Top 10 Network Traffic Analysis Tools in 2022 – Spiceworks
Network traffic analysis tools allow you to monitor incoming and outgoing network data packets to uncover key insights such as network performance, security, and bandwidth utilization. This article lists the top 10 network traffic analysis tools in 2022.
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Top 5 Key Must-Have Features of Network Traffic Analysis Tools
Network traffic analysis tools allow you to monitor incoming and outgoing network data packets to uncover key insights such as network performance, security, and bandwidth utilization. Various network traffic analysis tools are available for every enterprise use case and budget.
According to Grand View Research, the global market size for this technology segment was valued at $2.49 billion in 2020, which will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7% by 2028. When evaluating network traffic analysis tools for your organization, ensure that they’re equipped with the following features.
Key Features of Network Traffic Analysis Tools
1. Coverage of key metrics
The tool should monitor, measure, and analyze the broadest possible variety of metrics. The standard metrics you need to cover include bandwidth utilization per application, traffic inflow and outflow per internet protocol (IP) profile, and time-bound trends. Depending on your use case, you may also want to focus on network traffic metrics related to security.
2. An intuitive GUI
Network traffic analysis involves a large amount of complex data. It is helpful to have these represented through a simple graphical user interface (GUI) that is easy to understand and navigate. You may want to host the GUI on the cloud for cross-device access, or you may host it on-premise to save on cloud resource expenses. Some network traffic analysis tools (especially open-source ones) may require a separate frontend UI for user navigation.
3. Data and trend visualization
Smart visualization makes it easier to understand network traffic data and its implications at a glance. In addition to visualizing information, the tool should also correlate different data types to provide contextualized updates. Ideally, the network traffic analysis tool should offer pre-built dashboards, where you can view information through charts, graphs, sparklines, and other visualization techniques. Some tools may also support collaborative access so that the IT team can work together on network traffic analysis.
4. Generation of actionable insights
The network traffic analysis tool must provide insights that help improve network performance, strengthen security, and optimize bandwidth. Depending on the tool you choose, it may use artificial intelligence for deep correlations, send automated alerts, and even automatically correct network configurations for optimal performance.
5. Integration with apps and hosts
The tool should be able to integrate with various data sources, devices, applications, clouds, servers, and other host environments. This allows for a comprehensive view of network traffic flow across the enterprise and helps you spot important correlations across disparate data sources.
Further, it is helpful to have integration support for third-party IT systems, such as security information and event management (SIEM) or security operations center (SOC). Integrations can be enabled via pre-built connectors, application programming interfaces (APIs), or open-source architectures.
See More: Running Edge-Heavy Networks? Here’s How Smart Management Tools Can Help
Top 10 Network Traffic Analysis Tools in 2022
Here are the top 10 network traffic analysis tools in 2022, arranged in alphabetical order.
Disclaimer: This list is based on publicly available information and may include vendor websites that sell to mid-to-large enterprises. Readers are advised to conduct their final research to ensure the best fit for their unique organizational needs.
1. Cisco Network Analysis Module Traffic Analyzer
Overview: Founded in 1984, Cisco is among the world’s largest networking hardware and software vendors. The Cisco Network Analyzer Module (NAM) is a suite of products for network management, including traffic analysis.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
You can measure important network performance metrics such as latency and the quality of experience for voice over IP (VoIP), video, and other network services.
- An intuitive GUI:
It supports a web browser-based graphical user interface (GUI) with a simple login process.
- Data and trend visualization:
It primarily offers tabular data reports, with the option to customize and schedule reports as necessary.
- Generation of actionable insights:
You can filter data, analyze real-time statistics, export data, and more to arrive at actionable insights.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It connects with your entire IT ecosystem, all your applications on the network, connected servers, and hosts.
USP: Cisco NAM Traffic Analyzer is highly extensible. You can use it in conjunction with other network offerings of the company, such as virtual appliances and blades, hardware NAM appliances, and Crosswork Automation capabilities.
Pricing: Cisco’s traffic analyzer is part of the holistic Cisco NAM product, starting at $1,600.
Editorial comments: The solution targets large enterprises with robust in-house IT teams and managed network service providers. However, it requires substantial technical expertise and may not be suitable for organizations without prior Cisco experience.
2. ExtraHop Network Traffic Analysis
Overview: ExtraHop is a network management and security solutions provider founded in 2007. Its flagship platform, Reveal(x), offers end-to-end network management capabilities for hybrid enterprise environments through network traffic analysis and other modules.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It measures a wide range of signal metrics such as timeouts requests, 404 not found errors, expired sessions, and requests with suspicious behavior.
- An intuitive GUI:
The platform interface and dashboards are smartly designed for greater accessibility.
- Data and trend visualization:
It visualizes device activity, performance trends, and potential security incidents, via dashboards.
- Generation of actionable insights:
It uses machine learning to analyze network traffic in real-time and generate alerts.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It is purpose-built for integration with hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including the internet of things (IoT).
USP: ExtraHop features an exceptional degree of pre-built automations that let you automatically discover cloud assets, classify them, track rogue network traffic, and flag risks.
Pricing: Pricing for ExtraHop Reveal(x), which includes network traffic analysis, starts at approximately $5 per hour per sensor.
Editorial comments: It lets you leverage network traffic analysis for greater security on the cloud, and Amazon Web Service (AWS), Google Cloud, and Azure users will find it easy to get started. However, ExtraHop customers note that prebuilt dashboards are missing, and the company’s professional services are required to build dashboard templates.
3. Hadoop Network Traffic Analysis
Overview: Hadoop is an open-source data management platform by the Apache Software Foundation. It was launched in 2006 and provides enterprises with utilities, libraries, file systems, and frameworks to process complex data-related tasks like network traffic analysis.
Key features: The key features of Hadoop include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
Hadoop network traffic analysis can be configured to monitor and analyze a massive range of network performance metrics from speed and latency to potential intrusions.
- An intuitive GUI:
Hadoop lets you connect the framework to a frontend GUI of your choice or build one of your own.
- Data and trend visualization:
Hadoop can consume and analyze high-volume network traffic records – however, visualizations have to be designed separately on Hadoop Cloud.
- Generation of actionable insights:
Hadoop can accommodate big data streams in real-time to generate highly accurate insights.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
Due to its open-source architecture, you can integrate Hadoop with any system you choose.
USP: Network traffic analysis using Hadoop enables unmatched versatility. You can select a precise or broad dataset, customize configurations, and rely on Hadoop’s field-tested big data analysis models to process information at scale.
Pricing: It is free to use.
Editorial comments: Hadoop has been widely used for network traffic analysis in the public sector as well as large enterprises, mobile internet deployments, and other use cases. However, it requires specialized Apache Hadoop skills.
4. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
Overview: ManageEngine is part of Zoho Corporation, a software technology company founded in 1996. ManageEngine provides various tools for IT management, including the popular traffic analytics tool NetFlow Analyzer.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It maps crucial network performance indices such as bandwidth, traffic patterns, security incidents, app performance, capacity, etc., in real-time.
- An intuitive GUI:
NetFlow Analyzer has an easy-to-use, web-based GUI like all Zoho-powered solutions.
- Data and trend visualization:
Trends and network traffic data records are visualized through charts, graphs, maps, and dashboards.
- Generation of actionable insights:
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer provides natural language insights and traffic analysis summaries that are easy to understand and act on.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It integrates with end-to-end IT systems, supports flow technologies like NetFlow or Netstream, and is compatible with Cisco, HP, and other
hardware
.
USP: ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer offers excellent mobile support. IT managers can use the iOS or Android app for network traffic analysis on the go.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $595, and you can opt for a free trial.
Editorial comments: ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is ideal for small and medium-sized enterprises. It also offers a free-forever edition that connects with up to two interfaces. However, the initial setup process is cumbersome, where many workflows and data sources need to be configured from scratch.
5. Nagios® Network Analyzer
Overview: Launched in 2002, Nagios® is an open-source software suite for IT infrastructure, system, and network monitoring. It offers free and commercial products. Nagios® Network Analyzer is a commercial traffic analysis and security tool for enterprise use.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It calculates bandwidth utilization, monitors source and IP activity, and maintains packet-level data records.
- An intuitive GUI:
It has an intuitive web interface coupled with Nagios’ flagship platform, Nagios XI.
- Data and trend visualization:
It has comprehensive dashboards for high-level views, along with advanced visualizations of network traffic, bandwidth, and overall health.
- Generation of actionable insights:
You can track specific traffic subsets most relevant to you and receive insights through an automated alert system.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It can adapt to any data source and network topography.
USP: You can customize the dashboard, trends, and data views to zero in on granular traffic flows. It also allows multiple IT administrators to collaborate on network management.
Pricing: It runs on an open-source core, and the complete solution costs $1,995.
Editorial comments: The tool’s primary use case is bandwidth analysis which allows you to plan network capacity and address inefficiencies. The open-source core is ideal for companies requiring Elastic integration. Remember that Nagios may not suit more extensive networks, and the user experience gets confusing when it is forced to scale.
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6. Netreo Traffic Monitor
Overview: Founded in 2000, Netreo is an IT operations solution provider specializing in network management. Its network traffic analysis software supports all major flow technologies and more than a million connections per second.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It scans local, cloud, and remote network environments to calculate availability, memory performance, process volumes, and other metrics.
- An intuitive GUI:
It provides unified views of all network environments through a web-based GUI.
- Data and trend visualization:
Netreo’s intuitive dashboards can be set up with minimal effort, thanks to automated discovery, mapping, and reporting.
- Generation of actionable insights:
It generates valuable insights based on incident management rules and anomaly thresholds while reducing false positives.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It is compatible with all PC and server operating systems, data collection methods, and database types like MySQL and Oracle.
USP: Netreo helps you automate root cause analysis by correlating data points and providing contextual information. It also has dedicated support for VMware environments.
Pricing: Pricing for Netreo starts at $5 per resource per month.
Editorial comments: Netreo’s preset configurations simplify setup, but large enterprises might find it harder to customize. Further, pre-built integrations for tools like OPSGenie and JIRA Service Desk are lacking, requiring in-house development.
7. Noction Flow Analyzer
Overview: Founded in 2010, Noction provides advanced network monitoring and intelligent routing solutions. Noction Flow Analyzer enables network traffic analysis out of the box at an affordable price point.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It reveals all the metrics and information you would need for capacity planning, such as bandwidth usage by application, interface, and conversation.
- An intuitive GUI:
Noction operates through a web-based GUI with sophisticated dashboards, a data navigator, an alerts manager, and an admin portal.
- Data and trend visualization:
Trends are depicted through charts, graphs, etc., with multi-level data filtering for analysis.
- Generation of actionable insights:
It supports preset and custom alert policies that trigger real-time insights on network events.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It uses an open-source database management system that can be integrated with a wide range of tools and devices.
USP: Noction Flow Analyzer can be implemented in a matter of minutes. The company claims that it can be deployed in under 15 minutes.
Pricing: It costs $299 per month with support for unlimited network devices, interfaces, and sites.
Editorial comments: Noction is intended for border gateway protocol (BGP) traffic monitoring. Companies relying heavily on BGP protocol can use Noction to optimize performance. However, it only addresses traffic analysis use cases and cannot be leveraged as a holistic network monitoring and security solution.
8. Packetbeat Network Traffic Analysis
Overview: Packetbeat is part of Elastic Stack, a solution portfolio built by the American-Dutch software company, Elastic NV. It is a free network analysis tool based on Elastic’s open architecture.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It gives you a comprehensive understanding of key metrics like response times, error count, latency, errors vs. successful transactions, etc.
- An intuitive GUI:
It has a simple UI with extremely lightweight installations for greater ease of use.
- Data and trend visualization:
It uses a variety of visualization tactics from graphs and charts to histograms and maps – to present data.
- Generation of actionable insights:
You can use prebuilt protocols or design custom ones to generate the detailed insights you need.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It integrates seamlessly with other elastic offerings like Logstash, Elasticsearch, and Kibana and has a dedicated integration community.
USP: Packetbeat provides a robust network traffic analysis tool at zero CapEx. The community facilitates a diverse range of integrations from blockchain networks to weather data.
Pricing: It is free to use.
Editorial comments: Packetbeat is ideal for small to mid-sized independent software vendors (ISVs) and startups due to its low investment quotient. However, heterogeneous environments with multiple cloud infrastructures may require substantial setup efforts.
9. SolarWinds Network Traffic Analysis Tool
Overview: Founded in 1999, SolarWinds is an IT management and remote monitoring tools provider. The company offers several solutions to optimize network performance.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It reveals quantifiable insights both in real-time and over a preset period – like application performance, bandwidth utilization, traffic flow for popular domains, etc.
- An intuitive GUI:
The interface is feature-rich yet easy to use, with many controls and data filters.
- Data and trend visualization:
Data is visualized through dynamic charts and graphs, along with correlation for contextualized visual insights.
- Generation of actionable insights:
SolarWinds zeroes in on the most relevant understanding and alerts, such as quality of service data.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
It integrates with the complete SolarWinds suite and most third-party IT apps.
USP: At its core, the tool is powered by SolarWinds’ proprietary PerfStack technology, enabling cross-stack event data correlation. This accelerates root cause analysis.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $1,072. Plus, you can download a free trial.
Editorial comments: SolarWinds is purpose-built for today’s heterogeneous IT environment. The ability to visualize and compare different data types side-by-side makes it a compelling solution. However, the user experience can be overwhelming due to the number of features, and it has limited data filtering options.
10. Splunk Network Traffic Analysis
Overview: Founded in 2003, Splunk offers a data platform for full-stack observability in IT environments. Network traffic analysis is among its critical use cases. You can utilize sophisticated data models hosted on Splunk Cloud to monitor and analyze network traffic events.
Key features: The key features of this network traffic analysis tool include:
- Coverage of key metrics:
It monitors all essential metrics like IP profiles, event-related information, port information, and internal and external traffic flows.
- An intuitive GUI:
You can gain from readily available dashboards or build your own.
- Data and trend visualization:
Splunk’s prebuilt
big data
models facilitate data processing and analysis at scale.
- Generation of actionable insights:
You can zero in on specific data sources and generate valuable insights through Splunk’s predictive intelligence.
- Integration with apps and hosts:
Splunk connects with nearly every data source you can require, and it has a marketplace with 2,400+ apps and connectors.
USP: Splunk is known for its extensibility, scalability, and AI/ML capabilities. This makes it incredibly adaptive for even petabyte-scale network traffic analysis.
Pricing: Pricing for Splunk Network Traffic Analysis solutions starts at $40 per host per month.
Editorial comments: Splunk has one of the most sophisticated AIOps engines in the market, with a massive community of experts and partners. However, setting up a tailored network traffic analysis tool will take some effort, and it may not be feasible without a broader Splunk-based environment.
See More: What Is Local Area Network (LAN)? Definition, Types, Architecture and Best Practices
Product Comparison of the Best Network Traffic Analysis Tools in 2022
Here are the highlights of these ten solutions at a glance.
Solution Name
USP
Pricing
Toolbox Verdict
Cisco Network Analysis Module Traffic Analyzer
It is highly extensible and works alongside Cisco’s virtual appliances and blades, hardware NAM, and Crosswork Automation capabilities.
Pricing starts at $1600.
The solution targets large enterprises and managed service providers but may not be suitable for smaller organizations without Cisco experience.
ExtraHop Network Traffic Analysis
It has a host of pre-built automations for cloud asset discovery, rogue traffic tracking, etc.
Pricing starts at approximately $5 per hour per sensor.
It is ideal for network security on public clouds like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. However, it lacks pre-built dashboards and templates.
Hadoop Network Traffic Analysis
It gives you unmatched versatility for big data analysis at scale.
It is free.
It is widely applied to use cases involving high-volume data processing. Keep in mind that it requires specialized Hadoop expertise.
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
It offers excellent mobile support on both Android and iOS.
Pricing starts at $595.
It is ideal for small and mid-sized businesses, but the initial setup is cumbersome, requiring complex configurations.
Nagios® Network Analyzer
It lets you customize data views to focus on specific traffic types and also supports collaboration.
It costs approximately $1,995.
It is best suited to bandwidth analysis and Elastic integration. However, it is not suitable for large networks that require scalability.
Netreo Traffic Monitor
It streamlines root cause analysis through automation and also supports VMware environments.
Pricing starts at $5 per resource per month.
Its easy setup process speeds up implementation but makes it difficult to customize. A few essential pre-built integrations are also missing.
Noction Flow Analyzer
It can be deployed in less than 15 minutes, thanks to auto-discovery and classification.
Pricing starts at $299 per month for unlimited devices.
It is ideal for BGP traffic monitoring as a standalone tool. It cannot be leveraged as a holistic monitoring or analysis solution.
Packetbeat Network Traffic Analysis
It can be deployed with zero capital expenses and supports a massive integration library.
It is free.
Its low investment quotient makes it suitable for small to mid-sized companies. However, heterogeneous environments with multiple clouds may need substantial setup efforts.
SolarWinds Network Traffic Analysis Tool
Its proprietary PerfStack technology enables cross-stack IT data correlation to speed up root cause analysis.
Pricing starts at $1,072.
It offers the ability to visualize and compare different data types side-by-side. However, the user experience can be overwhelming, and it has limited data filtering options.
Splunk Network Traffic Analysis
It is scalable and powered by AI/ML, capable of petabyte-level analysis.
Pricing starts at $40 per host per month.
It is one of the most sophisticated AIOps engines in the market. Keep in mind that setting up a network traffic tool will take time and effort, which may not be feasible without existing Splunk dependencies.
Takeaway
As enterprises embrace digital technology, optimal network performance is vital for success. Cisco’s 2022 Global Networking Trends Report reveals that more than one in three IT leaders recognize the need to deploy the latest networking solutions to boost performance. Network traffic analysis tools will be an essential part of your toolkit in 2022 and beyond as you strive to maximize the returns from your investment in enterprise connectivity and connected IT infrastructure.
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