What is MSP Monitoring?
What is MSP?
An MSP otherwise known as a Managed Service Provider is a company that is a third party who remotely manages a company’s IT structure and their end user systems. A lot of medium to small businesses hire an MSP to deal with set day by day activities where they manage the systems. The services that are offered are usually, infrastructure and network management, security, and monitoring. Companies often use an MSP if they are looking to focus on the services they offer without having to worry about IT downtime or dealing with IT issues.
What are the Different Types of Network Monitoring?
When it comes to network monitoring there are a few different types you can choose from, all with different things they bring to the table. Firstly there is.
SNMP based monitoring. These MSP tools use standard SNMP protocol so they can interact with your network’s hardware and give you real time updates and the use of storage and resources. This includes things like processor utilization, memory consumption, and the bytes that have been transmitted and received on the interface.
Then there are flow based tools that can process and download user data at real time to build up statistics about what protocols are being used and how many users are using up a links capacity and also monitor specific packets to see if any issues between client and server arise. The final network monitoring tool is active network monitoring, this is done by inserting real packets into a network and measuring the end to end reachability, round trip time, packet loss, bandwidth, and link utilization and also any other network properties you are interested in. It is also used on application by using the app as a real transaction and seeing how the functionality of the app is.
How do you Monitor a Single Device or Multiple Devices on Your Network?
When it comes to monitoring your network then there are a few ways you can do it depending on how many devices you are looking to monitor. If you are looking to monitor the network of multiple devices then doing it via your router will allow you to see all the devices that are using the data in your network, however some routers can have limited information available so you may need to look into a third party software to access more information from your router.
If you are looking to just monitor a single device then you will need to install an app on the device you are looking to monitor. This can be any monitoring app you like that is going to do the job you want it to, this way you can monitor all the things on your network you are looking to, but bear in mind if you want to monitor all devices through the same app this isn’t always doable due to different OS versions on each device.
Why Should I Use Network Monitoring Tools?
MSP Network monitoring tools are there to make sure that your device is running smoothly and also make sure that it is not under threat from any malicious attacks. What it will do is help you maintain your device and make it last longer than it would if unmonitored. It also allows you to understand where an issue is coming from so you are not left blind should an issue occur with your device. This then gives you all the information you need to know how to fix it or pass it on to the IT person that can fix it for you, that way you have less downtime.
Which Tool to Choose for My Needs?
This all comes down to what you want to use it for and what specifics you are looking for in your monitoring tool. You need to know whether you want it on site or off site monitoring, whether you care about usability, the level of encryption you want, how many devices you are looking to monitor, the licensing, and can it scale with your business. All of these need to be decided upon then once you know what you want from your tool you can go through a comparison piece and know which monitoring tool is going to give you what you want.
When and How Often Should I Check My Network Performance?
When you should check your network performance based on how it is performing, if you feel that the network is sluggish or something is just not quite right then definitely check your network. The how often is usually at least once a week just to keep an eye on it in case you miss an alert, but it is genuinely up to you too, if you want to do it daily then do so, it is upto you how you monitor your network.
Where can I Find More Information About Each Type of Network Monitoring?
You can find all the information you need online from various websites, but you can also call IT professionals and check their website like ours where you can find out more information and have any questions you may have answered.
