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What is Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

By: André Vink December 04, 2018

The networking and communications market is at a crucial juncture as it looks to adopt Software Defined Networking (SDN). Legacy networks have become very complex and hard to manage due to interoperability and upgrade requirements, advancing protocols, and management practices typically hard-coded into underlying hardware platforms.

GUI for Network Visibility and User Experience

By: Yigal Amram November 27, 2018

As the saying goes: “Seeing is believing”. Seeing gives you the ability to react very quickly to what you view – on a required basis. In contrast, it also enables you to take your time to thoroughly study a situation (maybe viewing it from different angles and perspectives) before you go ahead and decide to act. This is the power of the user interface (UI) – specifically the graphic user interface (GUI). It optimizes the user experience (UX) and empowers

The Potential of the Network Tap

By: André Vink November 19, 2018

Everyone’s talking about Network Visibility and how essential it is for network stability and security. However, to really understand its importance, you have to examine each component of network visibility and how it contributes to the overall picture. It’s imperative to consider how each network visibility component interfaces with and complements other components and how critical an effective visibility layer is in supporting robust network security. In today’s post, we’ll cover ne...

SPAN and Port Mirroring

By: Yigal Amram November 15, 2018

Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) is another way of saying “port mirror”. What’s helpful about the term “SPAN” – if you know the acronyms’ description – is that you are then aware that it is related to providing visibility of switch data traffic to other tools.

The Art of Network Traffic Distribution - Load Balancing | Niagara Networks

By: André Vink November 01, 2018

For some reason, whenever I hear the term Load Balancing, I think of a circus high-wire act. Similar to the person walking on a relatively thin cable wire – about 50 or more scary feet above the ground – holding a long vertical bar for equilibrium. The analogy more or less stops with that bar (which helps the acrobat keep his or her balance). That acrobat uses the balancing bar – on a wire – and carries out a precision act in order not to fall. <...

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems | Niagara Networks

By: Yigal Amram October 29, 2018

What Network IDS/IPS Can Do For You IDS and IPS function together as network intrusion detection and prevention systems – generally called IPS or IDPS. The IDS (intrusion detection system) is limited in functionality, because its sole role is to detect. When it detects a potential intrusion, all it is designed to do is to alert an IT administrator or IT security personnel of the potential threat or breach, and they will then take it from there and trigger a protocol...

Network Visibility Layer: 6 Benefits and a Bonus | Niagara Networks

By: André Vink October 22, 2018

Were you ever curious to see what lay behind the face of an old mechanical Grandfather clock or even a pocket watch? – How the mechanism worked and how all the complex set of gears, springs, and wheels meshed and worked in tandem? If the mechanism was designed and built right, then everything would work to precision: “Like a Swiss clock” people used to say.

Network Visibility — The Key to Minimizing Downtime | Niagara Networks

By: Yigal Amram October 15, 2018

Every company has become a technology company. No matter what products you sell or what services you provide, networking systems are the backbone for it all. For business leaders, innovative technology means a more productive workforce and better customer experiences. But for the networking and security pros that support that technology, it means more pressure than ever to maintain availability....

Which Network Tap is Right for You? | Niagara Networks

By: André Vink September 25, 2018

If you haven’t seen our white paper discussing the main differences between network taps and SPAN ports, now is a good time. In any case, it’s worthwhile to point out a few key benefits of network taps. For example, once the taps are installed, they’ll offer you a relatively easy way to interchange (attach and detach) monitoring and analysis tools.

Network Packet Brokers and Security Infrastructure | Niagara Networks

By: Yigal Amram August 20, 2018

Networks keep increasing in size and demand on their resources, and although technology is advancing and doing its best to keep up (or even to try to catch up), managing the actual network security has become more complex, and not necessarily less costly. Enterprise networks and service providers mandate their IT and network experts to keep ahead of the game, and the solution usually adopted is to endlessly introduce new inspection and monitoring tools. This, however, weighs down an al...