How the U.S. Armed Forces Monitor Tactical IT Deployments

U.S. armed forces take mobile network monitoring very seriously.

When you think about where IT pros work you most likely envision a typical climate-controlled office setting. In reality IT happens everywhere. Even out in the field within high-pressure tactical IT deployments created by the U.S. armed forces.

Unique Requirements for U.S Armed Forces' IT Deployments

These mobile military networks come in all shapes and sizes. They are often used to support radar, command and control, and satellite communication systems. These IT deployments can be more confined than you think. These IT deployments require network monitoring are deployed within a tent, an aircraft carrier, a destroyer, and even moving tactical vehicles. These are serious network operations that must be quickly deployed and mobile to meet the needs of our U.S. armed forces.

Government agencies and their contractors in the field have very specific needs for network monitoring tools. They work in isolated locations where the network simply cannot go down. This makes security, reliability and ease of operation a must. Their tools need to be deployed without hassle. Young soldiers with only a few months of IT training must be able to jump in and use the software effectively from day one. These tools also need to have a lot of value so they deliver exactly what is needed, without breaking the budget. Finally, within tactical IT deployments, network monitoring needs to be accessible, reliable and flexible.

Why U.S. Armed Forces and Government Agencies Choose WhatsUp Gold

All of these unique requirements by the U.S. armed forces and government agencies helps explain why WhatsUp Gold infrastructure monitoring tools are so often used within tactical IT deployments and traditional network environments. WhatsUp Gold has a small footprint with low-megabyte consumption, reasonable system requirements, and agentless architecture. In terms of budget, we can support a network with as few as 25 devices.

“The ceaseless damage control provided by WhatsUp Gold never failed in monitoring the only working civilian network of an entire nation. We couldn’t have done our job in Iraq without WhatsUp Gold doing its job.”

– U.S. Defense Contractor

WhatsUp Gold can also be deployed in a matter of minutes, ensuring full and quick coverage. This fast setup and user-friendly interface is enabled by a powerful discovery engine that applies monitors and policies to the appropriate switches and devices.

Even mobile networks that move from location to location use WhatsUp Gold because of its simplicity and dependability. For example, Cisco’s Emergency Response Team uses WhatsUp Gold to monitor local, state and Federal government networks across the U.S. and Canada that have experienced an outage due to natural disaster. With quick setup, Cisco can get an essential government network back online quickly and easily.

Concept Proven

I spoke recently with a network manager who was evaluating WhatsUp Gold for his new employer. Why did he pick us? Because our products helped support his tactical IT deployments during three tours in Afghanistan. That’s proof of concept for you.