According to a report on the network traffic analysis market, the market is expected to grow significantly, reaching $6,540.61 million by 2028. This growth is projected at a CAGR of 9.38% from 2022 to 2028. Understanding these trends is vital for IT and other organizations that depend on analyzing their network traffic for improved network management and performance. Analyzing network traffic involves monitoring the complexities of east-west and north-south traffic by leveraging an advanced network monitoring solution like OpManager.
What is east-west and north-south traffic?
Network admins use east-west and north-south traffic to determine the flow of traffic in data centers, and understanding this traffic is crucial for effective flow monitoring.
East-west traffic
East-west traffic refers to the data flow between servers, routers, and network devices within the same data center. For instance, a VM host broadcasting data packets to virtual machines represents an example of east-west traffic.
North-south traffic
North-south traffic refers to the data flow between data centers. Network admins label the traffic exiting one data center to another as northbound, and the traffic entering the data center from another server in a different data center as southbound.
Challenges faced by network admins when monitoring east-west and north-south traffic
Understanding how the data flows in your IT infrastructure and monitoring it in real-time is vital to ensure maximum network performance and health. Here are some common challenges network admins face when monitoring east-west and north-south traffic:
Visibility: Achieving comprehensive visibility into the intricate patterns of east-west and north-south traffic without an integrated monitoring tool can be challenging.
Real-time monitoring: Identifying and addressing network issues requires real-time monitoring of data flows. Abnormal patterns in east-west and north-south traffic should be promptly detected to avoid network performance bottlenecks and potential downtime.
Resource allocation: Effectively allocating resources to meet the diverse demands of internal devices and east-west traffic poses a significant challenge for network admins.
With OpManager, an integrated monitoring tool, network admins can effectively address these challenges and gain the insights needed to ensure a resilient and smoothly functioning network infrastructure.
OpManager features that simplify monitoring east-west and north-south traffic
OpManager, equipped with a suite of powerful features including it’s NetFlow Analyzer add-on, helps networks admins monitor east-west and north-south traffic easily. Here’s an in-depth look at the key features that make OpManager an indispensable network bandwidth monitoring tool:
Bandwidth performance monitoring: OpManager facilitates tracking traffic flow between routers and specific interfaces, offering detailed flow insights and dedicated graphs. It also helps to analyze conversation traffic at the application level, ensuring optimal bandwidth performance from source to destination across your entire network.
Pattern analysis: With OpManager, network admins can set adaptive thresholds based on traffic patterns and ensure efficient anomaly detection, enabling a proactive response to potential issues.
Capacity planning: Network admins can leverage OpManager to generate bandwidth utilization reports and track historical traffic data to effectively plan resources and prevent bottlenecks.
Traffic forecasting: With the help of machine learning, OpManager helps network admins predict future network trends and demands.
Security module: OpManager includes a robust security module with predefined algorithms for detecting irregular IP behavior. This proactive security feature helps identify and mitigate potential threats, enhancing overall network security.
Traffic shaping: OpManager empowers network admins with granular control over network traffic through features like service policies, access control, and bandwidth usage management. This ensures optimal performance and prioritization of critical applications.
Traffic visualization: OpManager’s Business Views feature enables network admins to link servers, routers, storage devices, and other network components globally and monitor their inbound and outbound traffic by simply hovering over the link. This helps network admins visualize network traffic even if the devices are spread across the world.
With OpManager’s comprehensive set of features, including bandwidth performance monitoring, pattern analysis, traffic shaping, capacity planning, and traffic forecasting, network admins can proactively monitor and manage east-west and north-south traffic, detect anomalies, and secure their network infrastructure.
Interested in exploring ManageEngine OpManager and its services? Book a free demo with one of our solution experts today, and unlock a free, 30-day trial in just a few minutes. Seamlessly integrate OpManager into your IT environment for hassle-free east-west and north-south traffic monitoring.
