What is Network Monotoring?

 The term Network Monitoring is easily confused with spying or other nefarious behaviors. The type of Network Monitoring implemented and practiced by TheNetWorks LLC has very different goals than those related to cyber-crime.

  All modern networks practice some form of Network Monitoring to ensure the reliability, and even security of their network operations. Your internet service provider practices this continuously to ensure your service is active and operating normally. This is the goal of Network Monitoring practiced by TheNetWorks LLC. Consequently, this type of service is more aptly termed Network Health Monitoring.

 There are several things that it does NOT do. Since nearly all internet traffic is encrypted using https it cannot:

 1. Read the content of your messages or web pages

 2. Capture or steal your passwords

 3. Know what you purchased in any reputable web sites (which use SSL)

 4. Capture any of your personal information

 5. Associate your identity with a particular computer address (IP or MAC)

 6. Share the statistics, information, or findings outside of your organization or home

 Traditional network (health) monitoring performs the following operations and activities:

  1. Ensures the infrastructure (wired and wireless) is operating normally

   a. Periodically polls the equipment for availability and health (typically every 60 secs)

  2. Ensures that the endpoints and user devices are active and operating normally

   a. Periodically polls the endpoints for availability and health (typically every 60 secs)

  3. Captures the total traffic in a home or business

   a. Periodically gathers performance statistics from the infrastructure and endpoints

  4. Captures the addresses of web sites visited by devices and the bandwidth utilized

   a. Necessary to understand internet usage patterns and potential abuses

 In short, YES. It is an essential part of any reliable network and causes very little risk or performance impact to your network.