Net Optics vs. Gigamon - Lannie Rose

Net Optics vs. Gigamon
® Competitive Analysis
The mission of Net Optics is to create innovative, state-of-the-art technology that enables customers to
Tap into the network across their entire organization. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA,
and has a base of more than 5,000 customers which includes Fortune 500 corporations, governments,
and leading network labs. Net Optics is a privately held company, which has been profitable for every
quarter since its inception.
Competitive Overview
Gigamon Systems LLC, located in Milpitas, CA, was founded in 2003 to develop and market a single
product that it calls a Data Access Networking (DAN) Switch. Its first product, GigaVUE-MP, was released
two years later. In December 2007, it celebrated shipping its 1,000th unit, into a base of 200 customers. In
early 2008, it delivered its second product in five years, the GigaVUE-420, which doubled the number of
10Gbps ports from two to four, and increased the system’s modularity slightly. In late 2008 it introduced a
10Gbps-focused product called the GigaVUE-2404.
Product Line Comparison
Product Net Optics Gigamon
Network Taps
Triple-speed Copper, No
1 and 10Gbps Fiber
Teeny Taps Copper and Fiber No
Regeneration Taps
Copper and Fiber, Link No
and Span Port
Port Aggregators
Copper and Fiber, Link No
and Span Port
Link Aggregators
Copper and Fiber, Link No
and Span Port
Bypass Switches
Copper and Fiber, No
single and multi
segment,
with Heartbeat and
XFP monitor ports, to
10Gbps
Converter Taps Yes No
Media Converters Yes No
Multi-function filtering devices Yes Yes
Data Access Switch – What is it
The GigaVUE DAN Switches combine several types of monitoring access functionality within a single
device. Their capabilities include:
• Matrix switching – Copies the traffic from one of a number of input ports (network links or Span
ports) to one of a number of monitoring tools connected to monitor ports
• Aggregation – Copies traffic from a number of input ports (including both directions of full-duplex
links) to a monitor port as a single stream
• Regeneration – Identical copies of a traffic stream or an aggregated traffic stream are sent to
multiple monitor ports simultaneously, enabling multiple monitoring tools to see the same traffic
• Filtering – Traffic can be filtered by IP address or other packet header information before being
copied to monitor ports, providing the capability to limit the amount of traffic so monitoring
tools do not become oversubscribed
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Net Optics vs. Gigamon
® Competitive Analysis
Matrix switching, aggregation, and regeneration are functions that can be found in various Net Optics
products. Net Optics Director, which it calls a Data Monitoring Switch, is a direct competitor for the
Gigamon products, but with higher port density and more features.
2xN Span Port iMatrix Switch GigaBit Fiber Link Aggregator 10 GigaBit Regeneration Tap
Director Data Monitoring Switch
The following chart compares the capabilities of the two newest Gigamon products and the Director
device from Net Optics.
Features Comparison for Data Monitoring Switches
Feature
Gigamon
GigaVUE-420
Gigamon
GigaVUE-2404
Net Optics
Director
Device form-factor 1U 19-inch rack 2U 19-inch rack 1U 19-inch rack
Total ports per chassis (excluding 24 28 38
management ports)
Max Taps (in-line links) per chassis 8 8 12
10Gbps ports per chassis 4 24 4
Daisy-chain chassis to expand Up to 10 chassis Up to 10 chassis Up to 10 chassis
Matrix switching Yes Yes Yes
Aggregation Yes Yes Yes
Regeneration Yes Yes Yes
Filtering Yes Yes Yes
Divide traffic from 10Gbps port to Yes Yes Yes
multiple 1Gbps ports
Fully passive (links maintained Yes Yes Yes
without power)
Modular design Yes Yes Yes
RMON statistics No No Yes
Utilization threshold alarms No No Yes
CLI Yes Yes Yes
Web GUI Yes Yes Yes
Platform-based GUI No No Yes
SNMP Yes Yes Yes
Redundant power supplies Yes Yes Yes
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Net Optics vs. Gigamon
® Competitive Analysis
-48VDC power for Telco Yes Yes
UL and CE safety certifications Yes
FCC, VCCI, and C-Tick EMC Yes
certifications
RoHS and WEEE environmental Yes
certifications
Warranty period 3 years ( 1
standard plus 2
extended)
Products built in the United States Yes
Customer First! commitment Yes
As the table indicates, all three products are similar in function and form (except that the GigaVUE-2404
takes up twice the rack space compared to the other devices). Net Optics Director offers the following
improvements over the GigaVUE-420:
• 60 percent more ports
• 50 percent more Taps (in-line links)
• Intelligent monitoring with RMON statistics and threshold alarms
• Supported with a platform-based GUI management tool
Net Optics – Your Full-line Monitoring Access Solutions Provider
Gigamon’s single product line, the DAN Switch, limits its effectiveness as an enterprise-wide solution. As
versatile as a DAN Switch is, it is not an appropriate solution for all of an organization’s monitoring access
needs. The Net Optics Monitoring Access Platform or MAP approach for deploying access shows how
different types of devices can be used to build a monitoring solution across the network infrastructure–
before performance issues or security breaches arise. The MAP approach helps fully maximize network
and administrator efficiency, and leverages expensive monitoring tools.
The Net Optics monitoring access product line is both broad and deep. Its Taps, Port and Link
Aggregators, Matrix and Bypass Switches, Regeneration Taps, and Data Monitoring Switches have been
tested together as part of a larger solution, delivering reliability, a single point of contact, and the ability
for organizations to build a lasting partnership with a vendor. Net Optics can deliver the products, service,
and expertise needed to solve virtually any monitoring challenge. For these reasons, leading ISPs,
Telcos, and OEMs look to Net Optics first for 10 Megabit to 10 Gigabit network access solutions.
For further information on Net Optics Tap technology:
http://www.netoptics.com
Net Optics, Inc.
5303 Betsy Ross Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 737-7777
cs-supporrt@netoptics.com
www.netoptics.com
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