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IoT device monitoring added to Nyansa Voyance

Nyansa has added IoT traffic analytics to its network monitoring software. The latest version of Nyansa Voyance monitors the activity of IoT devices in healthcare and retail.

Nyansa, a network traffic analytics provider, has extended its Voyance anomaly detection system to IoT, making it possible to monitor device activity for security threats.

This week, Nyansa launched its IoT Operational Assurance Solution, which companies can buy alone or add to their Nyansa Voyance system. The IoT product integrates with Aruba ClearPass and Cisco Identity Services Engine, which are network administration products for creating and enforcing security and access policies for endpoint devices on a wired and wireless IP network.

The Nyansa Voyance product uses a software crawler -- installed on a dedicated server or virtual machine -- to inspect device packet data taken from a wireless network controller and a switched port analyzer or test access port on a switch or router. The software then sends device activity data to Nyansa's analytics engine on AWS, which flags potential problems and their possible remediation, through the customer's graphical console.

Nyansa has added to Voyance the ability to analyze packet data from network-connected computing devices categorized as IoT. Examples include infusion pumps, electrocardiogram machines and temperature sensors used in healthcare facilities, handheld scanners found in distribution centers, and point-of-sale systems employed in retail.

Additionally, the vendor added algorithms for IoT device classification to its Voyance analytics engine. The Nyansa software also builds a behavioral baseline for each classified device based on activity data drawn across the company's customer base. Voyance reports deviant behavior to users.

The Nyansa Voyance platform also builds a risk profile on each device, based on several factors. They include critical and noncritical devices sharing the same network segment, the misuse of network credentials and communication with suspicious URLs or IP addresses.

Voyance
Dashboard for Nyansa Voyance IoT

Nyansa security monitoring

The integration of Voyance with network access control systems from Cisco and Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, lets Nyansa customers take action against risky IoT device activity. Through the Voyance user interface, customers can, for example, quarantine devices or revoke their network access.

In general, the IoT features added to Voyance have Nyansa pivoting toward security monitoring, said Shamus McGillicuddy, an analyst at Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), based in Boulder, Colo. IoT is also a focus among other vendors developing network performance management tools.

"The Wi-Fi network is a critical asset for network teams tasked with supporting IoT projects," McGillicuddy said. "Nyansa’s expertise around Wi-Fi and Ethernet performance from the client perspective gives them an opportunity to address an emerging need in enterprise network operations."

A one-year subscription for Voyance IoT alone costs $13,000. A single-year subscription for the complete Voyance platform, including IoT support, is $16,000. Current Voyance customers can use the IoT software for up to 100 devices at no cost.

Over the last several years, Nyansa has been expanding Voyance features for monitoring network activity. Last year, the company introduced the ability to analyze the utilization of WAN links and correlate it to the performance of applications and network services.

Also last year, Nyansa added a collaboration tool to Voyance that lets customers contact each other to discuss how to improve Wi-Fi performance.

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