Upgraded release unifies the functionality of the industry's two leading platforms while increasing functionality and scaling capacity -- raising the bar in Service Assurance and Application Performance Management
WESTFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- October 2, 2008 --
NetScout Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTCT), today announced the release
of nGenius(R) Performance Manager and nGenius InfiniStream version 4.5
software, and the evolution of its nGenius InfiniStream continuous
capture Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) devices, the company's next step
in executing on the integration of its acquisition of Network General.
The result is a powerful, unified solution that raises the bar in
service assurance and performance management by combining extensive
early-warning capabilities, real-time and historical application flow
analysis, and deep-packet forensics. The result of this evolution will
have a profound impact on IT operations by enabling network,
datacenter and application managers to dramatically improve
productivity through more effective collaboration to address the
operational challenges of managing the modern IP network posed by
virtualization, convergence, SOA and highly distributed
network-centric operations.
The evolution of the nGenius Performance Management solution
integrates the functionality of NetScout's real-time monitoring and
rapid top-down troubleshooting and analysis with the former Network
General's expert packet analysis and data-mining capabilities. As part
of the product unification, elements from both product lines have come
together under the nGenius Performance Management umbrella, with
application intelligence and data mining capabilities retaining the
well-established Sniffer(R) branding. NetScout has also unified its
family of continuous capture DPI devices, formerly known as nGenius
AFMon and Sniffer InfiniStream, as nGenius InfiniStream. The new
nGenius InfiniStream DPI devices retain important elements from both
product lines delivering operational consistency with a flexible range
of interface options and storage capacities to meet the most demanding
high-performance requirements.
NetScout's thoughtful approach to the integration of Sniffer
portfolio into the nGenius portfolio enables customers to efficiently
leverage their existing investments and benefit from the blended
technical capabilities of two market-leading platforms. Companies that
have deployed both platforms further benefit as this latest software
release allows for the consolidation and unification of performance
management tools with an easy-to-deploy migration path that delivers a
best of both worlds approach.
"There are two keys to a successful acquisition. One is the
blending of the product portfolios that builds on the best that both
have to offer. Second is the smooth transition for both sets of
customers from the old to the new," said Tracy Corbo, senior analyst
at IDC. "This announcement marks the transition point from which
NetScout will move forward with its next-generation solution to manage
today's complex IP networks that benefits both Network General and
NetScout customers as well as appealing to the needs of new customers
who need greater visibility into what is happening in and on their IP
networks and why."
Benefits for Former Network General Customers
This new release represents an upgrade opportunity that brings
substantial incremental capabilities, services and scale to the
majority of the installed base of Sniffer InfiniStream devices. In
most cases, upgrading to version 4.5 software can be performed
in-place, with minimal disruption while bringing immediate benefit.
Upgraded Sniffer InfiniStream devices can now benefit from the nGenius
Performance Manager console to deliver enhanced visibility with an
intuitive, easy-to-use interface with simple point-and-click
navigation and single-click drill-down capabilities. Consequently,
users now have a broader range of information about the network and
applications, including comprehensive real-time views and historical
reports on both packet and flow-based information, while leveraging
their existing investments in Sniffer InfiniStream technology.
As part of the distributed nGenius solution, InfiniStream devices
become part of a network-wide instrumentation architecture used and
managed from central locations, providing added leverage and
productivity for users in large and complex network installations.
In addition, users can now leverage the powerful service
management capabilities of NetScout's nGenius K2. As an add-on
package, nGenius K2 brings innovative service views with early-warning
capabilities not previously available in the Sniffer product
portfolio. nGenius K2 is seamlessly integrated with nGenius
Performance Manager to enable rapid drill-down to view details about
users, applications, the network and packet data. These service views
provide rich, at-a-glance visualization and correlation of network
health and users' experiences -- empowering network, datacenter and
application managers to monitor network and application traffic from a
fully unified vantage point.
Benefits for NetScout Customers
A new Sniffer Intelligence module is now available for the nGenius
Performance Management solution. Sniffer Intelligence combines
advanced data-mining functionality and comprehensive packet-level
analysis capabilities that are synonymous with Sniffer technology. The
new Sniffer Intelligence module, available with version 4.5,
integrates the well-known Sniffer Expert Mode and Sniffer decodes to
deliver the most granular packet interrogation and interpretation
capabilities available. Sniffer Intelligence also includes a number of
optional, add-on industry-specific intelligence modules for
applications such as Voice over IP, capital trading transactions and
service provider-specific environments. The addition of Sniffer
Intelligence for the nGenius Performance Management platform enhances
diagnostics capabilities and enables a wider audience within the IT
organization to leverage a common platform to quickly analyze and
understand network and application relationships and impact. This
enhances collaboration and reduces the time needed to resolve network
issues, resulting in more efficient and scalable troubleshooting.
"This is a significant milestone -- both for NetScout and our
customers," said Michael Szabados, chief operating officer, NetScout.
"The integration of nGenius and Sniffer technologies into a single,
unified solution brings enormous power to our expanded customer base
and new customers alike. Managing the Modern IP Network requires a
transformative approach to how networks are managed. This latest
release of NetScout's nGenius technology addresses this need by
bringing comprehensive end-to-end and top-to-bottom intelligent views
that empowers IT managers to solve the hardest performance challenges
while providing unmatched investment preservation and delivering
greater business value to our customers."
Availability
nGenius Performance Manager 4.5 and nGenius InfiniStream 4.5
software are both available now. No-cost software upgrades are
available to most NetScout and former Network General customers with
an active maintenance contract. The majority of deployed nGenius AFMon
and Sniffer InfiniStream devices can be supported, however users
should contact NetScout or their local reseller to determine system
requirements and upgrade eligibility.
NetScout will showcase this latest version of the nGenius
InfiniStream solution at Engage '08, the NetScout User Forum
conference, slated for October 6-8 in San Diego. All NetScout and
former Network General customers are invited to attend the event. More
information about Engage '08 can be found at
http://www.netscout.com/engage08/.
About NetScout Systems
NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTCT) is the industry leader in
network service assurance solutions for over twenty years. NetScout's
breakthrough technology solutions provide comprehensive real-time and
historical performance intelligence, including advanced early warnings
and rapid, definitive problem analysis. These capabilities are vital
to IT operators within the world's largest enterprises, government
agencies, and service providers who depend upon NetScout's nGenius and
Sniffer (formerly Network General) brands to assure service levels to
their users by reducing or preventing disruptions and degradations.
More information about NetScout is available at
http://www.netscout.com.
NetScout, the NetScout logo, Network General, the Network General
logo, nGenius, Sniffer and InfiniStream are trademarks or registered
trademarks of NetScout Systems, Inc. Other brands, product names and
trademarks are property of their respective owners. NetScout reserves
the right, at its sole discretion, to make changes at any time in its
technical information and specifications, and service and support
programs.
Source: NetScout Systems, Inc.