Server and Network Monitoring Best Practices

1. Network Monitoring Best Practices
 BEING PROACTIVE TO MINIMIZE NETWORK OUTAGES
 DEFINING AN EFFECTIVE NETWORK MONITORING SOLUTION
 IDENTIFYING THE NETWORK ELEMENTS YOU NEED TO MONITOR
IT’S TIME TO BE PROACTIVE • Monitor both performance and
Many organizations react to problems and availability of resources. Many
UPFRONT WORK issues on their network rather than businesses implement low-cost
proactively monitoring their network to monitoring solutions that only watch a
MINIMIZES THE ISSUES
avoid problems before they occur. This server’s network connectivity. Whether
THAT COST YOU TIME means that every small hiccup or outage is or not your system is turned on and
AND MONEY unplanned, and very costly to the business accessible is a relatively narrow view
Being proactive helps avoid and its employees in many ways. of the health of that system and your
network as a whole.
future potential problems
The following tips for monitoring the critical
aspects of your network will help put you • Provide several different notification
on the path to being proactive. This allows options: email, text message, and
THE KEYS TO EFFECTIVE you to minimize the issues that can cost paging. This is important for those
NETWORK MONITORING
you productivity and money. occasions when your email system is
down, or otherwise unavailable.
A thorough solution includes
EFFECTIVE NETWORK MONITORING
multiple attributes to monitor
Network monitoring is something that many • Provide application specific alerts
organizations feel they can live without. and reporting, which is especially
While this might be true in the short-term, it important with Line of Business (LOB)
is rather unlikely that the network will applications. Your monitoring system
T H E T I M E T O S T AR T I S
remain trouble-free forever. When the should have the intelligence to watch
NOW for application-specific event log
problems do arise, a properly configured
Your business depends on your
network monitoring solution will be the messages.
network being up and available. difference between scheduled
maintenance done at your convenience • Provide hardware specific alerts for
and unplanned network outages when you all major hardware vendors. Many
can least afford the downtime. businesses keep their servers hidden
away, and only look at them when
An effective network monitoring solution necessary. This can often result in
should: hardware problems and localized alerts
• Be located offsite. This ensures that going unnoticed.
you do not have a single point of
failure, and are notified in the event of • Have robust reporting capabilities to
a failed Internet connection or other help you better understand the trends
disruption of service on your local that are occurring on your network.
network. Being able to review the system’s data
over any period of time can show you
how your systems are being used.
248 Rickenbacker Circle • Livermore, CA 94551 • 925-273-2300 • 888-LANLOGIC • www.lanlogic.com

2. Network Monitoring Best Practices
WHAT SEPARATES
GETTING STARTED
LANLOGIC FROM THE
What you need to monitor on your network will vary greatly between businesses, but the
REST: following should be considered an appropriate starting point.
Servers
OUR TEAM • CPU usage
The breadth and depth of • Memory usage
expertise of the Lanlogic staff • Available hard disk space
allows us to deliver IT services • Application Event Log errors
enjoyed by top-tier, global
• System Event Log errors
• Status of critical services
companies – solutions designed
• Network connectivity
to meet your needs now and in
• Backup status
the future.
• Hardware status
Firewall
OUR UNDERSTANDING
• Network connectivity
OF YOUR BUSINESS • Available firmware upgrades
Whether you are just starting out Line-Of-Business Applications
or you are already a large • Service status
organization, we pride ourselves • Event log specific warnings, errors
in delivering IT solutions, • Website availability, if the application is web-based
individually-tailored by senior-
level Microsoft-Certified network
The bottom line is that businesses are more dependent on their networks than ever
before. Properly monitoring your network will result in fewer unplanned outages, and an
consultants.
overall improvement in the health of your network.
OUR PASSION FOR The Value of Proactive Network
SERVICE
We are available when you need
Monitoring
us. We keep your office running
While some businesses may view network SERVICES AVAILABLE
and employees productive at all monitoring as excessive or something that
times. they will need to do “down the road,” it only  IT Services & Support
takes one unplanned outage to understand  Cloud Computing/SaaS/Hosting
the importance and value of network  IT Consulting & Project Management
ON-TIME. ON-BUDGET.
monitoring. If your business depends on its  IT Assessments & Planning
GUARANTEED.
network to function, it is imperative that a
well thought out monitoring system be in FOR COMPANIES OF ALL SIZES
For more information on any of place to ensure uptime and availability On-time. On-budget. Guaranteed.
our services or solutions, please
when you need it.
contact us today. 248 Rickenbacker Circle • Livermore, CA 94551 • 925-273-2300 • 888-LANLOGIC • www.lanlogic.com