Have you spent millions on management software and still struggle to quickly determine the root cause of network performance problems?

It's a common scenario, according to Burton Group senior analyst Eric Siegel, and not one that will be solved by throwing more technology at the issue, especially considering the state of networks today.

Wireless, VoIP, SOA and other emerging technologies make it impossible for staff to diagnose network performance problems as they did in the past.

To solve this problem, Siegel does not suggest talking to a handful of vendors to hear about their latest and greatest features. Rather, he says, IT shops can look a bit closer to home to find not only the technology but also the human capital they need to tackle the environment's 20 top network- and application-performance issues.

Siegel recommends assembling a team of all-star staff that can use the measurement, monitoring and management technologies already deployed in most IT environments to gather the information they need to become advanced problem solvers.

"You probably already have all the tools out there collecting the data you need to really isolate problems. And look around, because the skills are most likely in house as well," Siegel says. "Instead of spending a million on new software, put $100,000 of staff hours and human capital toward building a framework of people for rapid problem-identification and diagnosis."