Network Instruments® Enhanced Observer Platform Automates Application Mapping, Triage and Resolution for Quicker Network/IT Response

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Network Instruments, a worldwide leader in network and application performance management, today announced the latest version of its Observer performance management platform, packed with new features to help network managers streamline the process of migration, management and troubleshooting of services in multi-layered and virtual environments. In addition, the platform provides end-to-end support for tracking the flow of control and data services across high-speed LTE networks to give mobile carriers shifting to IP-based networks, complete visibility across all points of their LTE infrastructure, from the tower to the core.

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New Observer Performance Management Platform features include:

• Application Dependency Maps: Auto-discovers and maps application components
• Performance Matrices: Identifies if application issues are enterprise-wide or impact specific groups
• Multi-GigaStor Analysis: Combines and analyzes data across multiple GigaStor™ units
• Global Search: Flexible search engine interface gathers relevant data from many sources
• Performance Correlations: Assess relationships between multiple variables for problem resolution
• Mobile Communications Support: Evaluates LTE network access and service performance
• Native IPv6 Communications: All Network Instruments solutions natively communicate in IPv6

"Network teams are often burning the candle at both ends when it comes to maintaining a clear understanding of how applications and services are traversing the network," said Jim Frey, managing research director of Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). "Often, they are called upon to support or troubleshoot complex, critical legacy services or multi-tiered applications spanning multiple locations. Solutions like the Network Instruments Observer platform can substantially reduce the time needed to gain an understanding of intricate service interdependencies, thus streamlining the diagnostic process and reducing mean time to resolution (MTTR)."

"Whether through cloud or virtual environments, IT professionals must assess a myriad of information to diagnose root causes and immediately troubleshoot to ensure mission-critical services operate at peak performance," said Charles Thompson, director of product strategy for Network Instruments. "The new features in Observer allow enterprise network teams, and now mobile carriers, better access to review this complex information in easy-to-view formats, so they can see correlations in a single-view and make actionable decisions based on that information." 

Application Dependency Maps: Understand App Component Relationships
The Application Dependency Maps automatically discovers and maps interdependencies between components. Network troubleshooting teams can assess the relationships between the layers of a multi-tiered applications and identify failure points in real-time, using a color-graded visualization of performance.

Performance Matrices: Aid Assessment and Triage
Enterprise teams can use Performance Matrices to view application performance by customizable groups, such as by department or location. Network managers can instantly identify whether the scope of performance degradation is application-wide or limited to a specific group of users, physical site or component.

Multi-GigaStor Analysis: Aggregates Info across Multiple Data Centers
Organizations increasingly span applications and IT operations virtually across multiple active data centers. This creates a challenge for network teams in selecting which physical monitoring device to access as application connections and resources jump from location to location. Multi-GigaStor Analysis addresses this challenge by allowing teams to combine data across multiple GigaStor appliances and locations into a single, logical interface.

Global Search: Flexible Search and Single Views Save Time
Global Search gives Observer Reporting Server the enhanced flexibility to function like an online search engine. Rather than using pre-defined workflows for investigations, users can now perform search requests across multiple aggregated sources of packet, flow, application, and infrastructure information. Search for information of interest, such as an IP or application, and see all search-related health and performance details in a single view.   

Performance Correlations: Gives Actionable Information for Quicker Triage
With Performance Correlation functionality, engineers can view multiple variables illustrated in a single correlative graph allowing relationships between various performance conditions to be easily identified. This allows engineers to eliminate toggling between multiple screens for an easier view of performance conditions.

Mobile Communications Support: Complete Visibility from Tower to Core
The Observer Platform also now provides end-to-end tracking of Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile communications and protocols. Utilizing Network Instruments solutions, carriers shifting to IP-based networks will have complete visibility across all points of their LTE infrastructure, from the tower to the core. The newest version allows engineers to view the linkage between signaling and sessions via seamless presentation of the control and delivery planes. In addition, teams can view detailed information on each session, including subscriber, service area, cell site, network element, handset type, error codes and session status for deeper insights into network status.

Native IPv6 Communications: Enhanced Support for IPv6 Environments
The company has also been a leader in monitoring pure IPv6 and mixed IPv6/IPv4 environments for a half-decade. As growing numbers of customers shift to networks that require IPv6-based communications, all Network Instruments solutions provide options to natively communicate in IPv6 within these various environments.

About Network Instruments
Established in 1994, Network Instruments is an industry leader in application and network management. The company provides products that optimize performance and speed problem resolution, helping ensure delivery of critical applications for businesses worldwide. Network Instruments delivers these benefits through a seamlessly integrated line of software and hardware systems that are precision engineered for exact network monitoring and analysis. For more information, visit www.networkinstruments.com.

SOURCE Network Instruments, LLC