Riverbed NPM+ Enhances Security, Performance, and Visibility in the Latest Release

Riverbed’s NPM+ is a SaaS-based Network Observability solution that leverages endpoint agents to provide comprehensive monitoring and optimize network performance across various infrastructures, including cloud, zero trust environments, and remote work scenarios. Built for real-time visibility and enriched by AI-driven insights, NPM+ enables organizations to monitor and troubleshoot network issues with precision. The solution bridges visibility gaps caused by encryption and zero trust environments, offering deep packet analysis for optimal performance.

With its latest Q3 release, Riverbed continues to demonstrate its commitment to evolving NPM+ by introducing critical enhancements. These improvements are designed to secure sensitive data, boost the platform’s performance, and deepen network observability, ensuring that businesses can stay ahead of potential challenges in today’s complex network landscapes. 

Key new features in the latest NPM+ release 

Option to encrypt PII

In response to the growing demand for data privacy due to regulations like GDPR and CCPA, NPM+ now offers the ability to encrypt Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This feature ensures sensitive data remains protected and accessible only by authorized personnel. Organizations can activate or deactivate encryption based on role-based permissions, providing flexibility in data management while maintaining stringent security standards. By encrypting PII, organizations not only safeguard against potential breaches but also enhance customer trust and comply with international data protection regulations.

Support for proxies

NPM+ now supports both manual and automatic proxy configurations in Windows and Linux environments. Proxies are essential for securely routing traffic, particularly in regulated industries. This feature ensures uninterrupted network performance by enabling fallback to other proxies in case of failure, reducing the risk of downtime and ensuring constant monitoring. Given the importance of secure communications in modern digital ecosystems, this enhancement addresses the need for flexibility and reliability when managing proxies across global networks.

Support for Netskope client

As organizations increasingly use Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions like Netskope, monitoring encapsulated traffic has become more challenging. NPM+ now integrates with Netskope’s filter driver, providing visibility into traffic before encapsulation. This feature allows businesses to track and monitor tunneled traffic, ensuring comprehensive network observability even in cloud environments. As cloud adoption accelerates, full visibility into all network layers is critical for preventing data loss and mitigating security threats.

Additional NPM+ metric categories

The new release introduces expanded TCP metrics, offering network professionals deeper insights into traffic behavior. Newly introduced metrics such as TCP Activity (FIN/RST/Failed), TCP Performance (Data Transfer Time), TCP Performance (Retrans), TCP Performance (Payload Transfer Time), and TCP Performance (User Response Time) allow Network Operations teams to more effectively diagnose and resolve performance issues, further optimizing network performance. These metrics, while previously captured, were not accessible to users until now.

Improved dashboard integration with Aternity

The enhanced drill-down capability between Riverbed Aternity and NPM+ dashboards allows for seamless navigation between user, device, and network metrics, streamlining the troubleshooting process. This integration enables teams to resolve issues faster by accessing all necessary data in one place, minimizing time spent switching between platforms.

One of the key benefits Aternity users experience by adding NPM+ is that they can analyze the network traffic in depth and have visibility into all TCP application performances, not just the select business-essential apps that Aternity users have set up.

Continuous innovation at Riverbed 

Riverbed consistently demonstrates its commitment to innovation through the ongoing enhancement of its network observability products. The addition of advanced features like PII encryption and improved proxy support highlights its focus on addressing evolving customer needs. With each new release, Riverbed strives to make NPM+ more secure, flexible, and comprehensive.

Looking ahead with NPM+

The Riverbed NPM+ Q3 release is packed with features that address modern-day challenges in network management and security. With the ability to encrypt PII, support for advanced proxy configurations, and enhanced visibility into cloud-based SASE traffic, NPM+ continues to be an essential tool for organizations looking to optimize network performance.

As networks grow more complex, Riverbed’s commitment to continuous improvement ensures that NPM+ will remain a leading SaaS-based Network Observability solution for achieving full visibility, better performance, and stronger security in any environment.