Patent ID: 8560375

Claim:
A system for monitoring objects, comprising: a first database comprising information representing monitoring requirements for a plurality of monitoring targets in an enterprise during normal operation of an enterprise network, wherein each monitoring target is a network object; a second database comprising information representing the actual state of monitoring for the monitoring targets in the enterprise during normal operation of the enterprise network; a processor coupled to the first database and the second database, the processor operable to: receive, during normal operation of the enterprise network, monitoring requirements documents comprising monitoring requirements for a plurality of monitoring targets in the enterprise; store the monitoring requirements in the first database; receive, during normal operation of the enterprise network, audit files comprising a list of monitoring tools deployed at the plurality of monitoring targets in the enterprise and configuration parameters for each deployed monitoring tool, wherein a monitoring tool comprises an application that collects and processes parameter information about at least one monitoring target; store information from the audit files in the second database to represent the actual state of monitoring for the monitoring targets in the enterprise; compare the monitoring requirements for the plurality of monitoring targets in the enterprise as reported by the monitoring requirements documents with the actual state of monitoring for the monitoring targets in the enterprise as reported by the audit files; determine, during normal operation of the enterprise network, any gaps in monitoring for the monitoring targets in the enterprise based at least in part on the comparison; and in response to any determined gaps in monitoring: determine, in real time during normal operation of the enterprise network, one or more additional monitoring tools, separate from existing monitoring tools already deployed at the monitoring target, based at least in part on the determined gaps in monitoring; generate at least one monitoring deployment request identifying the determined one or more additional monitoring tools to be deployed during a current operation of the enterprise network for the monitoring targets in the enterprise.