You have learned how to build visibility into your network.
SNMP: The standard for collecting device data. Use SNMPv3 for security.
Flow analysis: NetFlow, sFlow, and IPFIX show who is talking to whom.
Logging: Syslog centralizes logs. Severity levels prioritize messages.
Performance metrics: Latency, jitter, packet loss, and bandwidth utilization.
Alerting: Only alert on actionable issues. Set thresholds. Avoid fatigue.
Tools: Choose tools that fit your environment. Design dashboards that surface problems.
Monitoring is how you stay ahead of problems instead of reacting to them.