Operations | Monitoring | ITSM | DevOps | Cloud

As networks become more highly dynamic, managing an entire network efficiently is not an easy task. When it comes to network monitoring, all you need to figure out is the type of network devices and the specific metrics you need to monitor. But when it comes to network management, there’s more to be taken into account, from network security, bandwidth hogs, change management, and policy management to performance optimization.

You want your networks to operate seamlessly, but how can you guarantee that your network is performing optimally and without disruptions? Network monitoring can help. Network monitoring means overseeing a network's performance, availability, and overall functionality — allowing you to identify and resolve issues before they impact end-users. Read on for a full understanding.

Fifteen years ago, the Internet was a very different place. It operated on a very different scale, had different market leaders and it faced different technical challenges. What has not changed, however, is the need for the best – indeed ever higher - performance and resilience. We founded Catchpoint in September 2008 (amid terrible economic conditions) with the desire to make the Internet better. Not exactly the greatest year to launch a startup.

In the intricate realm of information technology, where the foundations of modern business are securely anchored, the Local Area Network (LAN) is a cornerstone of connectivity. It's the backbone that supports your organization's daily operations, ensuring data flows seamlessly and without interruption. As seasoned experts in your field, you are well aware of the indispensable role that LAN networks play.

As IT infrastructures become increasingly complex to monitor and manage –with new compelling technologies such as virtual machines, software-defined networks and containers overlaid onto existing technology stacks– IT operations teams face the additional challenge of nearly unmanageable ticket volumes. Ticket prioritization, correlation, redundancies and sheer speed of ticket generation become problems in and of themselves.

In this blog post, we describe how one backbone service provider uses Kentik to identify and root out spoofed traffic used to launch DDoS attacks. It’s a “moral responsibility,” says their chief architect.

VPNs (virtual private networks) have rapidly become essential for remote workers and organizations. VPNs provide enhanced privacy, security, and access to restricted resources by creating an encrypted tunnel for internet traffic. However, many IT professionals grapple with the tradeoffs inherent in routing all traffic through a VPN tunnel. VPN split tunneling offers a versatile solution by allowing you to intelligently segment VPN and non-VPN traffic.

FIPS compliant cipher suites hold the U.S. government's seal of approval, guaranteeing their suitability for federal systems. On the other hand, non-FIPS compliant cipher suites may present security vulnerabilities due to outdated cryptographic algorithms and potential lack of perfect forward secrecy. As a result, it becomes paramount to monitor TLS network traffic for non-FIPS compliant cipher suites.