A network monitoring system sends alerts to an IT systems administrator — usually via email or text message — when it detects an issue with network speeds or server hardware malfunctions. Network issues can cripple a business. When a network administrator hears about issues quickly, they can often take appropriate actions to evade a network failure.
While basic network monitoring tasks can be executed using ping tests and Simple Network Management Protocols (SNMP), network monitoring software provides more detailed, comprehensive information about a network’s status. For this reason, network monitoring software is primarily used by enterprise-level companies and large organizations like hospitals and universities. These organizations require widespread network coverage powered by servers located around the world.