Oslo Bors Deploys nGenius Flow Recorder to Protect Network Performance for Its Business-Critical Systems.

WESTFORD, Mass. -- Easy-to-Use Packet Analysis Features Allow Stock Exchange's IT Group to Solve Intermittent Application and Network Performance Problems and Avoid Downtime 

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTCT), a leading provider of application and network performance management solutions, today announced that the Oslo Bors, the only regulated marketplace for securities trading in Norway, has deployed the nGenius(R) Flow Recorder, to survey the operation of its network, which supports systems critical to the exchange.

The Oslo Bors, a member of the NOREX alliance of Nordic securities exchanges, strives to be one of the world's most efficient securities markets. The Oslo Bors provides real-time market data essential for trading and is regarded as the center of expertise for the collection, processing and distribution of financial information in the Norwegian securities market.

The biggest potential threats to the reliability of the exchange's network are intermittent delays that can't be anticipated. In such an environment, delays in transaction time can translate directly into monetary losses. The Oslo Bors' IT department cannot wait for a problem to reoccur before diagnosing the cause. For this reason, they needed a solution that could easily track, diagnose, and report on events happening on the network. Most importantly, the IT group was interested in being able to distinguish whether a problem was caused by either an application or the network.

The Oslo Bors' IT group tested NetScout's nGenius Flow Recorder against a competing product, and selected the NetScout product based on its ease of use and its deep-packet analysis capabilities. The IT group deployed the NetScout nGenius Flow Recorder at their core switch, where all critical applications cross the network. This gave Oslo Bors the ability to capture and play back all packet traffic on the network.

"Before, it was very difficult to reconstruct events when someone called me to report strange network behavior," said the Oslo Bors' Network Manager Alexander Bjelke. "I couldn't verify the problem since I didn't have anywhere to look, and the result was a lot of guesswork. With the nGenius Flow Recorder, if there is a problem, I can easily see the traffic flows, quickly discover the problem and locate the cause. The result is faster repair times and ability to solve problems before they reoccur."

Since the deployment of the nGenius Flow Recorder, the Oslo Bors IT department has been able to quickly troubleshoot problems, regardless of when they occur. As the nGenius Flow Recorder can capture all application traffic and 'play back' packets for forensic analysis, it has proven to be essential in resolving real-time and intermittent issues. With their increased success in fixing and closing trouble tickets, the IT department has made the Oslo Bors network even more reliable than before. "Business-critical applications, such as those used for the operation of the Oslo Bors, require the highest level of network availability and an extreme focus on reliable application delivery," said Jim Frey, vice president of marketing at NetScout. "When rapid troubleshooting is necessary to resolve a crisis, IT managers need fast access to intuitive, top-down views backed up by all the packets in an application transaction. Waiting for tools that slow you down by requiring transfer of packet stream files to a client prior to analysis is simply unacceptable to meet best practice demands."

About NetScout Systems

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTCT) is a market leader and pioneer of integrated application and network performance management products and solutions that help IT organizations assure critical business services across the enterprise. More than 3000 leading companies and government organizations worldwide have deployed NetScout's nGenius(R) Performance Management System to increase their return on infrastructure investments by optimizing the performance of networks and applications according to business priorities. NetScout is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts and has offices worldwide. Further information is available at http://www.netscout.com.

NetScout and the NetScout logo, nGenius, and Quantiva are registered trademarks of NetScout Systems, Inc. The CDM logo, MasterCare, Progressive Analytics and the MasterCare logo, are trademarks of NetScout Systems, Inc. Other brands, product names and trademarks are property of their respective owners. NetScout reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to make changes at any time in its technical information and specifications, and service and support programs.