Mobile traffic patterns are naturally more unpredictable than those on fixed networks, something cellcos understand increasingly well. But with BYOD (bring your own device) policies, and increasing use of mobile rather devices within the workplace, enterprises need to understand these patterns too, a requirement that is targeted by start-up Sideband Networks.
The company came out of stealth mode recently to join more established players like NetScout and Riverbed, offering an appliance which can model live traffic, including mobile, to identify and even pre-empt performance problems.
The Silicon Valley-based company was founded by CEO Zane Taylor and CMO Sherman Tang. The appliance can model live traffic on Layers 2 to 7 at up to 40Gbps, in the network core or other points, in order to gain visibility of applications and devices and predict likely problems. It is available as a dedicated hardware product, or in software-based virtual machine form.
The predictive monitoring tool can also recommend remedies such as creating policies to throttle speeds under certain conditions, and a key differentiating feature is a system of live alerts of probable issues that might affect network and application performance. The Sideband tool can also be used for simulation and network modeling.
The company was founded a year ago and has received private angel investments of $2m.