What is the role of network monitoring in security?

The primary role of network monitoring in security is to detect suspicious or malicious activity. This involves continuously observing network traffic and analyzing it for anomalies that could indicate security threats, such as unauthorized access attempts, malware infections, or data exfiltration. By implementing effective network monitoring, organizations can identify potential breaches or attacks in real time, allowing them to respond promptly to mitigate any damage and secure their systems.

While analyzing user behavior, tracking bandwidth usage, and enhancing network speed are all important aspects of network management, they do not directly address the security concerns that network monitoring aims to resolve. Understanding network behavior and performance can inform security parameters, but the central focus of security-oriented network monitoring is its capability to identify and alert on threats to the network's integrity.