Network monitoring products generally are put in place to make sure devices, systems, applications and more keep running as expected so it is probably not surprising to read that the tools also help speed problem resolution.

NetScout recently sent me results from a survey the vendor conducted of its customers to determine how much more quickly NetScout's nGenuis products could fix problems than other network monitoring tools on the market. While it is not lost on me that the survey results are completely self-serving for the vendor (much like this one on used network gear), I still found the NetScout numbers interesting.

To start, the survey looks at the methods used by NetScout technology to determine the source of the problem and how that method could prove more effective than other means of detecting degrading performance on networks, systems and applications. While a majority of network managers say eliminating network downtime altogether is impossible, it's safe to say most network managers want to reduce the chances of unplanned downtime impacting business services. If one approach to the problem is more effective than another, I'd think -- regardless of the vendor -- many network managers would be curious to learn which methods of detecting problems sets monitoring tools apart.

According to NetScout, the company's ability to relate key performance indicators directly to conversation, flow date and specific packet sequences is the primary reason its products can cut network troubleshooting and diagnostics time by up to 70%. The survey explains how some other (unnamed) monitoring tools require the network manager to input a time frame when troubleshooting and then sift through the data, but NetScout nGenuis speeds up that process by more quickly relating the performance problem with specific packets.

Other results of the poll of some 284 NetScout customers show that too often still -- about three-fourths of the time -- help desk and IT staff learn of a problem from an end-user call and not before client performance suffers. Eighty-three of survey respondents also said they had already implemented QoS or planned to do so in the next 12 months, mostly to improve performance and support VoIP, MPLS and/or WAN services deployments. And about one-quarter said the network and applications teams continue to have an adversarial relationship, which naturally NetScout tools help to smooth because the vendor says its products can spot performance issues across IT domains.

Denise Dubie is senior editor with Network World.