The PC performance monitoring software you really need

The number one sentence that an IT Professional probably hears the most is “help, my computer is working really slowly!”

Even with state-of-the-art PCs and with the latest operating system installed, over time, programs get added on, CPU usage increases, viruses and unwanted programs hitch a ride onto the hard drive, and the pc slows down. This is where you, the system monitoring MSP, enter the picture.

In order to fully understand what is going on, an MSP must have at their disposal a computer performance monitoring tool, often called a PC performance monitoring software, or PC hardware monitoring software.

This enables the technician to monitor your system and understand the system’s performance of the computer itself. Using Atera’s performance and hardware monitoring software, you can view the status of each computer and be alerted to problems in real-time.

Atera’s Threshold Profile provides the key to top performance monitoring data

The key mechanism to monitoring PCs in the Atera UI involves using what Atera has coined the Threshold Profile. This is a unique profile that you apply to your Atera agent either on a single device or at the customer top level. This profile then monitors threshold levels of various PC operations and lets you know if there is a problem via an Alert. Using the Threshold Profile, you can set the Agent to monitor Performance levels such as CPU load, Memory Usage, Network Bandwidth etc.

You can set the Agent to monitor Hardware levels such as CPU Temperature, Motherboard fans (CPU, System), Hard Disk usage, etc. For Servers, you can monitor Exchange levels such as Exchange Storage Size, Exchange Queue Size etc. There are also preset threshold levels that Atera has defined to make your life easier that you can apply to Servers, Laptops, Macs or Personal Computers, without overthinking it too much.

Once a threshold has been crossed, you can then drill down to the individual device to see what tasks/processes/programs are taking up too much space or memory and stop or uninstall them. In many cases, such as for PCs for heavy gaming use, you might want to use the opportunity to create an extra partition for them or sell them extra memory or a hard drive.

PC Performance Monitoring Software can be utilized for monetary profits as well!

Don’t forget to set your Alerts!

For each of these threshold levels you can choose the type of task manager Alert you want to receive when the threshold level has been breached: Information, Warning and Critical. For extra effect, you can select funky sounds to accompany your alerts. You can also set up your system so that a Critical Alert of, for example, CPU load over 90% will automatically create a Help Support ticket and send you an email.

In this way, you can keep on top of all hardware and performance issues, spotting problems as they arise and even fixing them before your clients notice.

Importance of keeping a Network Inventory

In order to keep track of your PC Performance Monitoring Software and Hardware Monitoring Software, you also need to keep track of the hardware and software in your client’s organization. This is commonly known as a network inventory and generally is a list of devices such as computers, routers, servers, and printers which are connected to your network – as well as the type of software each one is running.

Atera shows you full hardware specifications and software specifications for each device you have added in your client’s network. You can use the Advanced Filter tool to display all hardware characteristics of a certain type. In order to monitor software network inventory, you can use the Software Inventory Report to tag and display what software is running on which device.

Keeping track of your Client’s Software

It is very important to have an accurate network inventory. For instance, keeping track of what software is connected to your network can save you time, money, and bandwidth. Keeping track of software licenses can make sure you’re in compliance and can help with loss prevention.

The Atera agent is installed on each device and can relay back all the software and hardware network inventory that you need to get a clear and accurate picture of your client’s network. And from there you can take the decisions needed to protect your client and solve problems quickly and easily.