Manage Engine OpManager: A Comprehensive Network Management Tool

Manage Engine OpManager is a network management software that helps network engineers to perform an end to end network management in a heterogeneous and multi-vendor organizational network. It provides network engineers with a unified approach to analyze and understand any corporate distributed network or an Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. This article focuses on network performance management, general fitness of OpManager in network management as well as justification on its application. Network monitoring and troubleshooting process with the help of OpManager tool would be analyzed extensively. Similarly, use of OpManager in relation to its capability to provide real-time network management and functional capacity to perform network traffic analysis. Finally, comparison and contrast of OpManager with other network management tools would be analyzed to help network managers make informed decisions in terms of network management tools.

Network Management Tool-Manage Engine OpManager
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Introduction
Manage Engine OpManager is a network management software that helps network
engineers to perform an end to end network management in a heterogeneous and multi-vendor
organizational network. It provides network engineers with a unified approach to analyze and
understand any corporate distributed network or an Information Technology (IT) infrastructure
[12]. It also helps IT, managers of complex IT networks, to manage advanced fault and
performance management issues in any critical IT infrastructure. Any organization and network
manager with complex IT infrastructure that requires close monitoring and analysis on
performance should invest heavily on Manage Engine OpManager. It is a standard tool in the
corridors of network management due to its ability to offer a wide array of network management
capabilities in an organization. This article focuses on network performance management,
general fitness of OpManager in network management as well as justification on its application.
Network monitoring and troubleshooting process with the help of OpManager tool would be
analyzed extensively. Similarly, use of OpManager in relation to its capability to provide real-
time network management and functional capacity to perform network traffic analysis [6].
Finally, comparison and contrast of OpManager with other network management tools would be
analyzed to help network managers make informed decisions in terms of network management
tools.

Part One
Network performance management
Performance of the organizational network remains a critical factor in the success of any
technology service industry. Network performance is dependent on several factors such as device
components that make up the network infrastructure and the number of network users connected
at each instance. Monitoring network performance helps organizations in identifying issues that
might have an impact on the quality of the network [7]. On the same note, network management
is meant to make sure all identified network performance bottlenecks are mitigated, and the
network performance level has been restored to its required standards. Through the use of
OpManager tool, the network manager can present accurate and reliable reports to top level
management. Since reports are evident and outline both challenges and appropriate solutions
provided by the network engineer, informed decisions can be reached. Through the use of the
OpManager tool, a network engineer can analyze network performance factors such as loss of
packets, network error rate, network transmission delays and throughput [11]. Network
monitoring pools together all measuring indicators to be able to present overall changes over
some time in an accurate manner. In this case, performance parameters from various network
components are collected and presented graphically in the form of a graph. Similarly, network
managers can perform real-time monitoring of network such as traffic flow and network server
temperatures [5]. With the help of OpManager, network engineers can manage some network
issues that might resolve performance bottlenecks. Finally, OpManager helps network engineers
to perform signal flow analysis by carrying out robust scanning on network access list engine.

Important to note is that xFlow collectors are used to the predictive vision of the network and
classification such as Top Talkers and graphs.
OpManager-perfect fit for network monitoring
From the analysis, it is evident that OpManager is a perfect tool for network monitoring
and performance to achieve the desired network standards [1]. OpManager offers several
network monitoring capabilities such as real-time, consolidated monitoring and network flow
that are used to address performance metrics. On the same note, OpManager presents quite a
proactive solution with advanced features which can be used by network engineers to resolve
faults and control organizational network [4]. First, the solution offers entirely scalable
functionalities such as network virtual server monitoring, analysis of network bandwidth,
firewall logs analysis, IP address network configuration and change management. Next, it has an
easy and quick setup installation process compared to other available solutions. Additionally, it
has high configurable services which are dynamic to suit different organizational functionalities
at all levels. Network administrators and engineers can use OpManager to make operational
templates designated to various devices making it simple and faster to set up large network
devices [10]. Finally, it offers a graphical dashboard to which can be used to track network
devices and entire network performance in real-time. Through the use of OpManager, it is
possible for a network administrator to monitor network metrics such as memory, CPU and disk
space utilization.
Network monitoring and troubleshooting process
OpManager offer process which can be used by network administrators to evaluate and
diagnose network issues. The administrator monitors the network through the use of OpManager.

Network monitoring helps system administrators to always stay on top of the problems that
might occur. Network monitoring is a challenge because network administrators are not aware of
the issue that would face the system [11]. Next, once the network performance issue occurs,
network administrator identifies the network issue and categorizes it accordingly. The cause of
the problem can be from the interconnected network devices or the network itself. Some of the
common errors encountered in network management are; device configuration errors, hardware
performance errors and network bandwidth related errors. Additionally, the network
administrator should analyze the root cause of the network problem by evaluating possible
causes of the error. This stage has been noted to be one of the most challenging in network
management. Network administrators are required to traverse through the network with the help
of the available minoring tools to identify the main cause of the network error [11]. Finally, with
the help of network monitoring tools, network administrator provides a fix to the problem.

Figure 1.0. Network monitoring and troubleshooting process- S.financesonline.com. (2019). [online]
Available at: https://s.financesonline.com/uploads/2018/06/00-npm-flow-chart.jpg [Accessed 23 Apr.
2019].
Part Two
Real-time availability monitoring by ManageEngine OpManager
Real-time availability monitoring of the network remains an essential aspect of any
organizational system. Tools such as OpManager make use of the Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP) to collect and analyze data from all connected network devices. Network
management availability monitoring by OpManager can send alerts to all relevant users through
emails and event logs which are sent to the event management system for analysis [8]. In ideal
situations, real-time network monitoring is essential, but at some instances such as technical
issues, real-time data analysis should be done. A good example can be deduced from switch port
which has been receiving high utilization of the bandwidth. In such a case, the network engineer
might be required to have periodic checks on both live and latest port utilization statistics.
Continuous tests and analysis helps to determine whether the earlier observed issue still exists on
that specific port for necessary actions [3]. In cases where network administrators do not have
OpManager for network monitoring, command line or remote connection are run to network
servers to analyze the performance. Instead of using such sophisticated and none-intelligence
tools, OpManager provides a real-time capability that helps network administrators to monitor
and report real-time scenarios. In case a network performance has been detected, the network

administrator launches OpManager real-time graphs and can get data on all networked devices
and their performance state [2]. In this regard, with the help of OpManager, it would be possible
to minimize network downtime and slanginess. In return, the network would be available and
reliable at all times when required by customers.
ManageEngine OpManager network traffic analysis
With the help of OpManager, it has become possible to have continuous monitoring of
the network as well as offer essential network visibility and control mechanisms. Netflow
module in OpManager is dedicated to providing network visibility, bandwidth, and traffic
patterns. The module offers bandwidth monitoring in real-time capturing all traffic reports to
point out any possibility of bandwidth issue before it affects the entire network performance
level [1]. Additionally, OpManager Netflow has more capabilities such as billing, AVC support
and IP SLA monitoring that makes it a complete solution. It also helps network administrators to
troubleshoot and fix bandwidth related issues without challenges as well as reduce mean time to
repair (MTTR) the network. A good example can be deduced from a case study where
organizational network bandwidth went down dramatically. With the help of OpManager
business view, the network administrator took an overview of the entire network to identify the
problematic network node. From the viewpoint of the system, it was possible to point out to a
specific node and user occupying much of network bandwidth with the help of NetFlow chart.
Further analysis showed an application which occupied the bandwidth usage [7]. Having
collected enough information within a short period, the network administrator ejects the
problematic computer out of the network by blocking the port. After nailing down the cause of

the issue, it was identified that an infected application downloaded by the user was being used to
flood the organizational network through a UDP port.
Part Three
Differences and similarities between ManageEngine OpManager with Applications
Manager
All these two network management tools are used by various organizations depending on
organizational preferences and needs. The choice of the tool would be driven by several factors
that are dependent on specific corporate choice.
Differences
ManageEngine OpManager Applications Manager
ManageEngine OpManager as a network
management tool presents network
administrator with an approach to manage
complex IT infrastructure.
Applications managers as a network
management tool primarily focus on
performance and availability of network
applications such as application servers,
databases, and business applications [3].
It is cheaper to purchase and simple to install
and manage. It costs as low as from $715
It is expensive to buy and install costing from
$945.
It can be used for network health monitoring,
mapping, traffic analysis, and fault and
performance management.
It can be used for web transaction monitoring,
database monitoring, cloud monitors,
virtualization monitoring and SLA
management.
Similarities

Both network management tools are available for devices such as Windows, Linux,
Android, and web-based applications. Next, both network tools have the capability to support
large and small business enterprises. Both offer support on either emails or mobile phone calls
[12].
Conclusion
Network performance management has become one of the most critical aspects of
organizations. With ever-advancing organizational IT infrastructure, there is a need to come up
with tools that can help network administrators manage the corporate network effectively.
ManageEngine OpManager has proved to be one of the most outstanding tools in use by both
medium and large organizations. The tool makes it possible to analyze network performance
from a bandwidth level to device-specific failure. Important to note is that ManageEngine
OpManager has proved to be unique due to its capability to offer diverse nature of services.
Network administrators can use the tool to monitor and analyze performance making a one-stop
solution. The network tool can be used in busy IT infrastructure to streamline network operations
for quality service delivery. With the help of tools such as ManageEngine OpManager, the
security of the network would be very high, and network errors can be significantly reduced. In
this regard, ManageEngine OpManager features out as a superior tool that organizations should
adopt to manage ever-growing IT infrastructure. Adoption of OpManager would result to
decrease in IT resources required to manage complex IT infrastructure.
References
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