Network Physics has introduced a new distributed architecture for its network management and performance line aimed at helping enterprises ensure the integrity and security of the entire applications infrastructure.

The NetSensory Enterprise Architecture is designed to give IT managers a view of their entire network, including application information, enterprise infections alerts, topology data, and reports. The three main components of the application are the NetSensory operating system, a distributed operating system that coordinates the global deployment the architecture; NP-Director, a global management appliance that offers an overall view of the network; and NP-2000, an edge intelligence appliance that collects regional data from the network. NetSensory OS and NP-Director are new products, while the NP-2000 has been available previously.

According to Lynn Nye, founder and president of APM Advisors, the NetSensory Enterprise Architecture provides a scalable way to get information on a network.

"What Network Physics has done is developed a way to get a broad system view. An IT manager might want data from a device in Tokyo without having to take all the data from that network and bog down the system," he said.

Network Physics' NP-Director can coordinate up to 20 NP-2000 appliances. That creates a network application management system with a database offering 2.7 TB of storage and packet-processing capabilities of around 2.5 million packets per second, according to the company.

The NetSensory OS and the NP-Director began shipping this week. A typical deployment, consisting of two to three NP-2000s and one NP-Director would range in price from US$150,000 to US$250,000.

The company, which was founded in 1999 and is based in California recently raised US$13 million in venture capital to expand operations and to accelerate product development. Other companies, such as NetQoS of Austin, Texas, also offer products in the network performance management space.