How to choose the right network security monitoring product

Network security monitoring products help companies maintain network security by continuously checking for potential security threats and vulnerabilities. They collect, analyze, and respond to network traffic data to detect suspicious activity, malware, unauthorized access, and other security events.

Also known as network analysis and visibility products, “they’re basically security tools that deploy passively in a network to analyze the network traffic to detect threats,” says Joseph Blankenship, vice president and research director at Forrester.

Features of networking monitoring software

When selecting network security monitoring software, companies should consider a range of features to ensure the software meets their needs effectively. Here are some of the key features to look for:

Real-time monitoring and alerts: These should provide immediate alerts when they detect suspicious activity or anomalies, enabling quick response to potential threats.

Comprehensive visibility: Effective network security monitoring software offers complete visibility into all network traffic, including encrypted traffic, across various segments of the network. This helps identify hidden threats and malicious activities.

“These tools help companies understand all the assets that are talking on the network as well as the relationships between those assets to get a good baseline of what network traffic looks like,” Blankenship says. “This helps companies detect any threats that may be utilizing [those assets].”

Threat detection and analysis: Advanced threat detection capabilities, including signature-based detection and behavioral analysis, are critical. These features help companies identify known threats and unusual patterns that may indicate security breaches.

Compatibility with existing infrastructure: Compatibility is crucial for seamless integration, efficient operations, and maximizing the value of the monitoring platform. “These tools should be compatible with the rest of an organization’s technology stack,” Blankenship says. “Look for a network analysis and visibility tool that really corresponds with the company’s network topology in their approach.”

Forensic capabilities: It’s critical that organizations conduct thorough investigations after security incidents. Network security monitoring tools should have strong forensic capabilities that allow companies to conduct a deep analysis and retrieve historical data so they can understand the scope and impacts of these incidents.

Automated response and remediation: Some advanced platforms include automated response features that can take certain predefined actions against detected threats, such as isolating infected devices, thereby reducing the window of opportunity for attackers.

What are the benefits of networking security monitoring software?

Implementing network security monitoring software provides numerous benefits to help companies protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of their networks and data. The key advantages of these tools include:

Threat detection and prevention: This involves continuously monitoring network activities to identify and alert companies to suspicious behaviors, while also proactively blocking or mitigating threats through automated responses, firewalls, endpoint protection, patch management, encryption, and security policies.

Improved incident response: This refers to the capability of network security monitoring to more quickly and effectively react to security incidents by providing real-time alerts, detailed reports, and automated responses. This allows security teams to quickly mitigate threats, minimize damage, and analyze incidents to prevent future incidents.

Identification of attack surfaces: “These tools give companies an idea of their attack surfaces so they can see how hard or how easy it is to get into something like an Active Directory server or a financial server,” says Chris Kissel, research vice president at IDC. Network security monitoring platforms do this by providing insights into companies’ network infrastructures, system configurations, and potential vulnerabilities. Understanding their attack surfaces enables companies to take steps to strengthen their security and mitigate risks.

Enhanced operations: Network security monitoring helps organizations operate more efficiently by automating the detection and response to security threats, reducing the workload on IT staff and allowing them to focus on more crucial tasks. This software provides companies with detailed reports and real-time insights that improve decision-making and streamline compliance with regulatory requirements.

Cost savings: By preventing security breaches and minimizing the impact of incidents, network security monitoring can help organizations save the costs associated with data breaches and downtime.

Pitfalls to avoid when choosing monitoring software

When it comes to network security monitoring, companies need to be vigilant about various pitfalls to ensure the effectiveness of their security measures. An incorrect initial configuration, for example, can leave critical vulnerabilities unaddressed.

“If you want to start picking up some patterns, you do have to do some configuration for such things as micro-segmentation, zero trust, or to get better visibility over a particular application,” Kissel says.

Companies should also be sure to have clear objectives for implementing network security monitoring applications. Not having clear, defined goals for what networking security monitoring should achieve can lead to ineffective use. In addition, different stakeholders may have different expectations about what the products should do.

Other pitfalls include failing to keep the programs updated with the latest threat signatures and patches as this can leave networks vulnerable, and not ensuring they’re integrated with other security measures such as firewalls, as this can create blind spots.

5 leading network security monitoring products

There are a number of network security monitoring products on the market, so to help you begin your research, we’ve highlighted the following based on discussions with analysts and independent research.

Arista Networks: Provides a suite of network security monitoring tools that emphasize real-time, detailed visibility and security analytics. Offerings include deep packet inspection for scrutinizing data packet contents in real time, critical for identifying and mitigating security threats.

Employs advanced threat detection technologies, leveraging AI and machine learning to spot anomalies and patterns that suggest cyber threats, such as malware and ransomware. CloudVision, Arista’s centralized platform for network-wide visibility and telemetry, facilitates proactive network management and rapid incident response. Arista supports detailed network segmentation to help minimize the impacts of data breaches.

Cisco: Offers a suite of networking security monitoring features designed to protect and manage network infrastructures by providing real-time threat detection and response capabilities. Cisco Secure Network Analytics (formerly Stealthwatch) uses advanced security analytics to monitor network traffic and user behavior, enabling it to detect and respond to potential threats in real-time.

By analyzing telemetry data from various network devices, Cisco Secure Network Analytics can identify a wide range of security issues from malware infections to insider threats and policy violations. This platform integrates with other Cisco security products to help organizations protect their networks against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

Darktrace: Uses AI and machine learning to autonomously detect and respond to threats in real time. The system continuously learns from the network’s behavior, establishing a baseline of normal activity and identifying anomalies that could signal potential threats.

Darktrace’s autonomous response capability can take immediate actions to contain and mitigate threats without requiring human intervention. The platform provides comprehensive compliance and reporting tools, helping organizations meet regulatory requirements and conduct in-depth forensic analyses. It also offers visualization capabilities, allowing security teams to easily interpret and respond to real-time data and potential threats and integrates with organizations’ existing security systems.

ExtraHop: Analyzes all network interactions and extracts insights to help organizations optimize performance and strengthen security. Uses advanced machine learning techniques to detect threats and anomalies in network traffic, enabling IT teams to respond swiftly to potential security incidents. Uses AI for behavioral analysis as well as real-time threat detection and investigation.

This enables ExtraHop to identify various types of threats from malware and ransomware to unauthorized access attempts and data exfiltration. It operates by passively monitoring network traffic, which allows it to maintain a high level of visibility without disrupting ongoing activities. This capability makes it useful for enterprises that manage large and complex networks.

Vectra: Vectra AI detects and responds to cyber threats using advanced AI techniques. Continuously monitors network traffic and analyzes patterns that may indicate malicious activity. Detects hidden threats, such as command and control communications and lateral movements within an organization’s network, often overlooked by traditional security measures.

Prioritizes threats based on severity so security teams can focus on the most critical issues. This integrates with organizations’ existing security infrastructures, boosting the effectiveness of firewalls, endpoint protection, and other security measures by providing actionable intelligence. This integration enables automated responses to threats, enabling security teams to react more quickly.