Although I have been a TCP/IP networking professional for decades, in the last 10 years I’m also involved in network security as well. One of the tasks I’m responsible to do in my work environment is to either coordinate or perform network assessment projects on my own. A major part of a network security assessment […]
15 Best Firewall Management Software Tools for Rules and Policies
Firewall management is one of the most challenging aspects of enterprise network security. The main issue is that many enterprise networks are complex, they contain a blend of many different vendors and technologies and this makes it time-consuming and difficult to maintain and support. The big hardware firewall vendors (like Cisco, Checkpoint, Fortinet, Palo Alto […]
11 Alternatives to Solarwinds NPM for I.T and Network Monitoring
In my 20 years career in the fields of IT and TCP/IP networking I have procured and used countless of software tools to help my company in our day-to-day operation of complex infrastructures. I’ve used Solarwinds Orion back in the day and was a solid tool. However, I’ve also used other competitive software in the […]
12 Splunk Alternatives for Log Analysis, Observability and SIEM
In the fields of Information Technology, cybersecurity, computer networking etc, having visibility in your systems and networks is essential in order to detect security risks, prevent or fix faults, optimize performance etc. This visibility and information is usually provided by the logs generated by your I.T systems and infrastructure. Because of the enormous amount of […]
10 Useful Network Documentation Tools for IT and Networking Professionals
As IT and networking professionals, we have critical and difficult jobs. We have to design, deploy, and maintain computer networks and, some of us, manage also the IT devices connected to them. In even a moderately-sized business or data center, that’s an awful lot of work. Just staying on top of all of the hardware […]
Top 10 PRTG Alternatives for Monitoring Networks and IT Infrastructure
The Paessler PRTG network monitoring solution is well known to network engineers and administrators. It conveniently monitors network activity including bandwidth usage, IP allocation, device status, network health, and even CPU utilization on networked devices (plus much more). Paessler requires users to use a PRTG core server system running on Windows server OS (or two […]
Comparison of GNS3 vs EVE-NG vs Packet Tracer for Networks Simulation
I have had many years of experience training students and professionals in networks and telecommunications. In those years, I have found time after time that the single most important activity a trainee can do to learn networking concepts is to spend time in the lab. Creating network topologies and applying the theory learned in the […]
Top 11 Network Administrators Software Tools (Free&Paid)
A carpenter is only as good as his hammer. A knight is only as good as his sword. A writer is only as good as his pen. These experts would amount to very little if they didn’t have their respective tools to get their jobs done well. Similarly, a network administrator is only as good […]
A Complete Guide to Scaling your Network Monitoring Solution
If your organization is growing, you know first-hand how important it is to have a network monitoring solution. But what do you do when your network starts to outgrow your current monitoring solution? Here is what you need to know about scaling based on your organizational goals. Your organization can efficiently tackle the ongoing and […]
10 Best Network Traffic Analyzer (NTA) Software Tools
If you’ve ever wondered why your company’s network seems to slow down at times, or how efficiently your employees are using their networked devices, then it’s time you implement a network analysis strategy. Network Traffic Analyzer (NTA) tools can help you find bottlenecks in traffic, analyze what types of network traffic is being used within […]
11 Best Alternatives to Putty as SSH and Telnet Clients (For Connecting Remotely to Devices)
PuTTY is a free terminal emulation tool that’s been available for 20 years. Originally released for Microsoft Windows, this versatile remote administration tool can be used to access workstations, servers, network devices etc using various protocols such as secure shell connection (SSH), Telnet, Rlogin etc. While it continues to be popular for accessing network devices […]
11 Free TFTP Server Software for Windows Computers (Useful in Cisco Networks)
I first got acquainted with TFTP at the beginning of my networking career. The first use-case of TFTP protocol is when I first upgraded the IOS firmware of a Cisco router using a little software utility called “TFTPD32”. Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) software provide a key service to many network and system administrators for […]
12 Best SFTP Server Software for Windows (Free & Paid)
With the rise of distributed networks, finding a secure way to transfer files and data is essential. That’s where software products like Secure File Transfer Protocol, better known as SFTP, comes in. File Transfer Protocol has been around since 1971; the encrypted version was developed in 1994. This popular file transfer communication protocol is able […]