Top 5 Must-Have Tools for Networking Experts

As a networking expert, you are responsible for controlling communications between all internal and external IT systems to ensure that operations run smoothly. However, without the right tools, it is nearly impossible to keep track of and manage such tasks efficiently.

This is why we came up with this post to help you uncover the five best tools that you must have in your repertoire to easily run diagnostics and perform routine checks.

Consequently, you’ll be able to quickly pinpoint issues in connectivity and resolve them to keep your organization networks running smoothly and steady. So, let’s get started.

The Need for Tools in Networking

As IT systems grow complex and convoluted, networking experts find it increasingly difficult to find and resolve issues. But this reason is just scratching the surface. Networking experts require advanced tools to take care of a lot of other aspects like:

1. Tackling Cybersecurity Threats

With cyberattacks on the rise, networking experts need smart tools to detect anomalies in connections and identify suspicious traffic to safeguard against potential vulnerabilities.

Plus, to tackle threats, network engineers must track and analyze packets in real time, which can be easily done with modern tools.

2. Ensuring High Availability and Performance

Nowadays, network downtime can prove detrimental to a company in terms of financial losses and reputational damage. 

Thus, to ensure the high availability and performance of online systems, network engineers must invest time in learning and applying the networking tools at their disposal.

3. Managing Scalability and Automation

Manual processes become unsustainable when managing large-scale working environments. That’s why, when organizations scale, they need smart tools to keep up with the networking demands and automate a majority of their tasks.

However, keep in mind that in no way or form can the tools ever take over human critical thinking or analytical capabilities. The tools will only augment your potential to be more productive. So, in most cases, an expert should always have the last say on crucial matters.

4.Improving Troubleshooting Efficiency

Today, there are a variety of devices coming from various vendors worldwide, each with its own settings, firmware requirements, and other key settings. In such a situation, utilizing smart tools for networking becomes a necessity.

This way, you can quickly troubleshoot for errors and fix them before it’s too late to recover your systems.

5 Best Networking Tools for Experts

Till now, we’ve set the premise that you’d need smart tools for efficiently performing your duties as a networking expert. Now to get acquainted with their names, features, and pricing.

1. Network Performance Monitor

The network performance monitor (NPM) by SolarWinds is an enterprise-level tool that allows you to monitor changes in your network in real-time. It has some advanced features like multi-vendor LAN monitoring, amongst many others.

Key Features:

• Highly Accurate Algorithm: A highly sophisticated NetPath algorithm will critically find problems in your online infrastructure.

• Customizable Console: Change how your networking console looks, enabling you to get to the nitty gritty in style.

• Advanced Alerting System: Get alerts about all current and possible bottlenecks in networking routes. Hence, it allows you to fix issues quickly and efficiently.

Pricing:

30-day trial period, custom pricing (according to enterprise needs.)

2. DNS Propagation Checker

The second tool on our list is the DNS Propagation Checker. It helps to verify that your DNS records are set straight by taking a look at how your DNS is propagated on worldwide servers.

Key Features:

• Up-to-date Results: Always get the latest updates about your DNS records by using this tool.

• Multiple Types of DNS Records Supported: Check the propagation of various types of records like MX, CName, TXT, SRV, and NS, to name a few.

• Add Custom DNS: Enter any custom type of DNS record that you need verifying for propagation to steer clear of any problems.

Pricing:

Free to use.

3. Nmap

Primarily, Nmap is a network auditing tool that supports various mapping techniques to ensure that your systems are always secure. Unlike NPM, this tool is completely free to use, and its full source code is available for easy modifications. 

Key Features:

• Supported for TCP/UDP Port Scanning: Immediately find open ports of multiple kinds throughout your network and assess vulnerabilities for potential cyberattacks.

• Scalability: Scan even the most notorious of networks with this tool without worrying about scalability.

• Works on Various Operating Systems: Smoothly operate Nmap on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Iris, and other OS, enjoying the portability on offer.

Pricing:

Free to use.

4. Wireshark

Wireshark is a robust network protocol analyzer that supports both live capture and offline analysis. Its ability to read and write different capture file formats like Pcap NG, Catapult DCT2000, Cisco IDS iplog, etc., clearly makes it stand out from others.

Key Features:

• Wide Protocol Decryption: Decrypt protocols for IPsec, WPA/WP2, SSL/TLS, etc., to deeply understand traffic patterns and network behavior.

• High Flexibility: Browse captured network data through Wireshark’s GUI or the TTY-mode TShark utility.

• Download Outputs in Multiple Formats: Export all the data to your local device either as XML, PostScript, CSV, or plain text file.

Pricing:

Free to use.

5. PuTTY

The final tool on our list is PuTTY. It is a lightweight SSH and Telnet client that helps network experts remotely manage and configure devices. It can be a very crucial tool for companies, especially those that like to foster WFH or hybrid work environments.

Key Features:

• Support for SSH-2: Ensure a safe file transfer session between you and your client with the tool’s Secure Shell (SSH) capabilities.

• Configure Hardware Devices Remotely: Remotely configure newly acquired routers and switches with PuTTY’s advanced serial communication.

• Rlogin and Raw Protocols: The tool provides compatibility with the Rlogin and Raw protocols, making it a versatile choice for diverse network environments.

Pricing:

Free to use.

Final Thoughts

Despite a paid tool like NPM on the list, there are many open-source and free-to-use options that you can utilize as a networking expert to perform your tasks with diligence.

These top 5 must-have tools will help you keep your online systems safe and secure from any attacks. Thus ensuring less downtime and more business for your organization.