Networks continue to grow. And as enterprises need to monitor an expanding number of network segments, or a large distributed network, challenges have arisen. According to a new report from Garland Technology, what these enterprises need is aggregation — which helps institutions secure and monitor their network. Maintaining network visibility is key in today’s markets.
Download the full report.
According to the report, using the aggregation layer, companies can “utilize more of your network resources and reduce the number of ports necessary to provide total visibility to your tools.”
It’s well-known that network visibility of all traffic is essential to seeing return on investment, but doing so is easier said than done with modern data center designs.
As a network grows, and an enterprise works to monitor either a large number of network segments, or a large, distributed network, the need for aggregation arises, Garland Technology points out.
Routers and switches, of course, are the building blocks of a business network. And as network speeds spike and data center demands grow, the topology of today’s enterprises are becoming more and more complex.
Aggregation allows an organization to consolidate a high number of low utilization 1G network links down to just a few ports on a higher speed (40G or 100G) monitoring tool or Network Packet Broker. This aggregation of ports results in a simplified way to reduce the per port cost on expensive NPBs.
When factoring visibility into data center design, there are three main layers to focus on, according to the report, including:
- The Access Layer
- The Aggregation or Distribution Layer
- The Core Layer
“Especially for large, distributed networks, the aggregation layer serves as a necessary component of data center design to improve management capabilities,” the report states.
It’s probably not feasible to continually purchase new TAPs, packet brokers, security appliances, and monitoring tools every time new applications or networking speeds emerge.
“Instead, maximizing ROI is all about finding ways to make the most of what you have today. And that means simplifying the network wherever possible,” Garland Technology asserts in the report.
The company explains it like this:
By building out aggregation at the access layer and creating a more efficient aggregation layer within your data center, enterprises can use more of their network resources and cut down on the number of ports necessary to provide total network visibility to security and monitoring tools.
The full white paper explores the following topics:
- Where aggregation fits in your network
- The four tiers of network visibility
- How to leverage your tapped links with aggregation
- Creating an Effective Aggregation Layer
- Aggregation at the Core
Download the new report,“Aggregation: How to Add Value Back into Your Network and Maximize ROI,” from Garland Technology that highlights how visibility solutions and aggregators can best unlock the ROI in your network.