Network administration does not have to be difficult

Network monitoring and diagnostics is now a very important part of business. The ability to professionally manage your network protects you against many problems arising from incorrect network configuration, malware activity or unauthorized user actions. With free diagnostic programs you can quickly learn how to simply oversee your processes and how to take care about the quality of installed equipment and infrastructure. [text_divider type="single"] Professionalism in a simple, intuitive interface [/text_divider] At the beginning of your adventure with network administration, it is important to choose an appropriate tool. The Internet offers a multitude of software with an array of features for data collection. However, before we decide on a specific solution, we must determine what information will be required to improve the network. Among the monitoring tools, you can find both software providing only basic data, and comprehensive solutions which are required by each administrator. “It’s worth paying attention to the interface as well. A clear and intuitive menu allows for a more effective use, even for less experienced users. If you intend to use the tools both for daily work and private purposes, check which solutions have a free license both for commercial and home use,” says Marcin Matuszewski, Axence Technical Support expert. A good example of such solution is Axence netTools – totally free, comprehensive software for professional diagnostics and the administration of a computer network. It is for both novice and advanced private and commercial users. The tool was recognized as Product of the Year 2013 by one of the leading computer magazines. It is a great honor for us especially considering the fact that the award was granted by the readers. [text_divider type="single"] Features you want to have [/text_divider] The tool, which you will choose, should first of all monitor the availability of multiple networked devices, their IP addresses and response times of selected services, e.g. the popular PING. Pay attention to whether or not the proposed module can issue notifications about errors as they occur in real-time, e.g. about the lack of response from a device for some time. The software should also include a feature to export data to most popular text formats, spreadsheets or *.html files, thus allowing for comfortable viewing and analysis of the collected data and the easy modification for further reuse, e.g. the development of reports. “Each professional network administration software allows exhaustive information about machines in a given network to be obtained. It provides details, e.g. running services, processes and overviews. It allows the register to be edited and one’s own queries to be created. You can observe on an ongoing basis, what is going on at each networked computer and maintain full control over such machine,” comments Marcin Matuszewski. Network, port and service scanners are other important modules. These are used mostly to detect computers connected to the given network, to identify services running on detected machines, and to verify the operation of HTTP, POP3, MS SQL, Oracle and 50 other services used daily by the users of our network. Other important features are, e.g. the monitoring of all incoming and outgoing connections and all open ports, the checking of the network bandwidth capacity, and the quality of network equipment in LANs. [text_divider type="single"] But what’s it all for? [/text_divider] All the collected data describe the issue of network monitoring, which we administer. The obtained information enables control over what is going on with our devices. Due to the detailed analysis, it is easier to detect malware tracking the open ports (sources of potential threats) or the activity/actions of unauthorized users. An equally important role of the system is the ongoing monitoring, which enables the detection of errors and failures of hardware, software and services. The professional network management will help you avoid numerous infrastructural breakdowns and additional costs related to their repair; ultimately, it saves you time – instead of spending it putting out “fires”, you can use it to develop your company.