What Are Network Traffic Analysis Tools?

I n the growing age of technology, various sectors both private and government have implemented a lot of networks across the board. Due to the recent years of COVID, this has only grown; given the amount of heavy traffic we now see present on the internet, it becomes chaotic to understand and account for all users and their experience and any anomalies that might show up. That’s why companies created network traffic analysis tools. These tools can help you analyze your network traffic helping you create a more efficient network and pinpoint anomalies that might be potential problems. 

What is Network Traffic Analysis?

Before we talk about these tools, let’s just quickly gloss over what network analysis is. Security tools such as firewalls, IPS, and IDS are tools that are focused on going through traffic that is going across the boundary of a certain network environment. NTA (Network Traffic Analysis) based strategies are all targeted at communications from virtual network traffic crossing a vSwitch to your normal data packets such as TCP or IP. 

These strategies are also directed at primarily operational technology and IoT networks which are usually completely unable for you to monitor and assess. Advanced versions of these network traffic analysis tools are also compatible with encrypted networks. For these two reasons alone, they are in high demand and usage. For they are given you access to monitor and prepare against security threats and network traffic problems on levels that were not available to you. 

What Features Do You Get Access To Through Network Analysis Tools?

The features being offered are broad and truly precise in their ability to help you monitor your network traffic. Some of the key features of the top-of-the-line tools are:

Broad Visibility:

In its ability to access and monitor communications it is truly a notch above the rest as it combs through communication in many forms. It can read the more conventional TCP/IP packets, traffic crossing from a vSwitch, API calls to SaaS applications, or serverless computing instances. Traffic on all sorts of different types of networks is possible in real-time with these tools. 

Encrypted Traffic Analysis:

As around three fourths of the web traffic is encrypted, a lot of companies and institutions find it difficult to monitor them without being implicated in any form of privacy breach using their networks. These network traffic analysis tools can allow you to look at the full form of communication to determine whether it’s a threat or not, and you never would have to breach the communications privacy. 

Comprehensive Baseline:

Taking into account the consistent change within current IT environments, these network analysis tools monitor behaviors that are anomalous or unique to a specific entity or a small set of those with the unique trait identified by the tool. This then, through machine-learning, is constantly being integrated within the library of the network analysis tools, creating a baseline from which to understand the network itself and what is normal for it. This data is generated, analyzed, presented to the user, and integrated through machine learning in real-time.

Detection and Response:

The days of your security team consistently combing through various data sources such DHCP and DNS logs and directory service infrastructure to just get a nominal view of what the network environment is looking like right now is over. These network analysis tools can immediately identify anomalies, track and point to the source of them and then process to act accordingly after the determination has been made. 

Importance:

Potential attackers such as hackers are consistently adjusting their strategies to avoid being discovered and then taking advantage by leveraging accepted credentials with tools that are integrated within a network. This makes it extremely difficult for the respective entities to be able to accurately point to the security risks present. Network Analysis tools are the answer to this constantly ever-changing and adjusting threat that looms over all entities who manage a network. You can learn more about its workings and importance here. 

Technological innovation is consistently advancing at a rapid pace, and with it, we face the problem of how to address monitoring our network environments. Solutions that are sustainable and are self-learning are what are required for constantly changing problems. These Network Traffic Analysis tools allow you to precisely achieve that.

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