Monitoring and managing IT devices can be challenging. These seven tips can help to improve the quality of your monitoring efforts and reduce licensing costs regardless of what IT management system you use.

Tip 1: Inventory Management: Managing Mission Critical Devices Exclusively

Inventory lists are a crucial segment within an enterprise IT management system.  It is vital to keep an accurate profile of mission critical devices, as well as, identify and remove secondary or non-critical inventory.  Segmenting your inventory can save money on resources and equipment, reduce database size and complexity, and ultimately improve the performance of your management system.

Tip 2: Visualize Your Network: Utilizing Maps, Diagrams, and Drawings

Leverage existing floor plan drawings, architectural CAD diagrams, or simple geographical background images as part of your network map design.  Network layouts that overlay on top of existing and more commonly used maps can aid in identifying potential problems more quickly.

Tip 3: Performance Management: Understanding Normal Network Performance Levels

Understanding and baselining normal network performance levels can provide a solid foundation in creating accurate performance issue alerting.  By establishing baselines and normal levels of performance, it is possible to identify deteriorating network conditions much faster and more accurately. As the IT environment evolves, so does the understanding of what potentially might cause serious performance issues.  Additionally, creating a dynamic and multi-level performance alerting system provides key information points on which to act upon.

Tip 4: SNMP Guidelines: Reducing Unwarranted Complexity

Networks with a large number of SNMP community strings often see very lengthy network discovery times.  It is helpful to make a concerted effort to reduce the number of community strings being implemented.  Perhaps limiting one community string per device type will help reduce complexity and deter one-off configurations.  Additionally, consider a migration to SNMPv3 and stay ahead of any future regulatory demands.

Tip 5: Standard Naming Convention: Early Implementation is Crucial

When installing new devices, use a standard naming convention that is acceptable and readable.  Also, consider refreshing the naming convention on devices already established on the network.  Uniformity across the naming convention dramatically helps to identify and locate devices faster.

Tip 6: IP Addressing and Subnetting: Allocating IP Addresses Correctly

It is recommended that you require any private IP address allocation or distribution to adhere to the guidelines and standards outlined in RFC1918.  Additionally, subnetting design should follow all rules regarding network size, broadcast addressing, and boundaries. Following the standardized rules has an immeasurable benefit and will allow future expansion or merging with other infrastructures.

Tip 7: Manage Your UPS and Other Power Devices

Along with the traditional devices and systems, consider expanding your monitoring efforts to UPS or power devices as a mission critical element.  Correctly conditioned power is essential in prolonging the usage of an electrically powered device.  Many UPS and power strip manufacturers now offer a management piece or portal that can relay important power related metrics.  Strive to achieve full visibility into your entire infrastructure with the addition of power management.

Do you have any tips we should add or consider? Send us a note.

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We are about 72 days away from Cisco Live 2012…but who is counting. Kratos will be exhibiting again this year at this premier education and training event for IT, networking, and communications professionals. The event takes place from June 10-14 in San Diego.

Kratos will be in booth 2618, so save the date. Come by and pay us a visit. We have lots of information to share with you including new product release features, product demonstrations and free IT management utilities to handle the monitoring of network traffic, syslog alarms, Exchange, service levels, websites and more. If you haven’t downloaded any of our free IT management tools, visit our website and try them out today.

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Kratos just exhibited at TechNet Land Forces Southwest, the Army’s premier event focused on network and security operations. Compared to last year’s much bigger and broader LandWarNet show, this event is much smaller and more targeted. 

From a network standpoint the event was a great opportunity to familiarize attendees with our IT management solutions that help deliver network situational awareness from the GIG to tactical networks for customers like DISA, MDA and others.

Throughout the show there was a lot of interest in our cybersecurity solutions for cloud security, continuous monitoring and risk management. These service offerings are a result of Kratos’ recent acquisition of SecureInfo, a market-proven provider of cybersecurity services and solutions.

Overall the show seems very focused and productive. We look forward to next year.

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