Big Switch Networks vs Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline vs Ixia Network Packet Brokers comparison

Big Switch Networks is at the forefront of the next-generation of networking technologies. By combining industry standard switch hardware (“white box / branded white box “brite box”) with intelligent SDN control software, the company is delivering next-generation data center networking fabrics for the world’s most advanced data centers looking to achieve unmatched degrees of network automation at cloud-competitive price points.

Big Switch Networks has two data center networking solutions: Big Cloud Fabric, a data center switching fabric for OpenStack clouds or VMware virtualization environments, and Big Monitoring Fabric, a network packet broker that enables pervasive security and security, monitoring data center traffic for inline or out-of-band deployments. Big Switch is taking three key technologies: vendor agnostic switch hardware, SDN control software, and core-and-pod data center designs –and leveraging them for use in next-generation data center switching and monitoring solutions designed for use in enterprises, cloud providers, and service providers.

All Big Switch solutions run on high-performance open networking switches from Accton or Dell Technologies and leverage centralized SDN controller software for fabric-wide control and management. Big Switch Networks has two solutions:

Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline is a comprehensive network visibility solution that provides real-time insights into network traffic. It offers SSL inspection and mobile network monitoring for traffic monitoring purposes. The solution optimizes networks, aids in security inspection, and improves firewall performance. It is praised for its performance, power, straightforward integration, stability, and ease of initial setup. 

With Gigamon, organizations can gain complete visibility into their network traffic, identify potential threats, and take proactive measures to prevent them. The solution is ideal for organizations of all sizes, including enterprises, service providers, and government agencies.

Network packet brokers (NPBs) filter traffic to send only the right data to the right tool. Packets are aggregated and filtered from Layer 2 through to the application layer. Duplicate packets can also be removed and sensitive content stripped before the data is sent to the monitoring tools if that is required. This provides a better solution to improve the efficiency and utility of your monitoring tools.

• Aggregates monitored traffic from multiple links and segments
• Deep packet inspection and filtering grooms traffic to relieve overburdened monitoring tools
• Extended burst protection, available with the Advanced Feature Module, offers traffic management, and protection to online businesses subject to bursts of activity
• Installs, configures, and sends clean traffic to appliances in less than thirty minutes
• Time stamping and data masking aid in compliance and working with sensitive data