NetScout Systems, Inc., founded in 1984 and headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, has an extensive history in network performance monitoring and analysis. The firm was one of the earliest innovators in remote monitoring (RMON) technologies, developing probes for a number of LAN and WAN technologies, including Fast Ethernet, FDDI, T3 and ATM.
Early in 2000, the company introduced the first end-to-end performance management system for e-business, the nGenius Performance Management System, and also extended its technology into application monitoring, including the first real-time monitoring solution providing simultaneous visibility into converged voice, video, and data traffic.
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| Figure 1 – Netscout Forensics Dashboard 1 |
In 2002, the company was the first to integrate real-time monitoring, troubleshooting, protocol analysis, and historical reporting tasks and data within a single tool that managed performance of all standard, proprietary, web, and voice applications.
In 2007, the company doubled its business by acquiring Network General, and its well-known Sniffer, Infinistream and Network Intelligence product lines, considered by many to be the industry standard for protocol analysis.
By adding the analysis power of the Sniffer technologies to the real-time monitoring of the nGenius, Netscout has positioned itself as a company that can provide both network analysis and application performance solutions. Netscout (NASDAQ: NTCT) has over 800 employees, and posted FY2007 revenues of $102.5M
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| Figure 2 – Netscout Forensics Dashboard 2 |
Netscout Systems’ product line is divided into two main areas: Analysis, which includes software solutions for intelligent management, analysis, and reporting of network and application performance across complex networks; and Instrumentation, with devices that monitor and record the packet/flow data from strategic locations, providing network visibility.
One of the analysis products is the nGenius Performance Manager, which uses data from strategically deployed probes and collectors to provide visibility into complex networks for application monitoring, packet/flow analysis and troubleshooting, response time analysis, capacity planning, and convergence management of voice, video and data traffic.
Another analysis The nGenius probes deliver the needed detailed information to the Performance Manager, providing a clear picture of network operation. Located at strategic aggregation points within the network, the probes collect key performance metrics, support the monitoring of load-balancing or redundant links, and provide application recognition by tracking complex we-based and peer-to-peer applications.
