Beware of SNMP
I found Bruce Boardman's recent review of network-monitoring software ("More Ping, Less Bling," Oct. 1, 2004) very useful. I will likely acquire my monitoring suite from his shortlist.
It appears that you can divide network-monitoring systems into two classes: those that rely on SNMP and those that require proprietary agents.
I was leaning toward SolarWinds.Net's Engineer's Edition Toolset 7, so I did a little research into the SNMP protocol. The results weren't encouraging. CERT issued a vulnerability notice, and Microsoft advises not to use SNMP at all if the machine is exposed to the Internet.
Is a system like Neon Software's LANsurveyor, which uses proprietary agents, inherently more secure? Or am I safe with an SNMP-based system, as long as the SNMP services are running behind a firewall?
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
