Lancope and EMA Survey: NetFlow Adoption on the Rise; Emerging as Important, Mainstream Source for Network and Security Operations

ATLANTA, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lancope, Inc., a leader in flow-based security, network and application performance monitoring, has conducted a survey on NetFlow adoption with Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). The research indicates that flow record data has become an important, mainstream source for a wide range of network management and security efforts, displacing conventional probe solutions, and that even more avid adoption is expected in the future. When used alongside enterprise-ready flow collection and analysis technologies like Lancope's StealthWatch® System, flow data can vastly improve network visibility, performance and security.

Sixty percent of survey respondents stated that they see flow data as an alternative to packet-based monitoring, demonstrating its dominance over more complicated traditional solutions when it comes to obtaining broad visibility over network infrastructure. Many respondents also intend to embrace newer versions of flow data such as NetFlow v9 and Flexible NetFlow moving forward to take advantage of advanced features including application performance metrics and support for IPv6. Overall, the survey indicates that flow data is being leveraged for a wide variety of efforts across the enterprise, and that the number of uses for flow data will continue to grow.

"This research confirms what we have long known, which is that NetFlow is rapidly emerging as the most efficient means of gaining actionable network visibility for a broad range of initiatives," said Mike Potts, president and CEO of Lancope. "When it comes to dramatically improving network operations and security posture with minimal investment, flow data analysis provides unmatched capabilities at a fraction of the price of conventional technologies. This is a fact that enterprise organizations can no longer afford to ignore."

Conducted in May 2011, the Lancope and EMA survey covers the NetFlow usage, priorities and practices of more than 100 IT professionals from organizations with at least 5,000 employees. The research uncovered that traffic monitoring and security monitoring are the most popular current uses of flow data overall, with 76 percent and 61 percent, respectively, using it for these purposes. It was also found that organizations quickly find new uses for flow data once it is deployed, with traffic monitoring being the most prominent initial use, but security monitoring quickly becoming the main use after implementation. According to the survey, organizations that have embraced and deployed flow data are realizing multiple values, and many intend to continue expanding their deployments to meet additional needs.

Other key findings include:

• 47 percent of respondents leverage flow data for understanding services consumption
• 46 percent use flow data for planning/engineering
• 96 percent say they expect to maintain or expand their use of flow data over the next 12-18 months
• NetFlow is the most popular type of flow data, used by 70 percent of respondents

"EMA analysts recommend that any organization seeking to improve the alignment between IT operations and the business, as well as those looking to improve their ability to ensure the security of increasingly complex infrastructures, focus on the use of flow record data as a mature and proven technique for addressing both sets of objectives," said Jim Frey, managing research director with EMA. "While point solutions will still be used for specific segments of the network and for addressing specific functions, flow data can be used to obtain an end-to-end view of the entire enterprise network, and as indicated by this survey, can support a multitude of network and security management goals."

By fully leveraging flow data inherent in existing network devices, Lancope's StealthWatch System delivers complete, real-time visibility to address both internal and external threats to network security and performance. The system eliminates network blind spots, cuts network and security management costs and dramatically expedites troubleshooting across physical and virtual environments. As one of the few flow-based solutions on the market designed to improve both network and security operations through a single platform, StealthWatch was named the industry's Best Joint Security & Network Management Solution in a recent EMA Radar™ report for Application-Aware Network Performance Management (ANPM).

"Few ANPM solutions over the years have been successful in straddling both network performance and security monitoring," added Frey of EMA. "Through its use of sophisticated, behavioral analytics, Lancope stands as a clear exception to this rule, and validates the premise that multiple operational objectives can be achieved by effectively harnessing the power of flow data."

Lancope and EMA will host a complimentary webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 11:00 a.m. ET to further discuss their research findings, and to educate attendees on how flow data can be used to support a wide range of enterprise IT objectives both now and in the future. Attendees will receive access to the published survey results. To register for the webinar, "NetFlow Usage, Priorities and Practices – Today and Tomorrow," please go to http://www.lancope.com/news-events/webinars/.  

About Enterprise Management Associates
Founded in 1996, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) is a leading industry analyst firm that provides deep insight across the full spectrum of IT and data management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into industry best practices, and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help its clients achieve their goals. Learn more about EMA research, analysis and consulting services for enterprise line of business users, IT professionals and IT vendors at www.enterprisemanagement.com or blogs.enterprisemanagement.com. You can also follow EMA on Twitter or Facebook.

About Lancope
Lancope®, Inc. is a leading provider of flow-based monitoring solutions to ensure high-performing and secure networks for global enterprises. Unifying critical network performance and security information for borderless network visibility, Lancope provides actionable insight that reduces the time between problem identification and resolution. Enterprise customers worldwide, including healthcare, financial services, government and higher education institutions, rely on Lancope to make better network decisions, respond faster to network problem areas and avoid costly outages and downtime — at a fraction of the cost of conventional network monitoring solutions. With Lancope, you can know your network and run your business better. Privately held and venture-backed, Lancope is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit www.lancope.com.

©2011 Lancope, Inc. All rights reserved. Lancope, StealthWatch, and other trademarks are registered or unregistered trademarks of Lancope, Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE Lancope, Inc.