Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold NetFlow Monitor collects, analyzes, and reports on NetFlow data from routers, switches, and other network devices, making visible trends and patterns in network bandwidth utilization. WhatsUp NetFlow Monitor offers versatile reporting to easily identify bandwidth hogs, rogue applications, network scanning, and other network issues-all from within the familiar WhatsUp Gold interface.

What is NetFlow?

NetFlow is a network protocol designed by Cisco that is used to report information about the traffic on a NetFlow capable router, switch, or other traffic-conducting network device. NetFlow works by collecting and summarizing the data that is carried over a device, and then transmitting that summary to another device, called a collector, for storage and analysis.

WhatsUp NetFlow Monitor is a NetFlow collector designed for use on servers running Microsoft Windows operating systems. By configuring routers, switches, and other devices to transmit NetFlow summary data to NetFlow Monitor, you can view reports that allow you to:

• View network usage trends to determine when to upgrade hardware to increase network capacity.
• Recognize and correct network configuration issues that may needlessly consume network resources or expose your network to security vulnerabilities.
• Identify traffic which may indicate undesired network usage, such as unauthorized use of peer-to-peer file sharing applications or a denial of service attack against your organization.
• Troubleshoot and correct spikes in network traffic before they become problems.

What Is netFlow?