Network TAPs

Gain total intelligent access for 100% of your network's traffic.

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Compare the entire Network TAP, Hybrid TAP and Packet Broker Range

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Understanding Network TAPs

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TAPs (test access points), commonly known as Network TAPs, are stand-alone hardware devices that make an exact copy of all of the traffic that flows between two end-points in a network. They are usually favoured because they are independent of the network, making them fully configurable. The copied traffic, from the TAP, is then able to undergo complex packet manipulation, as it is output to various network tools; such as security and performance tools. All this is completed while the live traffic continues to pass through the network, without disturbance. 

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Network TAPs are the base layer of Smart Network Access and is able to monitor various events on a local network, meaning total visibility is maintained across all of the network's security and monitoring platforms, which is vital for the performance of any and all networks.

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IDS

PerformanceMonitoring

Deep Packet

Inspection

Network

Monitoring

PerformanceMonitoring

Network

Monitoring

Client

TAP

Router

TAP

Switch

TAP

Server

How Do Network TAPs Work?
Part 2: The TAP Strategy

Ensure the smooth running of your entire Network Management by creating a TAP Strategy that suits your needs. Say goodbye to messy data, missing packets and network down-time.

Intelligent Hybrid TAPs

Network Critical’s hybrid TAPs provide high quality performance and flexibility needed to manage tools that protect network infrastructure, secure information and keep up with the ever-changing attack environment. 

Active Ethernet TAPs

Bypass TAPs with heartbeat technology provide real time network security without sacrificing network reliability or availability. Network Critical’s SmartNA-X™ and SmartNA-XL™ TAPs with 10G Bypass module provides the high speed performance needed to connect security tools and protect network traffic in real time. 

Passive Fiber TAPs

These passive TAPs provide secure and simple access to the live traffic in your high speed production networks, without introducing latency or a point of failure. Installed into key links in your production network our passive optical LC and MPO TAPs pass all full-duplex traffic, including errors, to your monitoring network for unbeatable visibility.

Network Critical offers several Passive TAP solutions including:

AGGREGATING TAPs

FILTERING TAPs

Aggregate SPAN/TAP traffic feeds across multiple network links, filtering, optimizing and feeding the combined traffic to connected security and monitoring tools for further analysis

Identify traffic based on signature or patterns across any part of the packet - or corresponding to application sessions - and forward to security appliances, increasing their efficacy and performance.

LOAD-BALANCING TAPs

Distribute traffic among multiple ports based on a variety of options: hashing, bandwidth, cumulative traffic, packet rate, connections, and more.

The Network Visibility Checklist

Network Critical’s Guide to Planning, Selecting and Deploying TAP and Packet Broker Technology

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