Availability of network devices (such as switches, routers, servers, etc.).

The “plumbing” of a network keeps the network running.

Availability of all critical services on your network.

The whole network doesn’t have to be down to have a negative impact; loss of email, HTTP, or FTP server availability for even just one hour can shut a business down.

Amount of disk space in use on your key servers.

Applications require disk capacity. It’s also important to be aware of any anomalous behavior in disk capacity, which can indicate a problem with a specific application or system.

Percentage of your routers’ maximum throughput utilized on average.

If you anticipate when you need to upgrade before you feel the pain of needing to upgrade, you’ll minimize disruption to your business.

Average memory and processor utilization of your key CPUs/servers.

If you wait until memory is used up, users will never let you forget it.

Function of firewalls, antivirus protection, update servers, and spyware/malware defenses.

There’s a difference between having security, and having security that’s working.

Amount of traffic coming in and out of routers.

The better you can identify peak periods and maximum throughput, the better you can plan for optimal performance at all times.

Availability of all network devices.

Most networks are a combination of heterogeneous devices; you need to be able to monitor Windows, Linux, UNIX, and other types of servers, workstations, and printers.

Events written to logs, such as WinEvent or Syslog.

By taking advantage of messages written to event logs, you can gain direct knowledge of events and conditions throughout the network.

SNMP traps, such as printer information or temperature probes in server rooms.

You can learn when printers are malfunctioning or need toner even before users notice, and ensure that your servers don’t overheat. It’s important to note that these are just two examples of unique attributes that your network monitoring solution should be able to handle.

Windows application and servers.

Most network environments include Windows applications running on Windows servers. While not every network monitoring solution currently supports WMI, Ipswitch’s WhatsUp Gold Premium solution monitors SQL Server and Exchange out of the box, and can be customized to track attributes of other Windows applications through the use of customer-configured WMI monitors.