While monitoring bandwidth usage is an oft-overlooked task within small enterprises, this practice can provide information that is vital to improving network performance, security and cost control. Take a proactive approach to bandwidth monitoring to improve overall network management.

Don't Leave Bandwidth Usage Unchecked

Bandwidth monitoring refers to the collection of utilization statistics for Internet and WAN links and may include more specific reporting on bandwidth usage down to the level of individual users and applications. Although network performance problems may not be apparent, the process of collecting hard data on bandwidth usage will provide insight into the actual nature of usage and uncover areas of inefficiency. Monitoring bandwidth will benefit these areas:

• Security. In smaller IT shops, it is often necessary to provide individual users with local administrative privileges on their workstations to allow them to install or update individual applications. However, while this practice may reduce IT workload...