If you are considering adding network monitoring to your IT system, or currently have a system in place, you may be asked to define its value from time to time. When looking at determining the value of network monitoring for enterprise networks and data centers, one needs to consider several factors with upfront and ongoing cost of the software and its value over time, being two major concerns. The natural first response may be “Let’s look at the data.” However, there are many soft factors to consider, and these are more subjective and difficult to quantify. So, while data is helpful, there’s no simple way to quantify the return on investment (ROI) for network monitoring. Take things a step further and look at other benefits to give you a broader, more complete picture.
Determining the value and ROI of network monitoring is a challenge, but there is tremendous value in going through the exercise. Naturally, the “hard costs” are easier to identify than the soft ones. These can include things like licensing and hardware costs, implementation costs, upgrades and module costs, and service and maintenance fees. There are also the more incremental costs of additional modules and add-ons, and potentially, the need to purchase new software to monitor new technologies.