In 2024, network audit tools are essential for maintaining robust security, compliance, and performance across IT infrastructures. With increasing cyber threats and regulatory demands, selecting the right tool can significantly impact your organization’s operational efficiency. This blog post explores the top 10 network audit tools of 2024, covering their features, pricing, and suitability for small, medium, and large-scale enterprises.
Table of Contents
1. Nessus
Tenable Nessus is a widely used vulnerability scanner developed by Tenable, Inc. It is designed to help organizations identify and fix security vulnerabilities in their networks, systems, and applications. Nessus performs automated scans to detect vulnerabilities such as misconfigurations, outdated software, missing patches, and potential security risks across various operating systems, devices, and applications.
Tenable Nessus is available in several versions, including Nessus Essentials (a free version with limited features), Nessus Professional (for individual security practitioners), and Nessus Manager (for organizations requiring more advanced features and scalability).
Click here to learn Step-by-step guide to using Tenable Nessus.
2. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM)
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is a powerful network management tool designed to automate and simplify the process of managing network configurations. It is part of the broader SolarWinds IT management suite and focuses on configuration management, compliance, and auditing for network devices.
The software monitors devices for configuration changes in real time and alerts administrators to any unauthorized or unexpected changes. NCM keeps detailed records of all configuration changes, who made them, and when they were made, providing a full audit trail for compliance and troubleshooting.
3. Qualys Cloud Platform
Qualys Cloud Platform is a comprehensive cybersecurity and compliance solution that provides continuous visibility and assessment of an organization’s global IT assets. It delivers a wide range of security and compliance services from a single, cloud-based platform, helping organizations to detect and respond to security threats, ensure compliance with regulations, and secure their IT infrastructure.
The platform offers global IT asset discovery and inventory, enabling organizations to identify and classify all their IT assets across on-premises, cloud, containers, and mobile environments.
4. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is a comprehensive network traffic analysis and bandwidth monitoring tool designed to help organizations manage and optimize their network infrastructure. It leverages flow technologies such as NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX, and others, provided by various network devices like routers and switches, to monitor network traffic in real time.
5. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is a comprehensive network monitoring tool designed to monitor and manage a wide variety of IT infrastructure components, including networks, servers, devices, applications, and services. Developed by Paessler AG, PRTG is known for its versatility and ease of use, making it a popular choice for IT professionals in organizations of all sizes.
PRTG offers a unified platform to monitor everything from bandwidth usage and network performance to server health, application monitoring, and cloud services. It provides a single pane of glass for IT teams to monitor their entire infrastructure.
6. Wireshark
Wireshark is a widely-used network protocol analyzer that allows users to capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network. It’s an open-source tool available for various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Wireshark captures network packets in real-time, allowing users to view the data within those packets, which can include information like source and destination IP addresses, protocols used, and payload data.
7. Nagios
Nagios is an open-source monitoring system that is used to monitor the health and performance of IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, applications, and services. It provides real-time monitoring, alerting, and reporting, helping organizations ensure the availability and reliability of their IT systems.
Nagios can monitor a wide range of IT assets, including servers, network devices, applications, services, databases, and more. It supports various protocols like SNMP, HTTP, ICMP (ping), and custom plugins for specific monitoring needs.
8. OpenVAS
OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability Assessment System) is an open-source framework used for vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management. It is part of the Greenbone Vulnerability Management (GVM) solution, which provides a comprehensive system for identifying security vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, and applications.
OpenVAS can scan systems, networks, and applications to detect known security vulnerabilities. It checks for outdated software, misconfigurations, and other security issues that could be exploited by attackers.
9. Elastic Security
Elastic Security is a comprehensive security solution provided by Elastic, the company behind the popular open-source Elasticsearch, Kibana, Beats, and Logstash (also known as the ELK Stack). Elastic Security is designed to help organizations detect, prevent, and respond to threats in real-time by leveraging the powerful search, analysis, and visualization capabilities of the Elastic Stack.
10. Tripwire Enterprise
Tripwire Enterprise focuses on file integrity monitoring (FIM) and compliance auditing. It is known for detecting unauthorized changes to files and system settings.
Elastic Security offers endpoint protection, enabling the detection and prevention of malware, ransomware, and other threats at the endpoint level. It includes features like real-time threat detection, malware prevention, and automated response actions.
Conclusion
Selecting the right network audit tool is crucial for ensuring security, compliance, and performance across your IT infrastructure. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, each tool mentioned offers unique features to meet varying needs. From vulnerability scanning and network monitoring to comprehensive security analysis, these tools can help protect your assets and streamline your network management.
For further information on network audit tools or to explore related topics, check out our detailed guides and tutorials on IT security and compliance.
