These tools interrogate MIB data from a variety of SNMP agents and RMON devices and can provide an assortment of summary reports.
Polling systems are diverse.
You may be best served by a tool that provides a range of polling alternatives. On the other hand, if you're more focused on a particular type of managed service, then you may want to investigate tools that offer more depth in a particular area. Of course, owning and operating the tools is not your only option. If you're considering this approach, you still need to go through the process of determining what the metrics will be and whether the carrier's instrumentation and reporting approach satisfies your needs. Another alternative is to outsource the baselining function to another service provider, perhaps one that doesn't offer competing bandwidth services, such as ReliNet from Lucent Technologies.