Editor's note
VMware vSphere and vCloud performance can steadily decline without diligent infrastructure monitoring. Virtual machines, hosts, hypervisors, applications and physical hardware all represent potential bottlenecks and areas of resource contention. Routine infrastructure checkups and active monitoring can help prevent VM sprawl, security breaches and system downtime, as well as ensure your environment stays healthy and functions properly.
You have the ability to monitor your vSphere and vCloud infrastructures from vCenter, through supported tools and unsupported flings, through various third-party products and via command-line scripting. Familiarize yourself with all the options at your disposal to learn which will provide you with the most useful data, fit your budget and mesh with your data center most seamlessly.