IT infrastructure encompasses all of the components necessary for the operation as well as the management of enterprise information technology (IT) services and environments.
What should be monitored in IT infrastructure? All endpoints or applications connected to your network should be monitored, since they are vulnerable to potential attacks. Hardware devices should also be monitored on a consistent basis, especially because a hardware failure could result in lost revenue or unexpected downtime.
IT infrastructure monitoring is important in order for IT departments to run at optimal performance and prevent errors proactively before they cause a disruption or affect critical business operations and processes. IT monitoring is essential because it helps resolve problems that could otherwise create a major disaster.
Additionally, IT infrastructure monitoring is crucial because of the growing complexity of IT infrastructure. The different components of an infrastructure (devices, servers, networks, storage, applications, OS, hardware, etc.) all impact one another. If there is an issue, finding the source and fixing it will depend on having an effective infrastructure monitoring tool.
The different types of infrastructure monitoring include the following:
IT infrastructure monitoring tools detect IT infrastructure issues to help you resolve them before they can cause disruptions to your critical business processes. These tools enable infrastructure managers to be aware of how key infrastructure elements (e.g. network, compute, storage and databases) are working. IT infrastructure monitoring tools also help companies gain deeper insight into different systems (physical, virtual, or cloud) and maintain performance. In addition, IT infrastructure monitoring tools help you identify when system upgrades are necessary so you can respond to issues before they cause problems.
Asked what to look for in an IT Infrastructure Monitoring solution, PeerSpot members point to ease of installation, scalability and heterogeneous Operating System coverage as key differentiators. Members express a desire to have “out of the box” support for multiple applications as well as a Unified Monitoring Portal (UMP) and transaction monitoring. For some, a simple implementation of business and infrastructure dashboards is essential. Users like having a single point of configuration.
An intuitive GUI is considered a plus for administrative efficiency. Users want to monitor end user experience in context. For example, they want to be able to create business groups so they can track infrastructure performance by internal IT client.
Architecturally, members suggest that fully-featured, non-java, agent based technology can enable the user to install probes where needed. This is in contrast to trying to monitor everything, an approach used by some infrastructure monitoring vendors. Non-Java matters because it reduces the footprint of the agent on the server and can help with stability. A distributed, highly-available monitoring cluster capability is viewed as a “must have” for enterprises that run geographically distributed sites, especially organizations that have a high cost of service disruption.
According to PeerSpot members, the best infrastructure monitoring solutions do some of the work of forming insights for administrators. Users want granulated data on where traffic latency and bandwidth utilization issues are occurring. Reporting sophistication is also important, some users expressing an interest in infrastructure monitoring packages being able to report on compliance of the cloud environment, for example.
To make sure you get the safety and performance you need, it is critical to monitor your IT infrastructure. Below are 5 steps to do so:
There are several advantages to having effective IT infrastructure monitoring tools. These include:
Features you should look for when deciding on an IT infrastructure monitoring tool include:
When researching which IT infrastructure monitoring tools would be best suitable for your organization, there are many criteria to consider. It is best to choose a system that has multiple capabilities and can easily trace all of your organization’s services, from your server’s resources to your applications. It is also helpful to select a tool that supports customized alerts for arising performance issues, an application dependency mapping service, as well as integrations for specialist vendor service monitoring. Additional, but not essential, features that you may want to consider when making your decision include a server status monitor that watches resource utilization, root cause analysis, and website performance monitoring that offers availability and response time capabilities. In addition, some IT infrastructure monitoring tools offer a free trial or demo system, which can be valuable as you assess which product will work best for your organization.
IT Infrastructure Monitoring software is crucial for businesses to ensure their IT systems' smooth operation and performance. It provides real-time visibility into the health and status of various IT infrastructure components, allowing IT teams to proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact the business. Here is a step-by-step overview of how IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software works:
-The IT Infrastructure Monitoring software collects data from various sources within the IT infrastructure, such as servers, network devices, databases, applications, and cloud services. It uses different protocols and methods to gather data, including SNMP, WMI, APIs, log files, and synthetic transactions.
-Once the data is collected, the software processes and analyzes it to extract meaningful information. It applies predefined rules and algorithms to identify patterns, anomalies, and performance metrics. The software can correlate data from multiple sources to provide a holistic view of the infrastructure's health and performance.
-The software presents the processed data in a user-friendly interface, often through dashboards and reports. Dashboards provide a consolidated view of key metrics, such as CPU and memory utilization, network latency, disk space, and application response time. Reports offer detailed insights into historical trends, capacity planning, and compliance requirements.
-The IT Infrastructure Monitoring software continuously monitors the infrastructure and triggers alerts based on predefined thresholds or abnormal behavior. Alerts can be sent via various channels like email, SMS, or integration with collaboration tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. IT teams can customize alerting rules and escalation procedures to ensure timely response and resolution of issues.
Advanced IT Infrastructure Monitoring software can automate specific remediation actions based on predefined workflows. For example, it can restart a service, clear cache, or allocate additional resources to mitigate performance issues. Automation helps reduce manual intervention and accelerates incident resolution.
IT Infrastructure Monitoring Software often integrates with other IT management tools, such as ticketing systems, configuration management databases, or ITSM platforms. This integration enables seamless collaboration and streamlines IT operations. The software may also support extensibility through APIs, allowing organizations to develop custom integrations or add new monitoring capabilities.
