NMS: Introducing Device Classifications & Icons
Laying the foundation for class-specific Device Details
Kentik NMS is getting smarter about how we meet the observability needs of the kinds of devices you're monitoring.
Until now, all Device Details pages looked the same—whether you were viewing a router, switch, firewall, or even a server or UPS. This one-size-fits-all approach helped us get the feature out the door, but we know it’s not how network operators think or work.
Why this matters
When troubleshooting or planning, operators expect different insights from different devices:
- Routers: You care about routing tables, interface health, BGP sessions.
- Switches: You want to see port status, VLAN memberships, trunk links.
- Firewalls: You’re hunting for ACLs, session counts, and threat logs.
That’s why we’re introducing device “classes”—clear, functional groupings like Router, Switch, Firewall, Server, and more. These classifications will allow Kentik NMS to tailor what data we highlight on each Device Details page, surfacing the most relevant insights first.
What’s new today
This release introduces:
✅ New class icons for fast visual identification
✅ Device classifications across all NMS and Flow-enriched devices
✅ Vendor logos added to the Vendor column in the Devices table
These changes enhance both the navigation experience and the visual consistency across the product.
Class icons uniquely represent the 12 devices classes we found more prevalently on our platform: Router, Switch, Firewall, Load Balancer, SD-WAN Gateway, Wireless Controller, Access Point, Server, UPS, PDU, Optical Transport, and Storage Array. In the future, we'll be adding the ability for admins to change the assigned device class, and create their own custom classes!
Classifications have been added most conspicuously to the Devices and Device Details pages, making identifying a device's base functionality much easier. Classification happens automatically based on the SysObjectID-derived make and model, and some AI magic. Previously, a device's icon was driven by a mixture of the Flow device type or device vendor. As not to lose the value, the vendor icon has been added to the vendor column.
🔜 Coming soon: Rich, class-specific views that show the right metrics, tables, and visualizations based on what kind of device you're looking at.
Why it’s better
- Less clutter: Device icons are now consistently based on a single characteristic - function class.
- Instant recognition: Icons + vendor logos = less scanning, faster decisions.
- More context: Classes unlock tailored data views for each device type.
This is just the first step in a bigger journey to make Kentik NMS a truly intelligent network observability platform. Let us know what you think—and what you want to see next!