Do you manage dynamic business networks where outages or slow applications simply cannot be tolerated?
Do you lack clear visibility into bandwidth hogs, security threats or IT infrastructure bottlenecks impacting performance?
If so, NetFlow analytics likely holds the answer.
NetFlow delivers the granular metadata and business context needed to Stay ahead of issues in today‘s application-driven world. No wonder over 70% of enterprises leverage flow technologies as part of their network analytics strategy.1
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn:
- Critical importance of NetFlow visibility for network monitoring use cases
- Top 9 tools that transform flow data into powerful analytics
- Optimal selection criteria based on your environment needs
- Executive overview of benefits from improved network transparency
Let‘s get started.
What Makes NetFlow So Valuable?
NetFlow is an embedded instrumentation within network infrastructure devices that offers multidimensional visibility into traffic patterns.
It captures critical metadata about flows traversing your environment – including key aspects like:
- Source and destination IP addresses
- Port numbers, protocols and packet sizes
- Timestamps and session durations
- Volume metrics – bytes and packets transacted
NetFlow does not examine full packet content like packet sniffers. It only processes packet headers for metadata. This makes it ideal for network performance monitoring and security analytics while being non-intrusive.
Dedicated NetFlow collector and analyzer solutions transform immense volumes of flow records into intuitive graphs, indexes and alerts – delivering IT teams the ‘big picture’ required to truly master network infrastructure.
Armed with flow-based intelligence, engineers can:
Pinpoint bandwidth hogs disrupting critical apps
Quickly identify virus infected hosts broadcasting traffic or DDoS participants based on traffic spike patterns.
Uncover stealthy attacks that device logs missed
Analyze suspicious spikes in DNS errors, fragmented IP traffic, failed connections or geo-location mismatches across flows.
Right-size capacity amid rising demands
Model bandwidth growth and usage peaks to optimize links and plan upgrades.
Diagnose issues before users call the helpdesk
Confirm whether app problems relate to network congestion, insufficient QoS policies or server capacity limits.
Achieve Leading-Class Infrastructure Visibility
The depth of insight possible from NetFlow metadata allows elite teams to operate infrastructure proactively vs reactively.
But all solutions are not equal when it comes to deriving value from flow data.
You need analytics that help focus on what matters most across millions of flows – not just data overload!
Next let‘s explore top NetFlow collectors and analyzers that transform network metadata into clear visibility and actionable insight.
9 Leading NetFlow Analytics Solutions Reviewed
Several capable tools exist in the market that provide collectors and analytics engines purpose-built for NetFlow and IPFIX. Here we compare 9 popular options across key parameters:
*Table references product datasheets and user community feedback to highlight comparative strengths of reviewed solutions.
Now let‘s look at each tool and top features in more detail:
1. Paessler PRTG
Paessler PRTG delivers unified infrastructure monitoring capabilities including specific support for flow technologies right out of the box.
*PRTG NetFlow Dashboard reflecting bandwidth utilization and top conversations
Notable Highlights:
- Auto-discovery streamlines deployment across devices
- Customizable dashboards and reporting
- Scales from small business to large enterprises
- Free edition for monitoring 100 sensors
- Pricing starts around $1,600 for 500 sensors
PRTG consolidates your server, virtualization and network device data to provide holistic infrastructure analytics. Pre-built NetFlow sensors analyze flow records within PRTG and trigger alerts based on abnormal traffic patterns.
The solution is quick to setup and integrates related monitoring data from SNMP, packet sniffing and other sources for granular diagnostics – making it highly popular for unified monitoring requirements.
2. Scrutinizer from Plixer
Plixer Scrutinizer delivers robust traffic analytics and threat detection by leveraging flow data from heterogeneous infrastructure.
*Scrutinizer’s security dashboard analyzing potential threats across locations
Key Aspects:
- Behavior-based analytics uncover hidden threats
- Geographic tracking for distributed enterprises
- Storage and Archive options for historical analysis
- PCI and HIPPA compliance reporting
- Free version limited to 4 hours of data
Advanced visual tools allow admins to diagnose the root cause behind anomalies, outages or security events by drilling down into specific conversations and host behavior indicators.
Case management streamlines collaboration between NetOps and SecOps teams for incident response. Custom feeds can also automate threat detection by integrating Scrutinizer with popular SIEMs and firewalls.
3. Kentik Portal
Kentik Portal utilizes patented analytics to deliver purpose-built traffic intelligence for dynamic networks.
*Kentik Portal‘s interactive dashboard reflecting Bytes transmitted and 95th Percentile Traffic levels
Core Capabilities:
- Optimized specifically for NetFlow and sFlow
- Geographic visibility into traffic traversals
- DDoS and attack detection
- APIs for infrastructure integration
- 14-day free trial to experience benefits
This SaaS solution is quite popular for its powerful visualization and automation capabilities – including intelligent fast data storage for effective capacity planning.
Timeslider features allow historical analysis to quickly determine root cause. while plugin integrations with Slack, PagerDuty etc. facilitate collaborative workflows.
Kentik also provides competitive alternatives to open-source options, with transparent usage-based pricing that scales smoothly with data volume needs.
4. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is a highly affordable on-premise solution for centralized network monitoring needs of SMBs and large enterprises.
*ManageEngine analyzer reflecting bandwidth utilization patterns
Standout Aspects:
- Intuitive web console with dashboards
- Custom reporting and scheduled email capabilities
- Integrates with ManageEngine‘s ITIM platform
- Free for 2 interfaces, Standard edition starts around $1000
This tool provides deep visibility into traffic by application, protocol and IP address groups. The Monitor Health dashboard offers precise details on volume trends and network experiences, while assets maps help track performance issues to determine proof points.
Custom reports allow teams to schedule and share intelligence with stakeholders for capacity planning and evaluation based on flow KPIs specific to your environment.
5. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
SolarWinds enjoys tremendous goodwill among network professionals courtesy its NPM platform. The NetFlow add-on delivers powerful traffic analytics for infrastructure optimization.
*SolarWinds presents intuitive bandwidth utilization and application visibility
Core Features:
- Custom collector filtering and tagging
- Anomaly detection for security
- Supports all major flow types
- Pricing starts around $3000 for bandwidth monitoring
- Free 30 day trial available
Orion NPM platform integration allows administrators unified views across networks, systems and applications tiers. This accelerates root cause analysis when application issues arise.
Smart data storage techniques ensure high-volume flow records can still deliver targeted insights without search complexity. Custom policies allow sensible bandwidth usage alerts to improve governance.
6. FlowTraq from Accedian
FlowTraq is a cloud-native network analytics solution from Accedian that transforms raw flow data into powerful visibility.
*Flowtraq dashboard reflecting bandwidth utilization patterns
Key Highlights:
- Continuous learning behavioral models
- Anomaly detection for security analytics
- Supports all major flow types and data sources
- Plug-and-play SaaS delivery
- Free trial plus transparent usage-based pricing
Flowtraq allows administrators to drill down into specific conversations comprising top traffic volumes to diagnose root cause effectively.
Useful visibility is also provided into flow characteristics like TCP retransmits or out of order packets that indicate developing infrastructure issues or network intrusions.
Custom defined alerts ensure teams are automatically notified when unusual traffic patterns associated with DDoS activity, scanning attempts or crypto mining are detected.
7. Flowmon Anomaly Detection System
The Flowmon Anomaly Detection System represents robust capabilities to detect lateral movement, data exfiltration and targeted attacks using behavioral detection algorithms applied to NetFlow data.
*Flowmon mirrors suspicious spikes indicative of DDoS or scanning activity
Key Aspects:
- Machine learning driven anomaly scoring
- 300+ predefined protocol definitions
- Custom detection rules and dynamic firewall blocking
- SIEM integration for threat analytics
- ADC sensors starts around $530 per device/year
Flowmon leverages unsupervised models benchmarked against 15Tb+ of traffic daily to identify attacks in progress, data exfiltration and other emerging threats with high fidelity.
USE CASE: A manufacturing firm deployed Flowmon to uncover cryptomining activity from employee laptops that was throttling bandwidth – something traditional tools missed.
Email alerts, SNMP traps and REST API integrations help SecOps teams neutralize issues quicker through automation.
8. Plixer Scrutinizer
Scrutinizer provides a unified view across security and NetOps use cases – delivering deep application visibility and behavior-based threat detection.
*Scrutinizer’s security dashboard analyzing potential threats across locations
Key Highlights:
- Advanced analytics uncover hidden threats
- Extensive protocol classification
- Case management for incident response
- Geographic tracking for distributed networks
- Free version offers 4 hour data access
Intuitive workflows allow administrators to pivot seamlessly between security, infrastructure performance, forensics and capacity planning perspectives.
USE CASE: A financial services firm leveraged Scrutinizer to identify cryptojacking malware issues in their environment by analyzing DNS anomalies.
Role-based access combined with case management streamlines collaboration between NetOps and SecOps teams.
9. Kentik Portal
Kentik leverages patented analytics specifically designed for high volume NetFlow and sFlow data feeds. This edge makes it invaluable for dynamic cloud and hybrid networks.
*Kentik Portal maps traffic flows between regions for a content provider
Core Features:
- Optimized specifically for flow data at scale
- Powerful network visualization
- DDoS and security analytics
- APIs for infrastructure integrations
- 14 day free trial to experience solution
Kentik allows users to easily define groups, customize tags and create intelligent filters to extract value from immense traffic volumes. Its unique time slider feature replays historical data to understand problems or events.
USE CASE: A Cloud SP leveraged Kentik to reduce MTTR by 73% when diagnosing customer VPN issues by visualizing traffic traversal paths.
Flexible ad-hoc analysis and automation capabilities help both large carriers and enterprises maximize ROI from flow data monitoring.
Emerging Capabilities
While the tools discussed excel at delivering NetFlow analytics, additional solution classes help strengthen network visibility further:
APPLICATION PERFORMANCE MONITORS: APM tools like Cisco AppDynamics complement flow analysis by mapping application dependencies and tracking exact response times during reported issues. This arm network teams with proof points to isolate root cause between app code vs network factors.
MACHINE LEARNING MODELS: ML techniques help baseline normal traffic patterns at scale and trigger alerts when anomalous surges or drops occur. Tools like NXLOG apply behavioral models to flow data and achieve accurate threat detection without manual effort.
As data volumes explode, AI assistance will become pivotal to help operations teams separate signal from noise.
Key Selection Criteria
With a range of commercial and open source tools to consider, choose your NetFlow analyzer solution based on 5 key factors:
1. SCALABILITY: Carefully assess expected growth in flow records volume and velocity for your environment. Solutions like SolarWinds NTA and Kentik are purpose-built to handle millions of records per minute.
2. PRICING: Commercial tools like ManageEngine and PRTG NetFlow analyzers start around $1000 while high-end platforms can go up to $10,000+ for carriers. Open source options allow you to get started faster without significant licensing cost.
3. INTEGRATIONS NEEDED: If you need turnkey integrations with your NOC platform or other DCIM tools like ServiceNow, opt for ManageEngine or SolarWinds. Security teams can choose Scrutinizer, Stealthwatch or Arbor SP.
4. CUSTOMER SUPPORT: Evaluate responder SLAs, training options, community forums to ensure the vendor provides adequate assistance.
5. ADVANCED USE CASES: When choosing solutions ensure your key analysis needs around security, capacity planning, forensics etc. are fully covered either natively or via customization.
Start Your NetFlow Analysis Journey
In closing, NetFlow analytics and collectors serve as a business multiplier – allowing lean IT teams to derive exponential value from existing flow-enabled gear.
Robust visibility leads to improved control over infrastructure stability, service levels and security posture. This directly translates into delighted users, productive employees and positive business outcomes.
Still struggling with occasional performance complaints or unexpected outages?
Then purpose-built network analytics merits serious consideration.
Modern solutions make it easier than ever to get started. Take one of the featured products for a test drive or pilot today itself!
I wish you success as you embark on leveraging flow intelligence to master business networks. Please share any feedback on your experience or tools used via comments below.
Remember – enhanced visibility brings the power to pre-empt issues before customers call!
