Garland Technology ensures complete packet visibility by delivering a full platform of network TAP (test access point), inline bypass and packet broker products.
Garland Technology is committed to educating the benefits of having a strong foundation of network visibility and access. By providing this insight we protect the security of data across your network and beyond.
Garland Technology's resource library offers free use of white papers, eBooks, use cases, infographics, data sheets, video demos and more.
The TAP into Technology blog provides the latest news and insights on network access and visibility, including: network security, network monitoring and appliance connectivity and guest blogs from Industry experts and technology partners
Our extensive technology partnership ecosystem solves critical problems when it comes to network security, monitoring, application analysis, forensics and packet inspection.
Garland Technology is dedicated to high standards in quality and reliability, while delivering the greatest economical solutions for enterprise, service providers, and government agencies worldwide.
Whether you are ready to make a network TAP your foundation of visibility or just have questions, please contact us. Ask us about the Garland Difference!
Despite being in the technology industry, there are some things system security pros (or their bosses) just aren't familiar with. One of the questions we get at Garland is, "What is a network TAP, anyway?" The next question is typically, "And why do I need one?"
In our mission to education the networking and security industry, here's a good overview of network TAPs that will answer those questions.
A network TAP is a hardware tool that allows you to access and monitor your network traffic. TAPs transmit both the send and receive data streams simultaneously on separate dedicated channels, ensuring all data arrives at the monitoring device in real time.
Deciding how to get data from your network and into your monitoring and security tools is just as important as the tools themselves. Network TAPs are the industry best practice - and the only guaranteed method for 100% data capture.
"SPANs can add overhead on a network device, and that SPAN port will often drop mirrored packets if the device gets too busy. Therefore, TAPs are a better option.”
-EMA [Enterprise Management Associates]
Network TAPs are inserted between network devices, like a switch and router, where they copy data continuously, 24/7, without compromising network integrity. Different types of network TAPs are used depending on the needs of the monitoring and security tools they are feeding traffic into.
Network TAPs come in variety of forms and configurations:
Each type of network TAP operates in a slightly different manner based on the requirements it needs to perform. In our Primer on Network TAPs, I reviewed the different functions and benefits to using each TAP mode.
Here's a quick overview of the different TAP modes:
When I started out in this industry, we connected to the live wire. But back then there wasn't another option. Some engineers started using the SPAN/Mirror port on their switches - but that leads to an entire quandary of data quality issues, such as dropped packets, altered packets, etc.
The advantages of using a network TAP are:
Looking to add network TAPs to your deployment, but not sure where to start? Join us for a brief network Design-IT consultation or demo. No obligation - it’s what we love to do!
Chris Bihary, CEO and Co-founder of Garland Technology, has been in the network performance industry for over 20 years. Bihary has established collaborative partnerships with technology companies to complement product performance and security through the integration of network TAP visibility.