Observer GigaStor Review

Helps to write protocols for IP addresses that come in or out of your network

What is our primary use case?

I use this solution as a matrix for the traffic feed, for collecting the traffic from one server to another or from one link to another, and to write rules for firewalls. I mostly use it to filter traffic. I don’t use it to properly filter, but to have a better idea of what kind of traffic is entering my network.

The network technicians, network engineers, and security team need visibility. I can give them the information they need so that they can easily do their job.

Currently, two to five people use this for deployment and maintenance. Some people can work on the disc paths or storage. Others can take care of the applications or provide information regarding the application we want to feature or access. The system people can provide us the server they want to track or monitor, so that we can get all the traffic going in and out of those servers or applications. We can also involve the application, network, and storage teams.

If we have more infrastructure or equipment to monitor, we might increase our usage. We might add more units to provide better flexibility to get the traffic, etc. Right now, however, our current system is sufficient.

How has it helped my organization?

GigaStor can help write rules, is our firewall, and protocols which IP addresses can go in and out of your network. You can easily write your rules, like your ACM, for example. You can block certain traffic but allow other traffic, protocols, or ports. You can choose which traffic is important or not important in your network, and block the traffic which is not required for it to function correctly.

What is most valuable?

The features that I found most useful are related to storing the data. You can save the metadata: everything from the stream, ARC, or other transactions, and then come back to it later to see what the issue was.

What needs improvement?

As of this moment, the graphics might need some improvement, because a lot of the information there must be input first to have full potential. They could make it more friendly or automated so that it will autodetect the server or someone from the IP address. This way, it can automatically discover the critical servers so that you don't have to input those IP addresses to get the result. 

The second feature I would like improved is the ability to automatically generate the report, or matrix, in other versions. It is available in PDF or Excel, but I want other versions, so I could send it to somebody who is not in the IT team. It is currently very difficult for them to understand. The report should be simpler so the managers can base their decisions on it and refer to it thoroughly. It is currently too technical. If you are not a technical engineer it would be difficult for you to decrypt and understand the information. This is the feature I most want to see in the next version.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's very stable. It's also very portable. I can carry it everywhere I want to go. There is also a capacity to add more storage, so if your disc is full and you want to replace it, you can change it or add another one inside. This is also very useful.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable because it's portable and you can move it from one side to another.

How are customer service and technical support?

It's a little expensive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not that complex. If you know which part of your network you want to put it in to get more traffic, put the point up there. Call it the "dial network access point" or something like that. Put it there and then the traffic will pass through your equipment, so it can be copied there to have it analyzed, stored, etc. It's pretty straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation is not that hard. If you know where you want it, take one or two hours to deploy it and set up the feature configuration. It's pretty straightforward. I did not use an integrator, reseller, or consultant for the deployment.

What was our ROI?

I have seen positive ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It primarily depends on the requirements you have. There are three types of licenses. There's the updates license, the work group license, and the workstation license. It depends on your requirements.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Cisco Stealthwatch and compared it with  GigaStor. I went for GigaStor.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution as nine out of ten.

If you have the opportunity, I would strongly encourage you to get it, because it makes the IT experience easier and more flexible, by providing the ability to see things in your networks like the directory packet label.

Find out what your peers are saying about Viavi Solutions, NETSCOUT, SolarWinds and others in Network Monitoring Software. Updated: July 2021.
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