Video: 10 Minute IT Jams - An update from Paessler

Network monitoring has never been more crucial. That's the message from Sebastian Kruger, Vice President for Asia Pacific at Paessler, who recently discussed how the company is tackling IT infrastructure challenges for modern enterprises.

Paessler, renowned for its flagship network monitoring software PRTG, positions itself as a leader in providing robust, yet intuitive solutions for IT teams of all sizes. Kruger highlighted the company's commitment to simplicity, a value he believes sets their product apart in a crowded marketplace. "The key product itself is PRTG... that's the network monitoring or infrastructure monitoring software," he said. "You can use it on premise, you can have it from the cloud if this is what you would prefer, and there's also a subscription licence, especially for large enterprises."

Simplicity, according to Kruger, runs through every aspect of the experience with PRTG. "We try to make it as simple as possible not only for the usage part for the IT administrator, for the IT team, but also the purchasing, the implementing, how much you need to learn to really be able to use the product," he explained. "It's not something where you need a 10-day course... we really try to make it easier for the people that are using and purchasing PRTG."

Innovation at Paessler is driven by both customer demand and industry evolution. Kruger admitted, "Innovations are often things that are driven by our customers." He noted a notable shift in the types of environments companies now need to monitor, observing, "Many, many questions [are] coming in if PRTG also can monitor environments that are not fully IT driven - so talking IoT, OT area, shop floors, and everything that's newly connected to the network somehow." In response, Paessler is expanding its repertoire of software "sensors" that can handle devices using alternative protocols, particularly those emerging from operational technology (OT) environments.

The increasing need for lightweight, low-power monitoring solutions is another trend Kruger identified. "You won't believe how many companies are asking for having something running on a Linux, for example, with a really small footprint," he said. This demand is especially prevalent in scenarios using solar-powered equipment, or where "systems that can't be sitting on a fat Windows server all the time" are needed. "They can't power bigger machines in the mobile scenario," he added.

Downtime in data centres is a perennial headache for businesses, so what does Paessler recommend to keep operations smooth? Kruger stressed that early detection is vital. "You have to recognise an issue before it's really becoming big enough to produce downtime or to cause a downtime, and you need to notify the right people about this," he explained. "Collecting the data is one point but the other and maybe more important part is to inform the right people through the right media." In practice, that means moving beyond email alerts. "We also could send a message to your phone like through a push, through our app," Kruger said, noting that response times can be tailored to the severity and timing of problems.

He shared real-world examples of how rapid monitoring pays dividends. Something as mundane as a leaky air conditioner, he pointed out, can threaten machines through moisture and rising temperatures. "You can see temperature raising, and you will have water at some point, and water is quite bad for electronic stuff in general so there are ways to measure this early enough before it becomes an issue," Kruger said.

He also recounted a more serious incident: a faulty battery emitting carbon monoxide in a data centre. "These faulty batteries do produce gas or carbon monoxide," he explained. "And when you have a carbon monoxide sensor it's basically to find out if something is burning, but even the little gas that's coming from a faulty battery is something that can already be smelt and detected, and then you can get a message for this." Though pinpointing the exact battery is a challenge, Kruger noted that early warning provides a precious window before an emergency power supply goes offline.

On the topic of utilising resources more efficiently, Kruger acknowledged that it's not simply a matter of monitoring but also optimising based on data insights. "Do you want to optimise energy consumption? Then of course you will need something that's actually measuring your energy consumption on different points," he said. Modest adjustments - such as increasing the data centre temperature by a single degree - can yield significant energy savings without impacting operations. Equally, scrutinising server utilisation rates can lead to leaner, greener IT estates. "Maybe you have a few machines that are being bored most of the time, and then you can see if you can, at least when you are going into renewing the hardware, save a few machines or size one machine bigger and can do the job of two," Kruger suggested.

Of course, the reliability of IT infrastructure is often enshrined in service-level agreements. Kruger detailed how Paessler's software supports this need: "You can get information on all of this, and also run SLA reporting. Usually, when you run a data centre, it's not only for you, you have customers on there, and you would like to do an SLA reporting if the uptime is what you promised to your customers."

For those in Australia and New Zealand eager to engage with Paessler, Kruger recommended using local partners for a more hands-on approach. "Especially in Australia and New Zealand, we do have partners that are certified, they offer training, they offer consulting," he said, adding that details are available online. "If you prefer local resources that can also meet you in person then definitely our channel, the partners, are the best way to get PRTG."

As IT ecosystems become increasingly complex, Paessler is staking its claim as a facilitator of simplicity and transparency. "We are bringing even more sensors... possibilities to monitor stuff that's joining classic IT but it's not coming from the area, so often speaks different protocols," Kruger said. "This is something we are innovating a lot at the moment."