The objective of the study was to define what sort of needs for network monitoring system does Appelsiini Finland Oy have. An equally important objective was to evaluate the current monitoring system and whether there are alternative technically comparable systems available.

To find out the needs for the monitoring system Appelsiini employees from systems administration and service management were interviewed. The usability of the current monitoring system was evaluated based on interviews and personal experience working with the system. The market research was conducted by searching information about available systems and vendors online and then selecting the systems meeting Appelsiini’s criteria to be reviewed and compared in detail. The technical data was gathered using product manuals and various marketing materials.

The survey revealed that even though there is an abundant supply of monitoring systems there are only few products that are actually suitable for service production. The technical comparison of the products suggested that the current monitoring system, Nimsoft Monitor, is able to match or outperform its competitors in most aspects. By changing the system supplier the benefits would be primarily seen in the user interface.