A generation ago, adding more gauges, dials, and displays to car dashboards was all the rage, with data-hungry drivers anxiously monitoring vehicle performance and efficiency from the comfort of the driver’s seat. Today, we have come full circle, with unified displays presenting more information while distilling it in a way that lets us keep our eyes on the road.
Network monitoring dashboards have reached a similar tipping point, with the breadth of data streams often exceeding our ability to review and prioritize in real time. Turning this challenge into an opportunity has been an elusive goal for network performance monitoring and diagnostics (NPMD) developers, but a new generation of tools has arrived to turn complex problems into clear solutions.
The need for smarter tools
Is more network data a good thing? That all depends. Logs, traces, and metrics that form the pillars of network observability produce a wealth of insight into network traffic and performance trends. Packet capture tools add another layer of granular information for IT and security teams to draw upon. At the same time, more devices, users, and applications contribute to the data backlog each day, while new innovations like the Internet of Things (IoT) are deployed based on assurances that someone, somewhere, is dutifully monitoring, analyzing, and acting upon this mountain of incoming data.
The onset of IT data overload
When these trends are accompanied by emerging hybrid cloud strategies that obscure visibility while introducing many new variables, IT data overload is a predictable outcome. The first step towards rectifying this condition is harnessing the power of packets to quickly cut through the noise by accessing the data that matters most.
Collecting and storing packet data is just the beginning. Advanced network performance monitoring solutions, expert analytics, and versatile packet capture appliances combine to provide immediate access to in-depth network conversations needed to reduce mean time to know (MTTK) dramatically and then retain this valuable data longer and more economically than ever before.
The keys to turning IT data into actionable insights
The ‘genie’ of network data will not be returning to the bottle any time soon, so the only practical approach is to ensure we continue to stay one step ahead. Capturing, storing, and distilling packet data effectively brings a host of benefits, including accelerated problem resolution, improved reliability, and upgraded network security.
The power of packets
Of all the available data sources, full packet capture may be the most influential for improving visibility, streamlining troubleshooting, and supporting conclusive network forensics investigations. Packets are referred to as the ultimate source of network truth, since they provide an unaltered record of network traffic, client, application, and historical data with an unmatched level of granularity.
Workflows that nimbly incorporate captured packet data empower IT and security teams to quickly move from network overviews to deep packet inspection, availing the right packets on demand to streamline problem resolution. Payload data makes it easy to differentiate common applications like SharePoint and Outlook from low-priority (or malicious) applications that can hamper network performance.
Optimized dashboards
What makes an effective NPMD dashboard? Intuitive, holistic, relevant, and customizable are qualities that immediately come to mind, but intelligence is the ingredient that enables network dashboards to deliver actionable insights at lightning speed. Intelligent dashboards provide an easily digestible overview of real-time network performance, while automatically highlighting unusual traffic or potential security threats.
Effective monitoring solutions and dashboards also unify NetOps and SecOps teams, with packet data providing the common currency. For example, it is not uncommon for NetOps teams to detect unusual access patterns from either internal or external users as part of their standard monitoring. Security teams can quickly leverage packet data and the definitive combination of IP, protocol, time stamp, and payload to positively identify the culprit and the nature of their malicious content.
Clearing the hybrid jungle
It really is a jungle out there – especially when third-party data is monitored through disconnected platforms, or worse yet, cloud providers with no clear insight into overall business and performance objectives. Clearing the brush from the hybrid jungle comes down to consolidating cloud and on-premises packet and flow data to improve visibility and accountability, with the help of centralized network management solutions.
Remote packet capture for Azure cloud environments remains unavailable, but AWS and NSG flow logs can unlock valuable information on IPs, ports, protocols, and time-stamped traffic in the cloud. By intelligently combining on-premises and native cloud data sources through advanced workflows and dashboards, the best network monitoring solutions dashboards, and appliances bring enhanced, three-dimensional visibility to hybrid IT environments.
Learn how to turn IT chaos into clarity
You can never have too much data when you have the right solutions at your disposal to cut through the noise and confusion. VIAVI Observer GigaStor brings order to chaos through advanced packet capture and analysis, highly scalable packet storage, and at low costs that bring hybrid visibility straight to your desktop. Explore why industry experts trust VIAVI for their most critical performance and security challenges.
Learn more: Troubleshooting Reimagined: From Packets to Performance
