Network Instruments® Provides NetFlow and sFlow Data Collection Capacity Within Observer®
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Fully Integrated Into the Product Architecture, New Features Vastly Expand Remote Networking Visibility and Offer Greater Efficiencies in Maintaining Network Uptime
MINNEAPOLIS, April 24 -- Network Instruments, a leading provider of innovative analysis solutions for in-depth network intelligence and continuous availability, announced today the integration of NetFlow and sFlow data collection and analysis into the Observer platform for enhanced distributed visibility. Application analysis has also been extended to include Citrix communications and Observer's comprehensive VoIP analysis expands support for Avaya and Mitel systems. These new features provide network administrators with greater points of visibility for managing and resolving network issues.
"True to our architecture, these new features have been fully integrated into the Observer platform," said Douglas Smith, president and co-founder of Network Instruments. "The same interface used for comprehensive analysis such as measuring application performance and obtaining real-time VoIP metrics now displays NetFlow and sFlow statistics. Our distributed network analysis architecture continues to remain a strong and critical differentiator in the analysis industry. Rather than having to invest in an individual NetFlow or sFlow collector, we have now seamlessly integrated that intelligence into Observer."
Observer's ability to leverage NetFlow affords a number of business advantages. For example, NetFlow can list active applications and provide usage statistics. With Observer, network managers can then drill down on application performance, review response times, and quickly identify latency. Observer also trends application statistics and provides managers with custom performance reports.
"Application performance can immediately affect productivity and hence the business bottom line," said Elisabeth Rainge, IDC Analyst. "NetFlow data is already available within many Cisco switches and routers. Now by coupling NetFlow with Observer, network managers can leverage both technologies for maximum, economical, and scalable visibility."
NetFlow technology tracks routed IP traffic through every visible port. Network Instruments' probes collect and aggregate this data, delivering not only real-time statistics but also long-term trending not available with most NetFlow collectors. Stephen Joseph, network manager for New York-based financial trading firm Lek Securities, utilizes Network Instruments and Observer for distributed analysis across his network of 1,000 users. Joseph will experience significant value out of his ability to stream NetFlow traffic to his Observer analyzers.
"Tracking NetFlow through Observer will offer many benefits," said Joseph. "NetFlow data reveals abnormal activity on the network and then I can drill down on that particular activity with Observer. Although NetFlow shows diagnostic data, I need Observer to resolve the issue particularly at the application-level. As a result, with Observer I can collect and also act upon NetFlow data already running across our networks."
sFlow, an industry-standard switch sampling technology, is supported by a wide range of network equipment and software application vendors. sFlow offers layer 2 to layer 7 visibilities and provides real-time congestion monitoring, audit trail analysis, and usage accounting for billing and charge back. The same Observer functionality available with NetFlow data is applicable to sFlow.
Observer's Application Analysis provides up-to-the-nanosecond application performance with the ability to drill down to view session-by-session communication. Now, Observer includes support for Citrix applications, thereby offering analysis on Citrix application flows and failed transactions going beyond the TCP level to measure true application response time.
For managing VoIP communication, Observer now includes enhanced VoIP Analysis for Avaya and Mitel systems. This includes over 70 VoIP-specific metrics and the ability to customize the impairment factors of the industry-accepted E-model.
Support for NetFlow, sFlow, Citrix Application Analysis, and expanded Avaya and Mitel support is included at no additional cost with Expert Observer, which sells for $2,895. For real-time distributed analysis, a diverse selection of software probes and hardware appliances can connect to Expert Observer and also includes support for all new product features. To learn more, call (800) 526-7919 or visit www.networkinstruments.com.
About Network Instruments
Network Instruments provides in-depth network intelligence and continuous network availability through innovative analysis solutions. Enterprise network professionals depend on Network Instruments' Observer product line for unparalleled network visibility to efficiently solve network problems and manage deployments. By combining a powerful management console with high-performance analysis appliances, Observer simplifies problem resolution and optimizes network and application performance. The company continues to lead the industry in ROI with its advanced Distributed Network Analysis (NI-DNA(TM)) architecture, which successfully integrates comprehensive analysis functionality across heterogeneous networks through a single monitoring interface. Network Instruments is headquartered in Minneapolis with sales offices worldwide and distributors in over 50 countries. For more information about the company, products, technology, NI-DNA, becoming a partner, and NI University please visit www.networkinstruments.com.
CONTACT: Spencer Parkinson of Connect Public Relations, +1-801-373-7888, ext. 119, spencerp@connectpr.com, for Network Instruments; or Veena Vadgama of Network Instruments, LLC, +1-952-358-3843, veena.vadgama@networkinstruments.com
