1 The Challenge
Organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises and government agencies, are responsible for managing complex networks. These networks often include a combination of on-premises infrastructure, cloud services, and hybrid environments, which can make them more challenging to monitor and secure. For these organizations, ensuring network performance is critical for maintaining business operations and for detecting and responding to potential security threats. Failing to monitor and analyze network traffic can lead to undetected performance issues, bottlenecks, and security vulnerabilities. The growing use of encryption at the network layer, while necessary for protecting sensitive data, presents additional challenges for network visibility and security. This is particularly concerning as emerging cybersecurity threats, such as ransomware, advanced persistent threats (APTs), and zero-day exploits, continue to evolve and target network infrastructures. Additionally, organizations must navigate a stringent regulatory environment, where compliance with data privacy and security standards is mandatory. Failure to comply with these regulations not only increases the risk of penalties but also exposes the organization to reputational damage. Today, the majority of organizations rely on firewalls, security information and event management (SIEM), and endpoint protection detection and response (EPDR) tools to prevent threats from accessing the network. However, in many cases, these solutions are inadequate in one or more of the following areas.
1.1 Network Performance Issues
Failing to analyze network traffic can result in a number of performance issues that may remain undetected until they reach a critical point. Without proper analysis, organizations may struggle to identify and address congestion or inefficiencies within their network infrastructure. The lack of network visibility can lead to inefficient use of resources, which may result in slower response times, increased latency, and reduced throughput. Additionally, undetected malicious activities or misconfigurations can further degrade network performance and potentially lead to outages or service disruptions.