Network Security
An optimal application performance management solution will provide sufficient application visibility (Layers 1-7), helping network staff prevent security breaches and denial-of-service attacks.
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We have used Visual to identify infected PCs. In fact, the Visual tool is sometimes the only way we can identify those infected users. |
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– Doug Anderson,
Technical Analyst,
AgriBank
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Network application integrity is based on the ability to correlate the performance of the underlying infrastructure with the performance of the applications which run across it. A major component of network application integrity is safeguarding the network against security breaches like worms, viruses, hackers and denial-of-services attack. The ubiquity of the Internet has led to increased breakout of worms and viruses, Web traffic and associated downloads, media-rich e-mail and IM attachments, streaming media (Internet radio and video clips), Web traffic associated with major news events, peer-to-peer traffic and Web conferencing, video conferencing, or video/Voice over IP. This explosion in application activity has made network security one of the most important concerns for network operations and IT staff. Since a concern for network security can be triggered by any of the above factors and typically includes one or more of these scenarios, then it is with little surprise that safeguarding the network is a daunting task for all verticals.
Visual UpTime Select provides a deep dive into mission-critical applications running across the network as well as tremendous insight dive into application flows. Application flow visibility encompasses three dimensions: Client server, server client, and client to client application monitoring. Solving security breaches depends on step one which is having visibility into the applications currently deployed across the entire network. UpTime Select provides details into each application flow thereby showing a complete list of all users accessing each application weather rogue business or other.
Visual UpTime Select also triggers alarms within Service Summary which alerts IT staff and network operations when an application has gone above a certain level for a particular site. As an example an abnormal increase in ICMP messages will inform network operations of a potential virus propagating the network. They can then drilldown into the Visual UpTime Select AppFlows module, identify the users impacted, and alert IT staff so that they can take the necessary action to wipe clean the infected machines.
It is with little surprise that more and more IT staff and network personnel see application visibility as paramount in providing protection against security breaches and denial-of-service attacks. The fact remains that although the network infrastructure is composed of a robust set of interrelated components which drives business productivity, it is extremely vulnerable and is constantly under the potential threat of attack from unwanted viruses and other security violations.
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