What does a network monitoring tool help identify?

A network monitoring tool is designed to provide real-time insights into the performance and health of a network. Its primary function is to continuously observe various components of the network infrastructure, such as routers, switches, servers, and connections. By tracking metrics like bandwidth usage, latency, packet loss, and overall traffic patterns, these tools can quickly detect any anomalies or disruptions that indicate network issues. This immediate detection allows network administrators to respond promptly to problems, minimizing downtime and ensuring that the network operates efficiently.

While hardware upgrades, user activity logs, and software compliance are important aspects of IT management, they are not the primary focus or function of network monitoring tools. Hardware upgrades are determined through various assessments of need that are not typically part of monitoring functions. User activity logs focus on tracking individual behavior, which is a separate domain from the overarching health of the network. Software compliance refers to ensuring that software installations meet licensing agreements and regulations, which again does not fall under the real-time monitoring capabilities that track network performance.