The proper network Management tools allows you to follow these 6 simple tips. This will help you stay ahead of network probelms, and if a problem does occurs you will have the data to be able to analyze the problem.

Troubleshoot sporadic issues with the right equipment 

The most irksome issues are often sporadic and require IT teams to wait for the problem to reappear or spend hours recreating the issue. With retrospective network analysis (RNA) solutions, it's possible to eliminate the need to recreate issues. Performance management solutions with RNA have the capacity to store terabytes of data that allow teams to immediately rewind, review, and resolve intermittent problems.

Baseline network and application performance

It's been said that you can't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been. The same holds true for performance management and capacity planning. Unless you have an idea of what's acceptable application and network behavior today, it's difficult to gauge what's acceptable in the future. Establishing benchmarks and understanding long-term network utilization is key to ensuring effective infrastructure changes.

Clarify whether it's a network or application issue

Users often blame the network when operations are running slow on their computer. To quickly pinpoint network issues, it's critical to analyze and isolate problems pertaining to both network and application performance.

Leverage critical information already available to you with NetFlow?

Chances are your network is collecting NetFlow data. This information can help you easily track active applications on the network. Aggregate this data into your analyzer so that you can get real-time statistics on application activity and drill down to explore and resolve any problems.

Run pre-deployment assessments for smooth rollouts

Network teams often deploy an application enterprise-wide before knowing its impact on network performance. Without proper testing of the application or assessing the network's ability to handle the application, issues can result in the middle of deployment or configuration. Always ensure you run a site survey and application performance testing before rolling out a new application – this allows you to anticipate how the network will respond and to resolve issues before they occur. 

Manage proactively by fully understanding network traffic patterns

Administrators frequently only apply analysis tools after the network is already slow or down. Rather than waiting for problems, you should continuously track performance trends and patterns that may be emerging. Active management allows you to solve an emerging issue before it can impact the end user.