NetFlow Analyzer: The best network traffic analysis tool
Many companies find it challenging to maintain their network's bandwidth performance when adding new elements or reconfiguring existing devices as they grow.
As the infrastructure grows, it becomes more complex to monitor it, and there will be a greater chance that there won't be enough network bandwidth to go around, resulting in bandwidth bottlenecks. To address this, some organizations upgrade their networks by purchasing more bandwidth. But this doesn't address the underlying issues of resource-intensive applications or unusual traffic patterns.
This is why it's crucial to monitor bandwidth utilization and traffic patterns frequently to discover any unusual events in the infrastructure. Which is where network traffic analyzer tool like NetFlow Analyzer come into the picture.
To understand NetFlow Analyzer, let's get to know what network traffic analysis is, and how it can help organizations optimize traffic and defend their systems from security attacks.
Network traffic analysis in a nutshell
Network traffic analysis (NTA) is the process of collecting, storing, and analyzing traffic data to detect observe the network, find top conversations, and optimize bandwidth hogs in a network. Apart from traffic monitoring, NTA systems analyze traffic that crosses the network perimeter.
NTA tools focus on collecting traffic data of all communications. Whether its UDP, TCP, or IP packets; cloud services or IoT networks, advanced NTA tools will effectively monitor the traffic.
Some key benefits of NTA tools that can help organizations include:
- Collecting real-time flow data in the network.
- Detecting any security attacks like DDoS attacks.
- Helping troubleshoot a slow network.
- Using historical data for network forensics.
- Carrying out capacity planning
At ManageEngine, we know how challenging it can be to optimize growing network bandwidth requirements can be with resource-intensive applications being used daily. This is why you need a comprehensive, and best network traffic analyzer like NetFlow Analyzer.
NetFlow Analyzer: A holistic network traffic analysis tool
NetFlow Analyzer is a network traffic analysis software that supports flow technologies like NetFlow, sFlow, J-Flow, and IPFIX. As an advanced solution, it helps you monitor the traffic pattern to the interface level and minimize the attack surface by detecting internal or external attacks.
It collects the flow data from your network devices, stores them, and analyzes patterns to give you real time traffic statistics. These statistics will help you with behavioral analysis of your network and help you detect any security issues.
With NetFlow Analyzer, you can:
- Discover which application or IP is eating up your bandwidth.
- Find the root cause of bandwidth choking.
- Detect bandwidth anomalies in the interface.
- Check the health and availability of the network devices.
- Generate real time traffic reports for various sources and traffic types.
- Utilize traffic shaping options for effective usage of your network bandwidth.
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer stands out as one of the best network traffic analysis tools among SolarWinds NTA, Paessler's PRTG Network Monitor, and Cisco Prime.
NetFlow Analyzer vs. the competitors
SolarWinds NTA vs. NetFlow Analyzer
SolarWinds NTA
NetFlow Analyzer
The NetFlow Analyzer benefit
Does not allow you to search for particular ports' or protocols' traffic patterns
Allows you to search for the traffic patterns of specific IP addresses, applications, ports and protocols with different traffic types like volume, speed, and utilization
By knowing the traffic pattern of specific nodes, you can deduce if it's a legitimate business operation that is consuming this bandwidth, or if it maybe an attack or vulnerability
Can only provide custom reports for IP address groups and Expedited Forwarding (EF) type traffic
Can provide custom reports for specific IP addresses, ports, protocols, and applications
You can find resource-intensive sources, and shape or prioritize your network traffic based on your requirements for better network performance.
SolarWinds NTA is not a standalone product, and you have to purchase it with SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
NetFlow Analyzer is an all-in-one, flow-based network bandwidth monitoring and traffic analyzer tool
NetFlow Analyzer is holistic NetFlow traffic analyzer software that will help you proactively monitor your network infrastructure from one console instead of hopping from one tool to another for effective traffic pattern analysis
Cisco Prime vs. NetFlow Analyzer
Cisco Prime
NetFlow Analyzer
The NetFlow Analyzer benefit
Does not have bandwidth forecast report feature
NetFlow Analyzer provides the network bandwidth forecast report along with comparison, schedule, customized reports, and more
With the forecast report, you can find about what the future bandwidth requirements your organization needs, based on the available data. This can help you save resources and make decisions.
Supports only one of the flow technologies: NetFlow
NetFlow Analyzer supports multiple flow technologies like NetFlow, JFlow, sFlow, IP FIX, and more
Unlike many other tools, NetFlow Analyzer can monitor a broad range of traffic patterns coming from different devices
Does not provide billing reports
NetFlow Analyzer has a Billing feature that can be used for accounting and billing purposes
With NetFlow Analyzer, you can generate usage or volume based bills, and send the customized bills to your customers
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor vs. NetFlow Analyzer
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
NetFlow Analyzer
The NetFlow Analyzer benefit
Does not provide medianet and multicast traffic pattern analysis
Provides real-time traffic for both multicast and medianet traffic of interfaces in the network
Multicast reports reveal the multicast traffic with statistics of different traffic types like volume, speed, and utilization of the multicast
Medianet reports help you know the quality of media traffic with parameters like jitter, packet loss, and RTT
No Cisco AVC support provided
Supports AVC for analyzing both Layer 4 and Layer 7 applications
With Cisco AVC, you can analyze both Layer 4 and Layer 7 applications. You can gain a deep insights into the application's port and protocol, and apply effective QoS policies
Does not provide forecast reports
Provides both bandwidth and application forecast reports for a week or up to one year
Knowing your bandwidth and application requirements by analyzing the present traffic patterns will help you scale your network effectively without spending a fortune on just bandwidth addition
Monitor your network traffic proactively with NetFlow Analyzer, one of the best network traffic analyzer tools
The security of IT systems is no longer a secure, secluded area of the organization. It's time you step up your network monitoring a notch by analyzing traffic trends, detecting anomalies, and maximizing productivity.
NetFlow Analyzer, a comprehensive NetFlow traffic analyzer tool, will help you collect flow data and analyze any traffic spikes to differentiate between the traffic for business processes and traffic that could be a potential attack.
Explore the different aspects of how NetFlow Analyzer, one of the best network traffic analysis tools available, can help you carry out smooth traffic analysis. Schedule a call with our experts today!
Our end-users opinions on NetFlow Analyzer
Given here are some individual reviews as provided by our NetFlow Analyzer's customers to Gartner® Peer Insights™.
A Great NetFlow Analyser Tool Which Makes The Life Easier For Any Network Engineer
Overall Comment: "As a network engineer, having a decent Netflow analyzer like ManageEngine NetFlow analyzer really helps with benchmarking and troubleshooting network performance on various links. I almost use the tool daily with my job to have full visibility on the traffic and generate various reports. It also helped with designing, planning and implementing and monitoring an end to end QoS solution. I highly recommend the product to any network engineer."
-Network Engineer in the Finance industry
Great Tool To Analyze The Traffic In Your Network. If It's In Your Net, You'll Find It!
Overall Comment: "I have been using NetFlow Analyzer for more than 10 years now, in my previous company and continue using it now. I think it's a must to control, monitor, and investigate what is happening with network traffic."
- IT Manager in the Manufacturing industry
Fantastic Product
Overall Comment: "Awesome product! I can't say enough about the Network Analyzer product. It does a great job helping us see traffic patterns from our production datacenter as well as all of our office locations."
-Director of IT in the Healthcare industry
Disclaimer:
GARTNER and PEER INSIGHTS are trademarks and service marks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
