Data sharing is exploding, LTE networks are growing, and traditional networks are expanding. Concomitantly, the number of critical links that need to be constantly monitored also increases. How can organizations avoid network downtime that seriously impairs their normal operations? Can they ensure maximum uptime for today’s higher-traffic, high-speed networks without compromising quality? Can they keep LTE data centers at optimum, always-on working condition?

The answer to all of the above is yes, and the solution is active monitoring. Here’s why.

The Key Challenge: Providing greater visibility into network traffic, while maintaining network uptime

Administrators use many inline tools to control traffic flow and achieve optimal security and network visibility including WAN acceleration, prioritizing information, monitoring network links, and assuring quality for voice-over-IP (VoIP), and video conferencing. Unfortunately, these tools also impose a single point of failure and can thus pose serious threats to network stability and connectivity.

The Good News: Combining a monitoring device with a bypass technology enables organizations to achieve both maximum network visibility and network uptime.

Here’s how implementing inline security tools works. A common network topology consists of a router on one side (enabling communication from the internal LAN) and a switch or router on the other (creating a communication channel to and from the WAN). This is usually a single connection. When an inline tool is brought into the network — generally deployed between the LAN (Intranet) and the WAN (Internet) — it enables real-time monitoring of all bidirectional network traffic.

But what happens in the event of power failure or appliance malfunction? To avoid network downtime when this occurs, a bypass is placed in front of the inline device. This directs the traffic flow to the appliance when it is “healthy” and working, and it bypasses the appliance when it goes down or becomes inactive for any reason. Once the appliance starts working again, the bypass can instantly redirect network traffic back to it for inline monitoring.

Maintaining active monitoring of the highest-traffic networks ensures maximum uptime by:

• Increasing traffic visibility using filtering techniques that send only relevant data to the monitoring tools in use;
• Ensuring zero network downtime in case an inline device stops functioning or requires replacement;
• Combining multiple network points into a single monitoring zone, reducing the costs involved in monitoring a large number of network links;
• Providing efficient monitoring of every critical network data packet;
• And by adding new appliances to the network quickly and seamlessly without compromising the quality of the existing network architecture.

Active monitoring of high-traffic networks is the only way to keep your networks always up-and-running and your organization in an always-on working condition.