Network management tools are used to administrate, provision, and control IT systems. These products help users understand who is using their network, how it is organized and how it is performing. Companies use these to improve reporting on existing networks and tighten control over connected systems. Many products have network mapping capabilities to outline connected devices and infrastructure. Some modern network management tools are used for configuration management between cloud services and remote network connections.
Network monitoring tools are closely related to network management tools, but provide fewer administrative controls. Instead, network monitoring tools continuously analyze traffic, accessibility and network health. There is also some relation to data center networking software. These tools provide similar network management capabilities designed specifically for data centers and their connected IT ecosystem.
To qualify for inclusion in the Network Management category, a product must:
- Provide administrative control over computer networks
- Provision devices connected to a network
- Map and discover new network connections
