Riverbed intros single appliance for application and network performance management

SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Riverbed Technology announced a significant milestone in the integration of the Riverbed Cascade and OPNETproduct families with the introduction of its single appliance with integrated application aware network performance management (aaNPM) and application performance management (APM).

This top-of-the-line solution provides end-to-end performance management from deep dive packet and network analysis through application transactions and end user experience (EUE). With this release, customers now have a single solution to help maximize the performance, availability, and productivity of their critical applications.

Included in this announcement is Shark module for AppResponse Xpert®, bringing network intelligence to application performance, and the AppResponse Xpert integration with Profiler appliance and Pilot software, bringing application insights into overall performance management. In addition, Riverbed is introducing the new, AppResponse Xpert 6000 appliance for demanding, high-performance application infrastructures. Together, these new capabilities overcome the challenges in delivering consistent and reliable application performance as enterprises virtualize their data centers, consolidate branch offices, and support more mobile end users.

According to a new Forrester Consulting study commissioned in August 2013 by Riverbed, "Forrester's Ideal Tool Set for Application Performance Management for Better Business Performance," 52 percent of the IT operations surveyed waste more than 20 percent of their operational resources to track and correct problems. On top of the business productivity loss and the damage to the brand, IT productivity also suffers from this state of affairs, as resources are called from their normal work to perform unplanned and unscheduled tasks.

AppResponse Xpert with the Shark module combines end-user experience, application transaction analysis, and deep network intelligence in a single, unified appliance for streamlined monitoring and troubleshooting of performance issues across application tiers, global networks, and diverse user devices. Giving IT operations teams visibility into areas where issues may occur helps them identify and diagnose situations quickly to minimize application downtime.

"As a longtime Riverbed Cascade customer, we are excited about the ability to now weave OPNET AppResponse Xpert into Cascade Profiler," said John DeBella, infrastructure architect at Teradyne Inc. "Teradyne customers and employees depend on our network and applications to quickly solve some of the toughest testing challenges in the electronics industry today - our customers can't afford delayed or sluggish network and application performance. With the combination of AppResponse Xpert and Shark module, we're adding end-user experience and transaction monitoring to the deep network capabilities we're used to with Cascade Shark. A single appliance that provides such broad capabilities for application performance management is a game changer for us."

"The worlds of APM and NPM must come together if IT organizations are going to be successful in making the transition to application-centric operations," said Jim Frey, vice president at Enterprise Management Associates. "With this announcement, Riverbed shows it is on track following the OPNET acquisition to deliver solid, integrated products that make APM/NPM convergence a reality."

Cascade Shark module for OPNET AppResponse Xpert

In addition to the existing stand alone Cascade Shark solution, the optional Cascade Shark module for AppResponse Xpert adds the rich network intelligence Cascade Shark provides to supplement the existing end-user experience monitoring and transaction analysis provided by AppResponse Xpert.

Adding the Cascade Shark module creates a single, unified appliance that combines end-user experience, application transaction analysis, and deep network intelligence and eliminates the need to deploy multiple appliances in the same location. In addition, the Cascade Shark module accelerates network troubleshooting with streamlined workflows and deeper network insight.

OPNET AppResponse Xpert integration with Cascade Profiler and Cascade Pilot

With this announcement, AppResponse Xpert can send data to Cascade Profiler. This data, combined with data received from Cascade Gateways, Cascade Shark appliances and virtual software, and Riverbed Steelhead® appliances, provides end-to-end visibility and enables global monitoring and troubleshooting. This now enables the Cascade Profiler's enterprise-wide performance management interface and workflow to integrate directly into and with AppResponse Xpert.

Additionally, Cascade Pilot software is unified and integrated with AppResponse Xpert and AppTransaction Xpert to streamline troubleshooting and help the flow of data between the two products. Packet analysis software, Cascade Pilot enables users to quickly analyze multi-terabyte packet recordings on remote AppResponse Xpert appliances (in addition to Cascade Shark appliances and virtual software, and Riverbed Steelhead products) without transferring large packet capture files across the network. It also streamlines the process of opening large packet files in AppTransaction Xpert.

OPNET AppResponse Xpert 6000 appliance

The AppResponse Xpert 6000 appliance provides the storage and high-speed analysis needed to keep up with higher speed networks and to retain packet data longer. The AppResponse Xpert 6000 is an appliance that processes and writes to disk at up to 2x10Gbps line rates and provides 48TB of packet storage, expandable to 264TB.

More than 22,000 organizations worldwide depend on Riverbed to understand, optimize and consolidate their IT infrastructure, through solutions that overcome performance issues caused by distance, distributed computing, and ever increasing amounts of data. As IT organizations embark on strategic initiatives to virtualize, consolidate and migrate workloads into cloud environments, users are moved farther from their data. Slow applications, slow file transfers and inefficient websites can negatively impact the performance and success of these initiatives.

Riverbed transforms IT performance by providing solutions spanning WAN optimization, storage delivery, application-aware network performance management, application performance management, application delivery controllers, web content optimization (WCO), and cloud data protection. By providing the broadest portfolio of performance solutions that deliver anywhere, any-application optimization, Riverbed enables organizations to increase productivity and efficiency, while enhancing business resilience and controlling costs.