Final answer:
Network monitoring is a critical practice in managing network performance, involving the use of tools and activities to detect and mitigate issues that can affect network operation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Network monitoring involves activities that use tools to observe network performance in order to minimize the impact of incidents. Ensuring the continuous operation of a network is critical for businesses and organizations. By monitoring the network, administrators can detect and respond to issues such as outages, overloads, and unauthorized access. This process often involves the use of specialized software and hardware to track various metrics, including network traffic, bandwidth usage, and uptime. Timely alerts can be setup so that network administrators can address problems before they become more serious issues that affect end users. Among the benefits of network monitoring are improved security, optimization of network performance, and the ability to plan for network upgrades based on data-driven insights.