TL; DR: Networks are like gardens in the sense that they need regular care. Without it, cyberthreats infiltrate, and performance suffers — leaving you stuck in yet another frozen Zoom call. For MSPs, IT departments, and SaaS apps, Auvik acts as a personal gardener for your network. We spoke with COO John Astorino who told us about how Auvik wants to simplify network management for companies of all shapes and sizes.
A couple of weeks ago, one of my colleagues told me to keep an eye on my credit cards because I may want to cancel them.
When I raised an eyebrow, he went on to explain that the recent data breach from the National Public Data (NPD), a background checking service, compromised the private information of nearly 3 billion people — making it one of the biggest data breaches in history.
Almost immediately, I started researching where my personal information might be exposed. Apparently, my email, phone number, and address had all been breached by several different sources, including Canva, Ticketmaster, and Facebook.
One of the biggest reasons these breaches happen is due to a poorly managed network. Cyberattackers thrive on even the smallest network security gap because it’s the best way to get inside.
So, if NPD, for example, had kept their network more secure, then maybe the data of 2.9 billion people wouldn’t have been compromised.
If you want to protect your network from doing what NPD just experienced, then that’s where Auvik comes in. Auvik is a cloud-based network management software designed to give you 100% visibility into your organization’s network.
We’ll get more into Auvik’s features, but one of the coolest parts is its interactive network map. It visually maps all your devices so you can track their performance and see who’s on the network (and what they’re doing).
John Astorino, Auvik’s COO, believes the success of Auvik’s network management software lies in the cloud.
“It’s always on because it’s not tied to your internal network. Being cloud-native means you can access the platform from anywhere,” said John. “Since you can access data across all networks, no matter your location, it’s a huge advantage that not many vendors offer – but we do.”
Leaky Networks Sink Ships
Unfortunately, NPD isn’t the only one guilty of network mishaps.
Equifax, one of the world’s largest credit reporting agencies, is guilty too. In 2017, it suffered a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people because its IT department failed to patch a web application framework.
Some of us may also remember the 2021 event when Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp saw a major outage. It disrupted millions of users, and it’s all because its network wasn’t properly configured.
These are a few companies that, at one point, millions of consumers trusted to keep our data private.
If you don’t want your customers to feel like I do, then all you have to do is stay on top of your network management. Of course, it’s a little more complicated than making sure your WiFi is on — that is unless you have a manager like Auvik.
So, what kind of insights can Auvik provide? I’m glad you asked:
- TrafficInsights™: Auvik’s TrafficInsights feature gives you a clear view of traffic flows across the network so you can see who’s on it, what they’re doing, and where their traffic is going — even if it’s encrypted.
- Find the “Top Talkers”: See which apps, protocols, or devices are using the bulk of your network’s bandwidth with the click of a button. This way, it’s easier to see which upgrades you should prioritize (or which tools need to be reduced).
- Geolocation: Get a glimpse into real-time traffic data on an elegant and interactive visual world map. For added security, the system will automatically identify unauthorized or unexpected traffic.
- Flow Data: Want more detailed insights into communication patterns and recurring issues? Check out your device flow data, which can show you all the records between your devices on the network.
These are just a few of the things Auvik’s all-in-one dashboard can show you. If you’d like a closer look, just schedule a free demo.
Clearing Up with the Cloud
Auvik was founded in 2011 by three engineers, Alex Hoff, Marc Morin, and David Yach, who were tired of network management being synonymous with complicated.
Over the past 13 years, Auvik has evolved a lot, but now it mainly focuses on helping Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT departments.
If you’re unaware, MSPs fall under a broad umbrella of services. For example, managed hosting providers like GoDaddy and Hostinger help their customers manage all the technical aspects of hosting, including IT infrastructure.
I’ve got to say, I agree with John: One of the big reasons Auvik as a concept works is because it’s all cloud-based. I know — it’s “the cloud this, the cloud that” everywhere you look, but there’s a good reason: It’s so convenient.
Think of it as the evolution of software. Remember when you had to buy physical discs to play games on your computer? Now, with cloud-based platforms like Steam, there’s no need for activation keys, and you can play your games from any compatible device.
(For example, I like to play Sims on my PC when I’m feeling extra creative, but I can also play it on my MacBook when I want to be cozy on the couch.)
John said because Auvik is cloud-based, it also allows the Auvik team to provide extra support when needed.
“Being fully cloud-based allows us to provide additional alerts and insights, and we can gather data across all networks, no matter where the devices are,” John added. “We can also test other things, like giving IT professionals the ability to check if their network is up by pinging it from the outside, so it’s easier to determine if the issue is with the VPN, the network itself, the router, or the firewall.”
Whether you’re an MSP, working in an in-house IT department, or developing a SaaS app, Auvik has customizable solutions for each use case.
No matter what kind of service you need, though, these are the bare-minimum features you’ll get:
- Better visibility: Monitor everything with ease thanks to real-time discovery, inventory management, and interactive mapping tools.
- Easy troubleshooting: Troubleshooting is simple, with fast issue resolution, syslog analysis, and remote access for efficient problem-solving.
- Integrate: Integrate with your favorite IT platforms. In fact, Auvik is compatible with hundreds of them.
- Automate: Built-in AI will analyze network traffic to identify patterns and anomalies, automate alerts and notifications, and provide predictive maintenance before issues even occur.
“You bring all that inventory together over time, and we’re going to have a fantastic picture,” John emphasized. “Then, once we have all that data, you add AI to it, and you’ll actually get even more information and insights out of it that you didn’t have access to before.”
What’s Next for Auvik?
One of the things John mentioned is life cycle management.
Life cycle management involves overseeing the entire life of a product, which includes its development, maintenance, and end of life.
Take iPhones, for example. Every year, a new model is announced, and each one goes through familiar stages: development (building and testing before release), maintenance (ongoing software updates and security patches), and eventually, end of life when a newer model is announced.
“For example, we can alert you when your firmware is out of date or when a device is nearing the end of its life. In the future, we’re planning to automate this. You’ll be able to patch or upgrade firmware across all similar devices with just one click. Imagine clicking a button to update all your Cisco 3500 switches at once — that’s what we’re working on, and we expect it to be ready next year,” said John. “You’re three versions behind? We’ll let you know.”
John also mentioned that Auvik is currently beta-testing an endpoint agent. It’ll be designed to monitor network performance in hybrid work environments.
In hybrid work setups, there’s still a network in the office, but there’s also the network wherever the employee is working remotely (e.g., their home Wi-Fi).
“We’re currently beta-testing a solution that monitors an employee’s laptop network, no matter where they are,” said John.
The idea is to create a solution that can monitor the network performance of an employee’s laptop, regardless of where they’re working, ensuring that network issues can be tracked and resolved, whether the employee is at the office or working remotely.
Auvik has big plans for the future, with their expertise and experience already bringing them half-way there.
Give Auvik’s free trial a shot, book a demo, or check out its YouTube channel for tutorials, tours, and step-by-step guides.
