SmallNetBuilder recently published an interesting article about the new Belkin Pulse network monitoring system. The piece starts with a primer on why network monitoring is important and the most important devices and services to monitor, followed by a comprehensive review of the Belkin offering, which is based on the Jumpnode AeS architecture.
Author Doug Reid concludes by saying, “Pulse is surprisingly powerful and functional. The Pulse communicates over 168-bit encryption to a centralized service, enabling a network manager or administrator to access a very informative network Dashboard from anywhere they have an Internet connection. The Pulse even enables remote access to network devices behind a firewall, if you choose to set it up. Moreover, the Pulse provides a nice level of redundancy, enabling alarming of your network even if the network itself goes down! The built-in analog modem provided excellent network alarming capability, successfully notifying of a loss of broadband connectivity…Belkin’s Pulse is an easy ‘NOC-in-a-box’ solution to network monitoring, providing the small network manager with capabilities typical in much larger networks. The Pulse makes it easy to get an alarming solution up and running quickly, and it provides a high degree of functionality…Pulse may look simple, but it really has a lot under the hood!”
What I found most fascinating however were the comments—a lively debate the cost-effectiveness of the solution. I think the pro-Pulse forces won the day, but the great thing about feedback like this is that it enables you, ultimately, to judge for yourself.
