Network Instruments(R) Extends Performance Management Into Device and Route Health

MINNEAPOLIS, May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Network Instruments, a worldwide leader in network and application performance management, today announced that its Observer platform now provides a unified view of performance that integrates network, application, and system health. With the release of Observer Infrastructure (OI), the Observer platform is the first analysis solution to provide a completely integrated view of performance on a single console.

OI serves as the platform's source of infrastructure information, which enables it to now provide high-level views of business-critical services that include server health and metrics alongside application response time and other vital health data. OI utilizes performance monitoring technologies including SNMP, WMI, IP SLA, WAAS, and NBAR, to obtain complete network-wide views of device health and application performance.

"The newly released OI is an evolutionary product based on stable, long-fielded technologies from Network Instruments," said Jim Frey, research director for Enterprise Management Associates. "Its expanded functionality and tight integration with the rest of the Observer solution really sets it apart from other competitive offerings. The newly extended Observer solution will now meet the needs of any network engineering and operations team looking for a comprehensive, holistic approach to network and application performance management."

Expanding Performance Visibility

OI extends the visibility of the Observer platform into device-based performance. In conjunction with Observer Reporting Server, network teams can now seamlessly drill from high-level infrastructure views to specific devices for quicker problem solving.

"With our enterprise customers managing more complex application environments, we now offer them all aspects of performance management on a single pane of glass," said Douglas Smith, president and co-founder of Network Instruments. "The tight integration of multiple performance perspectives gives IT teams a complete picture of their network health, which is necessary for accurate troubleshooting and successful long-term planning."

Harnessing Network Monitoring Technologies

Many companies have invested in Cisco and Microsoft infrastructure, which offers cost-effective technologies for assessing system and application performance. OI, paired with the Observer platform, allows users to harness these metrics in conjunction with packet analysis for a better understanding of network activity and device health.

OI provides support for IP SLA and Cisco's NBAR and WAAS features. The product goes further than conventional network solutions, delivering detailed visibility into virtualized servers at the virtual machine and hypervisor levels. In addition, managers can set alarms to be alerted to infrastructure problems or send SNMP traps to third-party reporting platforms.

Scalability

OI provides a variety of form factors and deployment models to scale and meet an organization's size and monitoring needs. The solution can be deployed as software or as a hardware appliance. In addition, OI probes can be deployed across larger networks with polling and processing occurring locally on the probe, which substantially minimizes network overhead. Additional product information and more details on Observer Infrastructure are available at www.networkinstruments.com.

About Network Instruments

Network Instruments, a leading provider of performance management and troubleshooting for fifteen years, helps organizations ensure the delivery of business-critical applications. The company's platform of management and reporting products provides comprehensive visibility into networks and applications to optimize performance, speed troubleshooting, and assist long-term capacity planning. Network Instruments achieved profitability in its first quarter and posted revenue growth every year since its founding — without any external funding. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company has sales offices worldwide and distributors in over 50 countries. For more information, please visit www.networkinstruments.com.

SOURCE Network Instruments