You're a telecommunications engineer. Which network management tools should you be using?

1 Fault management

Fault management is the process of detecting, diagnosing, and resolving network failures and errors. A good network management tool should provide you with real-time alerts, notifications, and reports on the status and health of your network components. It should also enable you to isolate and troubleshoot the root causes of faults, and automate corrective actions or escalate issues when needed. Fault management tools should support various protocols and standards, such as SNMP, ICMP, and syslog, to communicate with different network devices and systems.

3 Performance management

Performance management is the process of measuring and optimizing the efficiency and quality of your network services and resources. A good network management tool should provide you with comprehensive and customizable metrics, dashboards, and charts on the performance indicators of your network elements and systems. It should also enable you to set thresholds and baselines for your network performance, and identify and resolve bottlenecks and anomalies. Performance management tools should support various protocols and techniques, such as NetFlow, sFlow, and IP SLA, to collect and analyze network traffic and performance data.

4 Security management

Security management is the process of protecting your network from unauthorized access, attacks, and threats. A good network management tool should provide you with security features and functions, such as encryption, authentication, authorization, and logging, to secure your network communication and data. It should also enable you to monitor and detect security incidents and vulnerabilities, and implement preventive and reactive measures, such as firewalls, IDS/IPS, and VPNs, to mitigate security risks. Security management tools should support various protocols and frameworks, such as SSL/TLS, Kerberos, and PKI, to establish and verify network security.

5 Inventory management

Inventory management is the process of keeping track of your network assets and resources. A good network management tool should provide you with an accurate and up-to-date inventory of your network devices and systems, including their location, status, type, model, serial number, and firmware. It should also enable you to manage and allocate your network resources, such as IP addresses, VLANs, and subnets, and optimize your network capacity and utilization. Inventory management tools should support various protocols and formats, such as DHCP, DNS, and CSV, to discover and document your network inventory.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?