What is the OVP?

The Open Visibility Platform is an open, unconstrained Network Packet Broker-based platform that can host any number of third-party solutions and intelligently deliver network traffic to them as well as other connected appliances or remote, cloud-delivered security and networking solutions. It empowers advanced network security, network monitoring, and performance management solutions with pre-processed traffic in accordance with needs and serves as a deployment hub to quickly and easily deploy solutions in the network to achieve the required agility organization now needs.

 

Is the OVP unique?

Yes. There is no other Network Packet Broker offering that is open and unrestricted in being able to accommodate any solution, whether Niagara Networks own processing applications, from a third-party vendor, proprietary/developed in-house or an on-demand/ad hoc solution needed by third-party testers or compliance auditors. In addition, the Open Visibility Platform has a level of robustness to meet all the requirements of networking teams and can take responsibility for the solutions it enables to ensure reliability, performance, availability, and adherence to networking and security policies.

 

What makes the OVP robust and acceptable to networking teams?

Niagara Networks and its parent, Interface Masters, have a long, respected track record in creating networking equipment to the highest standards. Interface Masters designs, manufactures and supports network embedded appliances, smart NICs and other products with high-density networking offload and bypass functionality and provides innovative networking solutions with customization services to OEMs, Fortune 100 and startup companies. Niagara Networks provides equipment to large service providers to meet high performance and availability standards. The Open Visibility Platform is born out of this heritage and takes advantage of the expertise and reputation to create a Network Packet Broker that satisfies the requirements for the robustness of any network. Networking teams have come to trust and rely on Niagara Networks products.

To establish a flexible deployment hub points requires more than the robustness of the underlying platform. In addition, the Open Visibility Platform manages the solutions it hosts or supports by ensuring that they will not interrupt or degrade network operations.

 

Does the OVP essentially “vouch” for the solutions it enables?

Yes. Besides the inherent performance and reliability the OVP brings to the network, it can also ensure that any solutions it supports will not affect the performance, reliability, scalability or availability of the network. Through its policy controls and rules, the OVP can determine when to shut off a link or prevent one from being a bottleneck. It steps in to handle any issues with solution device failure or problems that would affect security or networking.

 

How does the OVP handle SaaS-delivered security or networking applications?

While the OVP can host and deliver traffic to any virtualized solution, it can also support standalone appliances that need to be physically deployed in the network or software-based SaaS solutions from the cloud or a separate service provider. It can provide exactly the right traffic processed in exactly the right way and ensure proper delivery to the solution over designated public or private links.

 

What sort of traffic processing utilities does the OVP provide for solutions?

The OVP provides performance-intensive utility processing functions, such as TLS decryption, de-duplication, IPFIX data extraction, and data masking. These utility functions offload the task from individual solutions to enable them to focus on their own specialized tasks unencumbered by utility functions. The platform can make use of a model of “process-once, provide many” when multiple solutions need the same treatment for traffic.

 

How does OVP manage logical flow and tool or solution chaining?

The OVP provides logical sequential chaining and rule-based flow, including implementing if/then parameters. Through its management system, customers can establish the proper order for security operations or monitoring. These rules can be established with simple no-code steps through a user-friendly Web GUI.

 

How does the OVP manage tool sprawl?

Because the OVP serves as a central deployment hub, it makes it easy to retire, update, replace or add new solutions without facing a limitation of available ports, rack space and a difficult and extended approval to allow something new to be added to the network or something existing to be changed. With logical sequencing, tools can be managed for the proper order of operations or monitoring.

 

How is the OVP managed?

The Open Visibility Platform utilizes the management system of the Niagara Networks N2 Series appliance. It supports Device Manager (utilizing a Web GUI), NVC (centralized management) and a Command Line Interface (CLI) for precise controls. Through this management, rules and policies can be created and set for the OVP and the proper sequence set for the traffic flow and management of multiple solutions hosted and/or served by the OVP.

 

How does the OVP enable data and privacy compliance?

The Open Visibility Platform can ensure that standards for decryption are upheld and performed according to the policy with a full audit trail. In addition, it can provide data masking or the extraction of metadata to comply with various requirements for privacy and other regulations.