What do you think of OPNET’s ACE Live/Analyst?

This week we turn our spotlight on OPNET customers to gather their opinions of the ACE application performance management solutions they use. Since OPNET is an old timer with thousands of customers ranging from the FDA to GEICO, we anticipate a lively exchange.

OPNET’s ACE product suite includes two application management products—ACE Live and ACE Analyst. Acquired from Network Physics a year ago, ACE Live is an appliance that measures end-user response times for all transactions and users. It automatically discovers applications running on the network, and helps identify application performance problems in real time. In addition, OPNET touts ACE Live as a VoIP application performance management tool, and offers a NetFlow module that extends visibility beyond ACE Live appliance locations.

ACE Analyst is a well-established off-line application performance analysis tool that helps troubleshoot and predict application performance by enabling application performance data to be sliced, diced and examined in myriad ways. ACE Analyst accepts packet trace data from a variety of sources including third party network analyzers, utilities, and Web-based interactive packet captures, but the most seamless way is a one-click transfer of traces directly from ACE Live—even captures that were stored in the appliance days ago. ACE Analyst takes raw performance data and adds the “smarts” that would otherwise come from hours of data manipulation by an expert, thus speeding up troubleshooting. ACE Analyst also provides visibility into networks with application acceleration solutions that obscure performance information.

Founded in 1986, OPNET has about 600 employees and a worldwide presence. When asked to identify particular market segments to which OPNET’s ACE product suite is especially well suited, vice president of marketing Sue Cole told us that all sizes and stripes of enterprises can benefit equally. We expect that customers self select into the subset of businesses with pockets deep enough to afford a premium solution.

If you have deployed OPNET’s ACE Live or ACE Analyst, tell us what you think. Do they live up to your expectations? What were your impressions? A simple "I like it", "I have mixed feelings", or "I hate it" response is fine—but if you have insight to share with the community, then talk all you want. You can post a reply to this blog using your name or anonymously. 

• Ace Analyst
• Ace LIve
• APM
• Application Performance Management
• opnet
• review