The invention is directed to methods for providing a network management service for a user's IT network by a network management service provider over the Internet. One of these methods comprises: sending mobile code to the user via the Internet, said mobile code, when running at the user's side, acts as a network management gateway between the user's network and the service provider connectable to it via the Internet; sending at least one request for the execution of a network management step to the network management gateway at the user's side via the Internet, whereupon the network management step is carried out in the user's network; receiving result data obtained in the network management step from the network management gateway via the Internet. The invention is also directed to corresponding methods for contributing to a network management service and to applets which are loaded in the user's browser for carrying out these contributing methods.