Network visibility is crucial for maintaining the health and security of the infrastructure for companies today. To achieve this, enterprises have long used technologies like IPFIX (Internet Protocol Flow Information Export) to gain insights into network traffic patterns and performance but haven’t been able to leverage it for the cloud. Alkira, an on-demand cloud networking platform, offers a powerful solution for IPFIX export that can revolutionize how you manage your network.
What is IPFIX Export?
IPFIX is a standardized protocol for exporting network flow information to external collectors or analyzers. It provides granular details about network traffic, including source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, and more. IPFIX is instrumental in monitoring and analyzing network behavior, which is essential for optimizing network performance, troubleshooting issues, and enhancing security.
Alkira’s IPFIX Export Solution
Alkira’s Cloud Networking as a Service is designed to simplify networking complexities and provide a unified network architecture that seamlessly integrates with cloud services. With Alkira, you can gain deep insights into your network traffic through IPFIX export, leading to better decision-making and more efficient network management.
Alkira allows customers to send flows to the Flow Collectors reachable through the internet, and it also allows customers to send flows to the flow collector sitting in their on-premise environment using private IP address space.
Alkira’s flow export configuration
Alkira supports multiple flow collectors and sends flows from each connector and service at regular intervals.
Alkira’s Flow export can be configured in two basic steps.
- Define the new Netflow/IPFIX collector profile.
- Enable IPFIX Flow Collection in Policy workflow.
Figure 1: Flow Collector Configuration Example
Figure 2: Splunk Flow Collector Example
Akira’s IPFIX Export Solution Benefits
1. Enhanced Visibility:
Alkira’s IPFIX export capabilities provide a comprehensive view of network flows within your infrastructure. You can monitor traffic patterns, track bandwidth utilization, and identify potential anomalies, which are vital for ensuring optimal network performance and security.
2. Ease of Troubleshooting:
When network issues arise, pinpointing the root cause is critical. Alkira’s IPFIX export enables you to analyze network flows in real-time or historically, simplifying the troubleshooting process. Quickly identify the source of network bottlenecks or unusual behavior and take proactive measures to resolve them.
3. Compliance and Reporting:
Many industries have compliance requirements that necessitate network monitoring and reporting. Alkira’s IPFIX export capabilities help organizations meet these requirements by providing detailed traffic data that can be used for compliance audits and reporting.
Conclusion
Integrating Alkira’s IPFIX export into your network is straightforward. The Alkira platform simplifies the process, allowing you to configure and manage IPFIX export settings easily. Alkira’s IPFIX Export solution gives you the insights needed to achieve these goals efficiently and effectively. By leveraging the power of IPFIX, you can take control of your network and ensure its success in the digital age.
Discover how Alkira’s IPFIX Export can transform your network visibility. Contact us today to learn more about our Cloud Network as a Service platform and its capabilities.
Ahmed Abeer is a Sr. Product Manager at Alkira, where he is responsible for building a best-in-class Multi-Cloud Networking and Security Product. He has been in Product Management for more than ten years in different big and small organizations. He has worked with large enterprise and service provider customers to enable LTE/5G MPLS network infrastructure, automate Layer 3 Data Center, enable Next-Gen Multi-Cloud architecture, and define customers’ Multi-Cloud strategies. Ahmed’s technical expertise in Cloud Computing and Layer 2/Layer 3 network technologies. Ahmed is a public speaker at various conferences & forums and holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering
Deepesh Kumar is a Solutions Architect and product specialist in the computer networking industry with over 8 years of experience. He currently works as part of the post sales team at Alkira and focuses on working with customers to design and deploy the Alkira solution. Prior to working here, he worked at Viptela which was acquired by Cisco Systems. He holds a masters degree from San Jose State University.
