Traffic Aggregators

Monitoring network traffic on a simple home network is easy enough, but it becomes more complicated when you’re working within a hybrid or multi-cloud environment. Network aggregation takes traffic from multiple sources and combines it in one place, making it easier to monitor network traffic in more complex environments.
Network traffic aggregation plays an essential role in network security by providing enhanced visibility, but you can also monitor traffic to discover performance bottlenecks and optimize traffic. Monitoring North-South traffic — or traffic on the edge of your network — is a key part of protecting against threats.

Differentiating between physical and virtual traffic aggregation is a key part of understanding network taps for visibility. A physical network tap is a device that connects to your network to capture traffic within the network. Virtual network taps are similar, but they use software to capture traffic in a virtual environment.
While physical network taps can offer a better solution in high-traffic environments with physical devices, virtual network taps are ideal for monitoring traffic between virtual machines in a virtual environment. You can have several virtual taps collecting traffic with a single network aggregation tool channeling that traffic in one place for advanced monitoring.

An effective traffic aggregator can be used in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, combining traffic from different sources to give you a comprehensive overview of your network. The GigaVUE TA Series allows you to capture and aggregate traffic from multiple SPAN ports and network tap devices, and there are even different models available for varying network speeds. If you’re not sure whether SPAN ports or network taps are the right solution for your network, check out our tap vs. SPAN comparison to learn more.

The primary feature of network traffic aggregation tools is to aggregate traffic from multiple sources to give you a single view of traffic across your network. Network aggregation tools should also allow you to filter traffic by category so you can focus on the traffic you want to analyze at the moment. Capacity is another key feature to look for. Your tap aggregator needs to be able to handle the volume of traffic flowing through your network. Lastly, you want to look for a traffic aggregator with a simple user interface (UI) that makes it easy to navigate and use.

Virtual traffic aggregators are designed for virtual network aggregation. If you’re working in a private, public, or hybrid cloud environment, you can use a virtual network aggregator to pull together traffic to and from VMs and containers. With GigaVUE Universal Cloud Tap, GigaVUE V Series, and GigaVUE-FM working together, you can eliminate blind spots in the cloud to enhance network security. You can visit our resource library to learn how to use a Gigamon traffic aggregator to centralize network tools and boost security.