Network management is the process of monitoring, optimizing, and managing computer networks. A holistic network management software can help network admins ensure efficient network performance by monitoring and managing various aspects of a network, including hardware, software, protocols, and network connectivity. Network management tasks include monitoring network traffic, configuring devices, troubleshooting network issues, ensuring device availability and security, and optimizing resource utilization.
OpManager is a comprehensive and unified network management solution that simplifies the management of network devices, applications, IP addresses, switch ports, firewall, network configurations, traffic and bandwidth. It helps network admins track network health, performance, and availability based on the thresholds they set. Incorporating a holistic network management tool like OpManager is vital for your IT enterprise network. On this page we will be looking into,
Consistent network maintenance is essential for IT organizations to maximize productivity, minimize network outages, and optimize network performance. Here are several reasons why network admins require a network management system for their enterprise:
A robust, secure, yet affordable network management solution such as OpManager, which enables enhanced network visibility, minimized network downtime, and improved network performance, is your best choice for streamlining network management.
Effectively managing a network presents network admins with a myriad of challenges to guarantee consistent network performance, health, and availability. Here are some prevalent challenges that network admins face in their day-to-day network management operations:
OpManager stands as a proactive network management software specifically aimed at reducing network outages swiftly and gaining comprehensive control over network operations.
Primarily, there are five different types of network management that is defined by the ISO (International Standards Organization). They are:
The biggest challenge with today's networking management tools is to proactively identify and manage network faults before they impact end-users. Among numerous network monitoring tools, ManageEngine OpManager, a trusted network management system, detects, isolates and troubleshoots faults, raises alarms to remediate faults quickly.
OpManager is a comprehensive enterprise network management solution which enables you to monitor the performance, availability and health of all your network devices. This network management system uses the SNMP/WMI/CLI network protocols to fetch performance data from network devices. This data is then displayed to the network admins on the network management tool's web console, which helps them identify and troubleshoot issues easily.
Hence, OpManager undoubtedly is an advanced network management software that helps identify and troubleshoot network faults.
Network configurations are important for any network, and any change in them adversely impacts the security, reliability, and quality of service provided. These changes are complex to manage, and this increases multi-fold when done manually and requires robust network management configuration tools. According to an internal survey, nearly 50% of IT pros agreed that changes to network configurations led to outages several times a year. In these cases, a network configuration management tool will be handy to prevent such changes in the first place or roll back immediately.
ManageEngine OpManager's network configuration module aids in network management by automating configuration backups, detecting network changes and ensuring that the compliance policies are adhered. With approval based configuration changes, administrators can be aware of any external network changes by allowing or denying network users to make changes to device configurations.
Network performance management involves troubleshooting faults either through a manual or automated approach so that the network performance is restored to its original or improved condition. For this task, network admins rely on real-time network management solutions that offer comprehensive details into network performance metrics such as disk space, utilization, and so on. A reliable network manager software provides real-time network management services, addressing both basic and advanced network management needs to rectify faults that adversely impact network performance.
OpManager assists network administrators in associating performance monitors, such as CPU utilization, disk utilization, SysUp Time, network usage, and more, either individually or in bulk, based on the type of network devices. This network monitoring software also has essential built-in tools like ping, traceroute, MIB browser, remote control, and more to effectively troubleshoot basic network performance issues.
Network accounting management optimizes the allocation of network resources among end-users to enhance overall network efficiency. Achieving this involves implementing access controls for users, dictating the network resources they can access and utilize. This strategic approach not only conserves significant network resources but also contributes to cost-effective network management.
The primary role of network security management is to help safeguard sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access from accessing your enterprise network. Continuously monitoring firewall rules, compliance, and logs are essential for an enterprise to adapt to evolving cyber threats and maintain a resilient defense against malicious activities.
With OpManager Firewall Analyzer module, network admins can optimize network security management through proactive firewall strategies, including firewall rule optimization, firewall configuration tracking, security audits, compliance management, and insightful log analysis for complete protection against potential threats and vulnerabilities.
Apart from the ISO standards (FCAPS), there are other functional areas network admins need to cover for efficiently managing networks. They are:
OpManager's IP address and switch port management module allows network admins to monitor and manage IP addresses and switch ports easily. With OpManager, you can monitor IPv4, IPv6 subnets, check for available IP addresses, allocate these IP addresses to network devices and avoid IP conflicts. The Switch Port Mapper module offers real-time discovery of devices connected to switch ports. With the help of end-to-end mapping, you can locate the physical location of the devices, monitor them, and remotely block them if they turn rogue. The Rogue Detection module automatically scans routers, switches, and subnets for rouge devices. With the help of this network management feature, network admins can establish more control by tagging their network devices as trusted, guest, or rogue, and receiving alerts based on it.
The usage of bandwidth is critical metric that needs to be monitored in any organization. Monitoring real-time traffic, analyzing usage patters, and tracking bandwidth usage are some key factors to ensure that the business critical applications never run out.
OpManger's network management solution helps network admins identify the root cause of bandwidth issues and offer solutions such as cutting down on bandwidth on certain areas of an enterprise network, or expanding the infrastructure and so on. This network management tool offers application and protocol monitoring through a user-friendly dashboard, enabling users to drill down into specific traffic details. It also allows network admins to view protocol distribution, enable the implementation of Quality of Service (QoS) policies and traffic shaping to control bandwidth consumption effectively.
Network compliance is essential for organizations as security threats to network resources continue to rise, and adherence to industry standards is crucial. OpManager's NCM add-on simplifies Network Compliance Automation, allowing organizations to verify, manage, and stay compliant with industry standards such as CIS, SOX, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and custom policies. This network management tool assists network admins in scrutinizing and implementing security policies across diverse network devices from multiple vendors, ensuring complete network configuration compliance.
With OpManager, a potent network management solution, you can:
OpManager, a reliable network management tool, offers an efficient solution for maintaining network compliance through various compliance templates and routine checks. These features guarantee adherence to standards and simplify the process of keeping your network compliant and secure.
In addition to monitoring various functional areas of network management, OpManager also executes essential network management tasks, empowering network administrators to efficiently managing their networks. These tasks include:
An important aspect of network management is network provisioning. Every network monitor must have network provisioning, which involves calculating the load handled by the network and future demands based on the current network trend. It also involves keeping resources in reserve so that when a need arises, it becomes easier to handle. A network control software would enable you to identify network trends and effectively provision your network.
OpManager network management service helps in resource management with:
It is common for network performance to degrade as years pass by. Therefore, it is essential to deliver quality IT services to end-users meet the SLA month on month. OpManager, the automated network management tool helps you adhere to service level agreements and achieves 99.9% availability for your network and business critical applications. With business level dashboards, it is possible to detect the factors affecting your business in real time.
Enterprise network management involves on-demand and scheduled tasks such as testing network faults, executing backup scripts, etc. Most of these network management tasks are repetitive and time-consuming. Automating such tasks will help admins and technicians save a lot of time and effort. Automated network management also helps you reduce your workforce and enable the implementation of simple automated troubleshooting techniques for your network.
For example, whenever you get a device down alarm, you will ping the device and do a traceroute to know if there is any packet loss, where exactly it is happening, or if the device is actually down. These repetitive tasks can be automated with workflows.OpManager, the trusted network management and monitoring tool supports around 80 actions that can be automated with workflows.
Some of the network management tasks handled by OpManager workflows include:
Therefore, in addition to addressing ISO-defined functional areas such as fault, configuration, performance, accounting, and security management, OpManager stands out in managing IP addresses, optimizing bandwidth, and enhancing network security. It also proficiently handles crucial network management tasks including network provisioning, Quality of Service (QoS) maintenance, and workflow automation. OpManager emerges as an advanced and versatile network management software, providing a comprehensive solution for efficient and streamlined network management in the dynamic IT landscape.
Interested in OpManager? Schedule a live demo with our product experts. We'd be delighted to showcase all the features OpManager has to offer and address any questions you may have. Ready to explore OpManager for free? Download our 30-day trial and get started in minutes. Make OpManager your go-to network management solution and experience hassle-free network management!