Riverbed Technology has introduced new capabilities to its Cascade application-aware network performance management (NPM) solution, which delivers the needed visibility into virtualized data centers and data centers that use load balancing application delivery controllers (ADCs). This new release, Cascade 9.5, extends end-to-end service performance monitoring and troubleshooting - from the remote LAN, across the wide area network (WAN), and now deeper into the data center. Cascade Profiler is claimed to be the first NPM solution to provide a wizard-based, streamlined configuration process for service monitoring across ADCs. Virtual Cascade Shark is the first product to offer continuous packet capture and performance analysis in virtual environments. With this new release, the Cascade product line has said to unmatched capabilities for complex, global networks that include load-balanced and virtualized data centers.

Jim Frey, Managing Research Director, EMA said, "The irresistible tide of server virtualization has combined with increasingly strategic deployments of application and network optimization technologies to create new and troublesome visibility barriers for IT operations. This requires a fundamental re-assessment of performance monitoring and management technologies due to fast emerging requirements for integrated visibility and virtualized instrumentation. The Riverbed Cascade solution is evolving in this very direction, and coupled with the balance of the Riverbed optimization portfolio, comprises a unique and compelling combination of visibility and control for the evolving, virtualized enterprise IT infrastructure."

Dimitri Vlachos, Sr. Director, Marketing & Product Management, Cascade Business Unit at Riverbed said, "Virtualization and load balancing have fundamentally transformed the data center. While these technologies provide amazing benefits, they also create real visibility challenges. For end-to-end performance, IT operations need visibility into all application and network traffic across all IT environments - physical and virtual, from the user to the deepest depths of the data center. Cascade provides enterprise customers a unique, cost-effective, and easy-to-use solution for monitoring and troubleshooting today's complex IT environment and the critical applications that run over it."