digital service providers. For instance, an e-commerce company could need to monitor network usage and contrast it with its peak and trough profitability. To sustain internal profit margins in large corporations, network accounting management is a shared services organization that rents network resources to branches and subsidiaries.

Network performance management: One of the most crucial facets of network management is this. Various operations that are part of network performance management help to increase network uptime, service availability, and concurrent bandwidth rates. Once more, automation is crucial in this situation. Different network components are connected by a single dashboard, which tracks performance KPIs and sends alerts when thresholds exceed. To avoid affecting the end-user experience, a network performance management team, for instance, may need to map 24/7 network response times. In the event of an anomaly, the network fault management team and the network performance management team collaborate closely to fix the problem.

Network security management: Security network management is essential to resilience, risk management, and success as most company processes move online. For instance, according to a 2020 Telia Carrier survey, 68% of enterprises experienced a distributed denial of service (DDoS) assault in the previous year. Multiple linked online devices attack a company's website using faked traffic to obstruct actual traffic in a DDOS assault. Managing network security entails defending systems against issues like these and others. Network security management teams search for threat fingerprints by analyzing corporate networks' regular log streams.

Network fault management: Network problems can be anticipated, detected, and fixed to prevent downtime by a specialized team of network fault management specialists. This job also includes analyzing, keeping track of information, troubleshooting, and assisting with routine audits. There should be clear pathways for network fault management teams to report issues to network administrators. We will collaborate closely with end users if this defect is noted.

Network configuration management: Performance depends on the configuration of the network. It is anticipated that these configurations will adapt dynamically to meet large companies' data and traffic demands. An example of a network configuration management task is a slight change in connection settings for better performance. Teams can deliver changes automatically instead of manually reviewing configuration requirements since network configuration management mainly relies on automation. The network configuration management team should maintain thorough records of all modifications, their effects, and any issues that develop, just like fault management.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is a powerful and affordable network monitoring system designed to help you achieve comprehensive monitoring, starting with discovery. NPM’s network device scanner automatically finds the devices on your network, making it easier for you to stay on top of monitoring. You can also visualize connections between devices, applications, and connections using network topology mapping tools. This helps improve visibility and can aid troubleshooting.

·        Easily monitor wireless devices with a network monitoring system.

·        Increase operational efficiency using a network monitoring system equipped with intelligent alerts.

·        Perform detailed analysis to dig deeper into network performance.

·        Speed up troubleshooting and reduce downtime with a multi-vendor network monitoring system.