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Network Instruments(R) Link Analyst(R) Ensures Network Availability and Performance
Link Analyst 5 Ties Performance Reporting to Business Functions, Manages Infrastructure Availability, and Monitors Network Assets
| Source: Network Instruments
MINNEAPOLIS, MN--(Marketwire - November 14, 2007) - Network Instruments, a leading provider of
innovative analysis solutions for in-depth network intelligence and
continuous availability, today announced the release of Link Analyst 5 for
managing network infrastructure availability and performance.
The latest version identifies performance problems before they impact the
user by continually polling and identifying network devices and monitoring
their availability. It also allows organizations to assess overall
infrastructure performance by business process or department, tracks
changes in network infrastructure, and through integration with Network
Instruments Observer® ensures the delivery of business-critical
applications.
"Link Analyst provides the visibility necessary to guarantee that business
activities flow smoothly over the network," said Douglas Smith, president
and co-founder of Network Instruments. "Its flexible reporting is key to
understanding network demands by department or office. Integration with
Observer gives an organization complete monitoring and analysis of network
infrastructure, traffic, and applications."
Understand Network Performance by Business Groups
Within Link Analyst, network engineers can organize the network
infrastructure into device groupings known as Business Groups, allowing
devices to be classified by department, function, device type, location, or
other categories. This feature makes it easier for an organization to
arrange the monitoring of network resources around their business needs,
quickly pinpoint the location of an issue and, at a glance, assess
infrastructure performance within a department or office. The administrator
can monitor resources, view reports, or track network assets by Business
Groups.
Monitoring and reporting with Business Groups is highly customizable. For
example, an engineer of a major bank may have network resources organized
into Business Groups based on the size of the bank branch. As a result the
organization can view infrastructure availability separately for all small,
medium, and large branches.
Ensure Infrastructure and Route Availability
Link Analyst uses SNMP and WMI data to automatically discover and monitor
virtually every device on the network. Through real-time device monitoring
network managers will immediately know the availability of devices, routes,
and IP services and can validate Quality of Service (QoS) settings and
Service Level Agreements. This data can be used to monitor a variety of
network resources including MS Exchange Servers and devices such as
switches or virtual servers, as well as create custom monitors.
Track Network Asset Changes
A powerful feature of Link Analyst is its ability to track device
inventories and monitor changes. This functionality is important for
pinpointing the source of a device conflict or identifying unauthorized
network devices. The program can identify removable hard drives and other
storage devices as well as installed software. Comparing Link Analyst
inventory reports over time to identify any changes in network assets is
critical for audits and investigations.
Complete Traffic and Infrastructure Management with Observer
Link Analyst 5 integrates with Observer, allowing the engineer to monitor
network and application performance as well as underlying infrastructure
availability and performance.
"The combination of the two analysis tools gives our customers a complete
network solution to handle every facet of troubleshooting and management,"
said Charles Thompson, manager of sales engineering for Network
Instruments. "Link Analyst identifies what the problem was and where it
happened at the infrastructure level. Observer gives you in-depth metrics
and Expert Analysis on the problem at the network traffic and application
level."
Through the Observer integration, network managers can start packet
captures and create filters on selected devices from within Link Analyst,
and share infrastructure maps and tables between the two solutions.
GigaStor™ Analysis on Device Performance
Link Analyst works seamlessly with the GigaStor back-in-time analysis
appliance to improve the speed and accuracy of troubleshooting
infrastructure performance issues. Through the integration, network
managers can drill down to the device level in Link Analyst and seamlessly
connect to GigaStor to go back to the time the problem occurred to see
exactly what happened, without having to recreate the issue.
A manager alerted to an unexpected spike in server utilization or traffic
can easily investigate the cause of the spike in GigaStor.
Product Pricing
Link Analyst 5 software is priced at $8,000 and is available for monitoring
gigabit, 10 GbE, Fibre Channel, LAN, wireless, and WAN networks. Additional
product information is available at www.networkinstruments.com.
About Network Instruments
Network Instruments provides network intelligence and continuous network
availability through innovative analysis solutions. Enterprise network
professionals depend on Network Instruments' Observer product line for
unparalleled network visibility to efficiently solve network problems and
manage deployments. By combining a powerful management console with
high-performance analysis appliances, Observer simplifies problem
resolution and optimizes network and application performance. The company
leads the industry in ROI with its advanced Distributed Network Analysis
(NI-DNA™) architecture, which integrates comprehensive analysis
functionality across heterogeneous networks through a single monitoring
interface. Network Instruments is headquartered in Minneapolis with sales
offices worldwide and distributors in over 50 countries. For more
information about the company, products, technology, becoming a partner,
and NI University please visit www.networkinstruments.com or the company's
blog www.networkinstruments.com/blog.