Designing your network infrastructure, whether it’s for an upgrade or a new data center, is a complex project filled with many challenges. But one that should be easy to overcome is the decision to rely on Network TAPs as the foundation of visibility, rather than using SPAN or Mirror Ports. Today’s networks demand complete visibility by passing all live wire data, guaranteed 100% uptime for active, inline security tools, and no packet loss for out-of-band tools.
It’s been proven time and again that TAPs are the industry best practice when it comes to network access and visibility, but if you need a refresher, here are some key points to remember.
- Quick and easy to set up. Network TAPs are simple to set up, with no configuration required. SPAN ports on a switch, do require configuration and coding which are subject to human error. Incorrectly programmed SPAN ports not only fail to make complete copies of your network traffic, but may also hide critical data, such as evidence of a network breach.
- No impact on network performance. A network TAP simply makes exact copies of traffic passing over links. There is no uncertainty about the legitimacy of your captured data. It’s complete and undistorted, and shows you exactly what’s happening on your network.
- Provide access to any point in a network. If you need visibility in a specific area or layer of your network, simply TAP the link that’s transmitting the information you need. There’s no limitations on how many areas of your network you can TAP.
- No IP Address = More secure. Without an IP or MAC address, network TAPs can’t be hacked.
- Network TAPs ensure no packet loss. With TAPs as the foundation of your network visibility fabric, you can be sure that critical packets get to the tools for monitoring, legal regulations, and corporate compliance, and that your expensive investment into aggregation devices and packet brokers is maximized.
- Visibility for security tools to see threats. Unlike SPAN ports, Bypass TAPs provide complete network visibility, by passing all live wire data to active, inline security devices, while monitoring the device’s health. If your security tool goes off-line for any reason, the Bypass TAP automatically switches to bypass mode, keeping your network link up while you resolve the issue.
Garland Technology ensures complete network visibility by delivering a full platform of network test access (TAP) products, including Breakout TAPs, Aggregator and Regeneration TAPs, Bypass TAPS, and virtual TAPs. So whatever your network infrastructure needs, we have the physical layer TAPs to suit your needs.
Looking to add a visibility solution to your next 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!