Best Network Management Tools
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:
Featured Network Management Tools At A Glance
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Strengthen Your Security with Check Point Gateways and Firewalls Check Point Hybrid Mesh Network Security is a comprehensive cybersecurity solution designed to protect networks from sophisticated
Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) is a network security solution that combines advanced threat prevention, application control, and deep packet inspection in a single, unified platform. Users frequently mention the product's robust security features, high performance, and the convenience of its centralized management console, SmartConsole, which simplifies policy configuration and monitoring. Reviewers mentioned the high initial cost, complexity of the licensing model, steep learning curve for new administrators, and occasional slow performance in the management console as drawbacks.
71,026 Twitter followers
ManageEngine OpManager offers unified network performance monitoring and fault management for your entire IT infrastructure. It provides real-time insights into the health and availability of all devi
137,095 Twitter followers
Auvik’s cloud-based IT management platform empowers IT teams to confidently navigate change with less friction. The key is absolute simplicity: seamless deployment, an intuitive interface, and effortl
2,989 Twitter followers
Imagine never having to worry about your IT infrastructure again. Entuity Software offers a comprehensive platform that provides real-time visibility and actionable insights into every aspect of your
1,000 Twitter followers
IBM® SevOne® gives NetOps teams deep, real-time visibility into hybrid cloud and SD-WAN performance — combining network-layer intelligence and app-aware insights to speed up resolution, reduce complex
708,744 Twitter followers
ManageEngine Site24x7 offers unified cloud monitoring for DevOps and IT operations within small to large organizations. The solution monitors the experience of real users accessing websites and applic
137,095 Twitter followers
Ubiquiti's Network Management System, known as UniFi, is a comprehensive platform designed to streamline the management of IT infrastructure across various environments. It integrates networking, secu
More than 500 enterprises worldwide trust BackBox as their network cyber resilience platform. BackBox includes support for network devices from over 180 vendors, thousands of pre-built automations, an
296 Twitter followers
Network Configuration Manager is a comprehensive solution designed to empower netwaork organizations with efficient network configuration and change management capabilities. It supports a wide range o
137,095 Twitter followers
WhatsUp Gold is an IT infrastructure monitoring software designed to help users identify and resolve network issues swiftly, often before they impact end users. This solution provides comprehensive vi
48,885 Twitter followers
ManageEngine OpManager Plus is a comprehensive IT operations management solution. Monitor networks, servers, IP addresses, switch ports, and storage devices from a single dashboard. Manage bandwidth,
137,095 Twitter followers
Check Point Quantum Titan is an advanced cybersecurity platform designed to provide comprehensive protection across on-premises, cloud, and IoT environments. By integrating artificial intelligence (AI
71,026 Twitter followers
FortiManager is a centralized management solution designed to streamline the administration of Fortinet's security infrastructure. It offers a unified platform for configuring, monitoring, and managin
151,520 Twitter followers
SolarWinds® Observability is a comprehensive full-stack observability solution designed to meet the diverse needs of modern organizations, regardless of their size. This solution provides deep visibil
19,642 Twitter followers
Domotz is a network monitoring and management software platform used by MSPs and IT teams to gain visibility and operational control across distributed network environments. It enables organizations t
2,429 Twitter followers
Learn More About Network Management Tools
What are Network Management Tools?
Network management tools enable network administrators to monitor and control the entire network (on-premises or cloud) to address service needs and business objectives. A network is created when two or more devices communicate with each other through the transfer of data. Devices come in many forms but the important network devices are clients, servers, switches, routers, firewalls, and access points. These network devices above allow common devices such as computers, phones, smart watches, IoT, and others to connect to each other. Devices can be connected physically, virtually, and wirelessly via LAN, WAN, VPN, and different types of networks.
All of these connections and devices are complex to manage manually. With network management software, IT managers can track what devices are connected and how they connect. Network management tools use network topology to visually lay out device connections. With this map, users can provision the network system by changing device configuration, resource allocation, and security settings to meet their IT objectives. Different network management solutions may have other network management protocols but most use simple network management protocol (SNMP).
Good network management software also allows IT teams to automate manual network management tasks, such as inventory assessments, device discovery and mapping, system backups, remote access, etc. The goal is to let the network management software automate these traditionally time-consuming tasks so users can focus on other things, like winning new customers and working on new business objectives.
What Types of Network Management Tools Exist?
Free or open-source software
Free network management tools perform simple internet protocols and provide basic network performance data. Since many of them require manually loading the device, free tools are perfect for small networks with fewer devices. A good rule of thumb is that if the user can map all of their devices’ topologies on a whiteboard, they should try these free tools before the paid software. Small companies or individual users are the perfect fit for this type of software.
Specialized network management software
Specialized network management software is good at doing one job—network management. This software can manage a range of functional areas: auto-discovery, inventory, performance, reliability, and security. It provides technical reports and graphs of the network system. Some more advanced tools can offer root cause analysis and machine learning to solve specific problems. These tools are excellent for organizations with other existing monitoring and management tools for their website, database, hardware, etc.
One-for-all software
Top vendors provide comprehensive network management solutions for enterprises. These tools not only do everything that a specialized network management software ca do, alsothey have additional capabilities that manage cloud infrastructure, web network traffic, and IT assets. Some even cover container management, Kubernetes control, and application monitoring. Since they are designed for enterprise-size networks, there is no limit to the scalability of the number of devices. An experienced user can automate a significant amount of manual tasks with this type of software on numerous devices. This type of software is a great fit for large organizations that have their IT infrastructure in multiple locations.
What are the Common Features of Network Management Tools?
The following are some core features within network management tools that can help users manage their network:
Device discovery: Network management tools need to automatically discover new and existing devices and update this information in the device inventory. If there is no auto featuusers mustd to manually enter this information into the system.
Network topology: Another name for this feature is network mapping. Network management tools should map all devices in a graph to show how they are connected. This saves users time from constantly mapping their network manually on a whiteboard. They can see the entire network from network maps.
Configuration management: Users can set up their network configurations such as IP address and firewalls on Microsoft Windows, Linux, or website (SaaS) using API.
Network monitoring: Network performance should be monitored to show the status of the network such as bandwidth usage. Essential metrics must be covered in the following: bandwidth (maximum data transmission rate), throughput (data transmission rate), latency (delay between device request and delivery), packet loss (number of data packets dropped during transmissions), availability (uptime of the network), and connectivity (the types of connection between devices).
IT alerting: If there is a performance problem, tools that have alerting capability will notify the help desk so IT staff can start troubleshooting the network configuration. IT alerting should be integrated with the network monitoring system. For example, if remote wireless networks fail to operate, IT pros won't know there is a problem unless the network monitoring solution notifies them.
Root cause analysis: Just having the status of the network is not enough for modern-day network management practice. When there are hundreds of devices, users waste time trying to search which device is causing a network performance issue. The software should alert the user which device is causing the problem so the user can fix the issue fast. This feature is core to performance management.
Reporting dashboard: If every device is being tracked automatically, their performance information should be reported in real time in a central dashboard. It is unrealistic to expect network managers to check the performance of every device one by one. Also, different users have different technical knowledge of the network system. Therefore, reporting tools should be customizable according to the level of technical details.
Automation: Network management tools should automatically track network inventory, run scheduled reports, device software updates, load balance based on need, alert users of issues and where to find them, and so on. The more IT teams can automate these processes, the more time they save from doing these tasks manually. With the rise of machine learning and AIOps, these new technologies assist users in accurately determining the device at fault so users waste less time trying to find the problem.
What are the Benefits of Network Management Tools?
Increase network performance: Since network management solutions monitor, evaluate, and report performance metrics such as traffic volume and availability. Users can use performance information to forecast resource requirements and load balance based on need. For example, if an internal network device is causing the bottleneck, then the user can upgrade their device. If the internal network infrastructure is operational but the external cloud server is limiting network performance, then users can upgrade their cloud resource capacity. Network management software provides this information so users can accurately pinpoint the performance issue and act accordingly.
Easily manage numerous devices: Users can manage their network and device configuration in a configuration management dashboard. This includes initializing multiple devices and maintaining settings in one workflow. The software also allows configuration backup so in the event of failure or human error, IT administrators bring the network back online without manually setting everything up again.
Increase network security: Security management prevents unauthorized access and cyber attack. Users can set up user authentication, data encryption, access distribution, firewall, and other security parameters to provide real-time protection.
Who Uses Network Management Tools?
IT teams: Only IT personnel would use this software to set up and manage company networks.
Software Related to Network Management Software
Related solutions that can be used together with network management software include:
Network monitoring tools: Network monitoring tools are closely related to network management tools but provide fewer administrative controls. Instead, network monitoring software continuously analyzes traffic, accessibility, netflow, and network health.
Challenges with Network Management Tools
Software solutions can come with their own set of challenges.
Device recognition: Some network management solutions will not automatically recognize or register devices from other brands. Buyers need to extensively test if their existing devices work well on the network management software before purchasing.
Limited functionality: Some vendors offer multiple network management products with different functionality. Buyers can select which one they want and not pay for the extra service. However, the catch is that vendor want to sell buyers everything, so these so-called “standalone” products are not fully functional unless the buyer purchases all of them, which is expensive. If the bundled products cost exceeds the IT budget, it’s best not to buy any of them. It is common to try to buy one product to save money, but upgrading later ends up costing more than what companies want to pay for.
Unfriendly user experience and implementation: Some big brand products are not only expensive but also difficult to install, configure, administer, and maintain without extensive knowledge of the vendors’ systems. Companies who purchased such products often fail to deploy, partially deploy, or completely abandon any effort to monitor their network. To avoid this, buyers should filter out products that have a complex GUI and implementation requirements.
Network scale: Small-business network management tools can be easy to use but may not fit the projected growth needs. Enterprise solutions are not necessary for smaller networks but can provide intensive support for larger, more complex networks in real time. Many cloud offerings can help small businesses scale their networks as they grow while minimizing downtime. When investing in a network management solution, the solution must meet the company’s scale needs, both for now and in the near future.
How to Buy Network Management Tools
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Network Management Software
The company’s needs when searching for network management solutions often relate to specific network performance issues. For example, the user may be most interested in monitoring and improving performance for downtime. Buyers should make a ranked list of the network management features that most directly address the problems they’re trying to solve, then reference G2 reviews to find the right fit.
Prioritizing the desired feature set can help narrow down the potential pool of network management solutions, allowing teams to then apply further considerations for budget, ease of integration with other systems, security requirements, and more. This holistic approach empowers buyers to move forward with a focused checklist, which can be used in conjunction with G2 scoring to select the best network management product for the business.
Compare Network Management Tools
Create a long list
Buyers should start with a large pool of network management software vendors. Keeping the desired must-have features in mind, buyers must perform consistent inquiries during demos so they can effectively compare the pros and cons of each software.
Create a short list
It helps to cross-reference the results of initial vendor evaluations with G2 reviews from other buyers, the combination of which will help narrow it down to three to five products. From there, buyers can compare pricing and features to determine the best fit.
Conduct demos
Companies should make sure to demo all of the products that end up on their short list. The basic step of the demo is to start with downtime management. It’s important to know if the product tracks network uptime, device operational status, and performance metrics like packet and bandwidth data. It’s also helpful to test the configuration and reporting function. It is also important that the selected product fully reflects the entire enterprise network ecosystem and topology.
Selection of Network Management Tools
Choose a selection team
Regardless of a company’s size, it’s important to involve the most relevant personnel when beginning the network management software selection process. Larger companies may include individual team members to fill roles such as system owners, IT professionals, and developers who will be working with the software closely. Smaller companies with fewer employees might overlap roles.
Negotiation
Many companies offer full network-related platforms that go beyond network management to include application performance monitoring, cloud infrastructure monitoring, and more. While some companies will not budge on the configurations of their packages, buyers looking to trim costs should try to negotiate down to the specific functions that matter to them to get the best price. For example, a vendor’s pricing page where network management functionality is only included with a robust all-in-one monitoring package, whereas a sales conversation may prove otherwise.
Final decision
After this stage, it is essential to perform a trial run with a small selection of IT professionals or developers. This will help to ensure that the software of choice integrates well with an IT administrator’s systems setup or a developer’s day-to-day work. If the tool is well-liked and well-utilized, the buyer can take that as a sign that their selection is the right one. If not, reevaluation of the options may be necessary.
