Connecting to Devices (Switchs, Routers, etc) using C#.Net

Hey all

Id like to develop an application that will monitor connections on a switch.

However I have never programmed C# to do such a task and i dont even know where to start.

Should I be going down the Telnet Factory road or using something else?

Any info would be great. Just to point me in the right direction

Cheers

Graham