Networks of modern workplaces are impressively complex, thanks to the advent of new technologies and hybrid workplaces. Monitoring and analyzing your network can be a challenging task without the right tools and techniques to approach it. Network visualization offers a straightforward, intuitive way to analyze your network at a glance, but how does it work? And what are the benefits?

The Basics of Network Visualization

Network visualization relies on network topology mapping tools and similar tools to recreate the layout of your network on a single screen. Instead of analyzing each individual network element and conceptualizing how they’re all connected to each other, you can glean all this information intuitively in a single location.

With this approach, you’ll be able to see all your network devices, key metrics about the performance of your network, data visualizations related to data flow, and more.

There are two main types of network visualization you can use, and each is valuable in its own way. For starters, static network maps allow you to get a fixed view of the topology of your network. This view recreates your network as it existed in a specific moment of time in the past. They don’t change in response to real-time variables, and they can’t tell you much about how your network is currently operating, but they’re extremely valuable for assessing the original intended purpose of your network and laying the groundwork for your other analyses.

Conversely, dynamic network maps automatically update in real-time, incorporating new data and updating data flows. While this can make it difficult to analyze the original intentions and high-level layout of your network, it’s indispensable for measuring traffic flow metrics, troubleshooting problems, and monitoring how your network performs in real-time.

The Benefits of Network Visualization

So why should you be using network visualization?

• An intuitive view of a complex system. First, understand that networks are extraordinarily complex. Even if you’re an IT expert with years of experience in architecture planning and network monitoring, it can be challenging to fully assess or analyze your network architecture. Network visualization tools attempt to package all this complexity in a single, intuitive layout, giving you an aesthetically pleasing and conceptual view of what would otherwise be impossible to concisely describe. As long as your network visualization tool is robust and accurate, you’ll never have to worry about simple mistakes leading to catastrophic network problems.
• Convenient network planning. How is your network going to grow in the future? What were your businesses needs in the past and how are those needs changing? What modifications can you make to your existing network to improve its performance and mitigate issues? These questions and more constitute network planning, which is typically very difficult. But with the help of network visualization tools, you can gain a much better understanding of your current network, pinpoint potential problems that could influence your network in the future, and ultimately make better decisions for your network.
• Easier communication and collaboration. Communicating with people who have little to no experience with managing networks is practically impossible without some way to make the information more abstract and digestible. Network visualization tools are perfect for this. Instead of describing in agonizing detail how each network element functions and relates to the other elements, you can point to an intuitive flow chart and use graphs to make your point. Whether you’re talking to business decision-makers about how to expand the network in the future or you’re trying to prove your value to a managed IT service client, this is indispensable.
• Fast troubleshooting. Even the best networks sometimes run into bottlenecks and other problems. Network visualization tools make it faster and easier to troubleshoot those problems. Instead of painstakingly running through a checklist of troubleshooting steps, you might be able to diagnose the problem with a simple glance at the topology and real-time data of your network. Faster root cause analyses lead to faster communication, quicker response times, and ultimately fewer and shorter interruptions for your business.
• More accurate predictions and forecasting. It’s hard to say exactly what your business is going to need in the future, but you can forecast and predict those needs much more easily with a network visualization tool. By studying how your network performance changes and how your originally planned architecture holds up to new challenges, you can speculate about how your business needs will evolve in the near future.

Finding the Right Network Topology Mapping Tool

It’s clear that network visualization is incredibly beneficial not only for your IT team, but for your business overall. With a more intuitive view of your network performance, you can gain access to faster troubleshooting, more accurate predictions, and efficient internal and external communication. All that’s left is to choose the right network topology mapping tool so that you can get access to all the features you need for a reasonable price.