Essential Features of IT Monitoring Software

There are many critical pieces of software that you will want to arm your IT operations department with to ensure it is running as efficiently as possible and is as safe as possible. IT monitoring software in general is a key function that will help keep an eye on everything from applications to your network to your company servers. With all of the software out there that focuses on IT monitoring functions, you’ll want to keep in mind some important features to look for in your search. In today’s piece, we look at features to consider, giving you an idea of what to look for in your search.

Automated Report Generation

Whether your IT monitoring software will be used to monitor applications, networks, or servers, a software with an automated report generation feature can prove to pay dividends for years to come. You can have these reports automatically sent to you on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis if your needs call for it. Having your company’s key performance metrics sent directly to your inbox in a timely fashion will give you a great feel of how things are performing and a handle on how things are going.

Reports such as log-in attempts broken out by user, IP address, or time can help you recognize patterns that may be indicative of a potential hack or security breach. Also, you can monitor things like network bandwidth by having a daily report sent to a specified person on your team so they can ensure there are never downtimes, costing your business time and money. Lastly, and maybe most critical, you can have different reports go to different members of your team, distributing the workload evenly and remaining as efficient as possible.

Usability and Intuitiveness

IT monitoring software is great, but like any software, it’s only as effective as you allow it to be. This means the software must be one that you and your team can pick up and learn quickly, and it should be intuitive enough that you will use it to its full potential. The aesthetic appeal can go a long way in getting buy-in from your team to use it from day one. More than just the overall aesthetics, a central dashboard where all of your key metrics are cleanly displayed is a good attribute to look for in software that you're investing your IT monitoring efforts in.

Server Monitoring Feature

A server monitoring feature within your IT monitoring software of choice can prove to be a crucial aspect during your search. With the vast amount of information contained and available on your servers, you will want to ensure their safety and optimal performance at all times. The reliability of your servers is often the backbone of your business, and you shouldn’t overlook their security.

Monitoring metrics such as bandwidth on a daily basis is essential. A server monitoring feature will alert you whenever bandwidth is reaching a potentially dangerous low, giving you and your team lead time to address the issue before it cripples your server and networks. Thresholds can be set so that when levels are nearing them, an alert is sent via SMS or email allowing you to take immediate action. Whether it's a bandwidth issue or otherwise, alerts in general are a beneficial feature in any IT monitoring software you are considering.

Try Before You Buy

Just like you do when considering software for other purposes, you should try out the software via a free demo version before purchase. This will let you see if the software is one your team can pick up quickly, as well as how it integrates with your other software.