What is Network Management?

International businesses and near-citywide college campuses require effective network management solutions to minimize downtime, optimize performance and strengthen cybersecurity. In summary, network management helps maintain the efficiency, reliability and security of a local and/or cloud-based network.

However, developing a viable network management strategy requires an understanding beyond its actions. It’s also not as simple as deploying the solution and then “let it do its thing.” Understanding the five core focus areas of network management can help your organization invest its time and money in an ideal solution.

Understanding Network Management

Network management processes include:

• Monitoring - Observing device health, traffic usage, bandwidth and service availability to detect issues early and trigger alerts before outages occur.
• Administration - Managing inventories of network devices (routers, switches, access points, servers), configuring settings, provisioning new devices and managing access controls.
• Maintenance - Patching firmware and software, updating configurations, replacing aging hardware and running preventive diagnostics to increase uptime.
• Security – Improving network protection against threats through monitoring, access policies, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning and compliance audits.

These principles apply across enterprise environments, from on-premises data centers and campus networks to cloud-native and hybrid deployments. Modern network management can provide greater visibility and control across physical, virtual and cloud-based infrastructure.

How Network Management Works

At the center is a network management system (NMS), a software platform that aggregates data from devices, analyzes performance and enables control and automation.

Protocols: SNMP and NetFlow

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a widely supported standard used to collect device status, configuration and error information from network elements such as routers, switches, servers and printers.

NetFlow provides deep, flow-level traffic visibility. This protocol provides insights into IP source and destination, ports and QoS class; all of which is helpful for traffic profiling, capacity planning and detecting congestion.

By combining SNMP’s device-level health metrics with flow-oriented NetFlow data, an NMS delivers full-spectrum visibility and troubleshooting power.

Centralized vs Decentralized

Centralized management consolidates all network data into a unified dashboard. It’s best suited for enterprises or hybrid environments requiring broad visibility, automation and coordinated response.

Decentralized or agent-based models may be used in highly distributed or edge scenarios where local autonomy is needed. These models often synchronize with a central system.

5 Core Areas of Network Management

At the heart of modern network management are five functional domains, often aligned with the FCAPS model:

1. Network Monitoring – Tracking network performance in real time and identifying anomalies or bottlenecks before they escalate. This is enabled by network monitoring software.
2. Network Configuration Management – Centralizing the setup, change and auditing of device configurations across routers, switches, firewalls and other endpoints.
3. Fault Management – Detecting, isolating and resolving failures or errors (alarms, device alerts), then logging and reporting on root causes and remediation efforts.
4. Performance Management – Tracking key metrics such as latency, throughput and packet loss to maintain optimal performance and minimize downtime.
5. Security Management – Implementing access controls, vulnerability detection,
   intrusion prevention and compliance measures to safeguard the network.

What to Consider When Choosing a Network Management Provider

Challenges

“More complexity, fewer results” is the consensus among IT teams everywhere. IT infrastructures have evolved into a Frankenstein’s Monster of servers, access points, applications and mobile devices. The tools we implement to control robust business networks end up increasing their complexity due to the lack of integration between all of these tools. Below are some points to consider when choosing your network management provider:

• Growing network complexity - Cloud environments, IoT deployment and hybrid estates increase scale and heterogeneity.
• Cybersecurity threats and data breaches - Networks face evolving threats that demand stronger detection and response.
• Bandwidth and performance management - Maintaining consistent service levels under variable traffic loads.
• Multi-vendor device compatibility - Supporting Cisco, Juniper, VMware, cloud APIs and other technologies.
• Demand for real-time alerting and automation - Modern IT operations require rapid responses that manual oversight cannot deliver.

Best Practices

Effective network management strategies enable you to utilize your full network capabilities. Five crucial best practices are:

• Automate network monitoring with advanced tools - Using solutions that combine real-time alerting, dashboards and automation to reduce manual effort.
• Implement proactive fault management strategies - Detecting and resolving common failures and escalating complex issues when necessary.
• Update and patch network devices regularly - Maintaining firmware, OS and configurations to help prevent vulnerabilities.
• Use AI-driven analytics for predictive maintenance - Identifying anomalies or capacity risks before outages occur.
• Conduct periodic security audits and compliance checks - Verifying access controls, patch status, encryption and adherence to regulatory standards.

Conclusion

Impactful network management combines monitoring, configuration, fault detection, performance tuning and security practices into a unified discipline essential for modern enterprises. As cloud, IoT and hybrid adoption continue to grow, the complexity and performance demands placed on networks also increase. Robust network management tools help IT teams maintain business continuity, reduce downtime and defend against evolving threats.

Contact us to learn how the WhatsUp Gold solution can supercharge your network management strategies.