Most engineers use Prometheus with the SNMP Exporter or Telegraf . These tools "poll" your Cisco hardware using SNMP OIDs.
Grafana connects to the database to display real-time metrics like bandwidth, CPU usage, and interface status. Key Benefits Monitor SNMP devices with Grafana, Telegraf and InfluxDB
Grafana cannot pull SNMP data directly from your Cisco switches or routers. You need a middleman to "collect" the data and a database to "store" it.
Prometheus or InfluxDB stores the polled data with a timestamp, allowing you to see trends over hours, days, or months.
Monitoring Cisco devices with a combination of and SNMP is a widely adopted standard for gaining modern, visual insights into network performance. While Cisco devices have used SNMP for decades, Grafana transforms that "invisible" data into actionable dashboards. The Architecture: How It Works
