Packeteer partners with SilverBack

Customers using Packeteer appliances to shape traffic and manage bandwidth on their enterprise networks can now tie the data collected back to a single Web-based console provided by Packeteer partner SilverBack Technologies.

The two companies announced their partnership last week, and officials say the combination of Packeteer devices with SilverBack’s reporting capabilities will help network managers more efficiently manage network traffic. Customers can now use SilverBack’s InfoCare IT monitoring software to manage Packeteer devices, including PacketSeeker, PacketShaper and PackerShaper Xpress. With the added functionality, network managers have the ability to perform historical trending and real-time network monitoring through a single interface.

“Application traffic management is an essential and core component of network management today, and customers need an integrated view of the intersection between applications and networks,” SilverBack CEO and Chairman Dan Phillips said in a statement.

InfoCare is a subscription-based, network-monitoring service that links your network back to SilverBack’s data center. SilverBack installs a rack-mounted network appliance on the network, establishes a secure VPN between the appliance and SilverBack’s central site and then remotely monitors the network for performance problems and connection outages. Companies can access the InfoCare monitoring features locally via a Web browser.

InfoCare 3.5, a network appliance with embedded management software, will include features the company says can save time for network managers responsible for tracking thousands of events per managed device. Specifically, InfoCare’s Event Log Monitoring provides IT staff with a means of tracking events on network devices such as routers, switches, firewalls and servers, without having to place an agent on the device. InfoCare allows network managers to monitor numerous network devices – and now appliances from Packeteer.

Packeteer devices are placed in customer networks in-line with traffic headed for WAN links. By using the monitoring and reporting capabilities of the Packeteer devices, customers can discover what applications use the most bandwidth and adjust their use to keep the WAN connection open to the most important applications. Packeteer also helps network managers spot users who eat up bandwidth with unauthorized applications.

InfoCare 3.5 costs between $270 and $310 per managed device per year, depending on network configuration. Prices for PacketSeeker versions range from $2,250 to $30,000. Upgrading to PacketShaper adds $1,000 to $19,000. PacketShaper Xpress costs about $1,000 for up to 2M bit/sec of traffic, $5,000 for 10M bit/sec, and $10,000 for 45M bit/sec.