It’s here!

We said it would come, and now it has been delivered.

With the availability of the new migration function, which comes with the latest release of Plixer’s own NetFlow monitoring application, we can now make your conversion from Scrutinizer NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer v6 to v7 smoother than ever.

Now, with the assistance of this new tool, your historical NetFlow data and elaborate Flash maps will be moved right on over to your new install.

Please know that there will be some limitations to this NetFlow data migration process. If you are still using Scrutinizer version 6 for your network traffic analysis and would like to know more about them, please contact Plixer support. Also, if you are interested to know what other new features and fixes are available in the latest release, take a look at the Scrutinizer version 7.2 release notes.

So, if you are eager to start running the most revolutionary Windows NetFlow Collector on the market, give our Support Team a call and we will assist you in getting your migration started!

Plixer Support
(207) 324-8805 ext: 4

Hello, my name is Scott Robertson, I am the newest member of the Technical Support team here at Plixer International. I come to Plixer after working  as a Software Support Specialist at Xerox. 

This is an exciting time for me as delve into the world of network diagnostics & bandwidth monitoring and I begin my support role at Plixer. There are new processes to learn and new people to meet.  And so far things are progressing nicely. And just as I am new to the Plixer family, there is a new Scrutinizer v7 update available today. I invite you to check www.plixer.com/support/availableupdates.php for the latest software that Plixer International has to offer. Read more »

I use Wireshark all the time. In general, I just scratch the surface by using  it to test whether or not NetFlow is coming into Scrutinizer.

Golden Rule: Using an external third-party application, like Wireshark,  to test connectivity helps establish credibility in any situation.

Most people whom I speak with have a general understanding of what a packet capture is. The problem is, they don’t know how to gather or use the data once they have obtained it. So I thought I would do a little homework and find some resources that provide some basic Wireshark training for the busy IT professional.

Read more »

I was dealing with a client this morning who wanted to see a demonstration of CrossCheck, a plug-in for the Scrutinizer NetFlow analysis application. Normally, I fire up a remote session, like GoToMeeting, and give the demonstration. My client, being a large state government, had extensive restrictions on their network. The process to open and test ports would take weeks, and he needed to see the app quickly. I tried my best to explain the product, but lets face it, it’s not the same as seeing it in action. A remote connection was not going to be an option.

I really didn’t want to leave him hanging. He liked the product, but just didn’t grasp its value and functionality. A demo would fix this. So I decided to let him know that I would record a video and send it his way.

After a few minutes of reviewing my options, I decided to go with the easiest screen capturing utility that I could find, Jing. The process to record your own video presentation is simple, just follow these steps.

Step 1

Click on the yellow ball on the top of the screen

Step 2

Click on the plus sign to start your video.

Step 3

Select the section of the screen that you want recorded.

Now you record and make your presentation. Once you are done, press the stop button and save the file. The saved file is a flash SW file that can be viewed by opening it up in any browser.

That’s it! As you can see, it was simple, and I am pleased to report that the client was quite impressed. I hate to reference an over used and possible out of date saying but sometimes is pays to “think out of the box.”

____________________________________
Jim Dougherty aka "Jimmy D"
Lead PreSales Support Engineer and
Netflow Evangelist for Plixer International!

Follow me on Twitter
http://twitter.com/jimmydnet
____________________________________

The new Systrax community site is growing in popularity. In an effort to encourage a fun, yet functional, support team, Plixer has posted a Meet the Team page. Not all participating members are posted yet. We are busy!!! Anyway, this is a place where customers can learn more about the members who are answering some of the tough questions being posted on the forums.

“Each member of our support team is versatile in nearly all areas of each Plixer product. They are all familiar with topics such as Cisco NetFlow, sFlow, IP SLA, NBAR, etc.,” says  Product Manager, Michael Patterson.

Do you like the Anime character artwork? If so, you can pick up a good book like Anime Poster Art at Amazon.com.

Jon Mills
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Follow Me On Twitter

Here at Plixer International, we take two things VERY seriously: Cisco NetFlow and coffee.

With the new releases of Plixer Scrutinizer v6.05 and Plixer Flow Analytics 2.0, we’ve all been a bit busy with our various responsibilities and what better to help us than copious amounts of coffee?

We used to drink the big old commercial buckets of Folgers Classic Roast, probably the same stuff that is your hand right now.

Mike Patterson, our Project Manager recently acquired a couple boxes full of different coffee flavors. The grounds are prepackaged into these little cups so each one makes a cup of coffee.

That is the perfect solution.

See, we drink so much coffee here that we can actually tell who made the last pot of Folgers. No lie:

- Jim makes his pots with 4, 5 or 6 well rounded scoops. This makes it SUPER strong and no amount of creamer will remove that ash taste from the roof of your mouth.

- Dale makes his with 3 leveled of scoops, which makes it mild and smooth. Jim hates Dale’s coffee.

- I generally made mine with 3 well rounded scoops, so that Jim would stop ranting about sissy coffee.

- Mitch just empties the pot and walks away, which is an office crime.

But now with the prepackaged little cups, everyone can have whatever they want.

There is Butter Toffee for those who have a sweet tooth and prefer a smoother blend. There’s also Classic Reserve, which just skips the stomach and goes straight to the blood stream. Development is digging that stuff pretty hard right now. I haven’t even tried the Hazelnut yet, so I’ll reserve judgment on that one.

So there’s our secret:

If you’ve ever wondered why our Sales and Help Desk contacts are vastly superior to any other company, then know it’s because we value you as a customer and we’ve had wayyyy too much coffee to drink…and THAT makes us very efficient.

Speaking of coffee to drink, gotta run!

-Nate

First it was YouTube, now it’s traffic from Facebook and Twitter that network managers are having to grapple with on their corporate nets. Even if you don’t participate on those sites yourself, you are bound to see your users accessing those places at some point. So what’s your company policy for those sites? Are you allowing them or blocking access because they – especially YouTube and other video broadcast sites – take up too much valuable bandwidth?

If the company policy is to block those sites your company could be losing out on using a valuable tool with which to communicate with your existing and potential customers. And for corporate collaboration, internal microblogging services such as Yammer, which focuses on the business market, is invaluable for getting groups updated without having to remember or type each member’s e-mail address.

For external communications, more and more organizations are using networks like Facebook to build community with their customers. If you’re a Facebook user, you can friend giants such as Ford Motor Company and Cisco and network with their friends. And for your career management LinkedIn is a great way to find contacts at old, existing and potential new employers.

However, such social networks aren’t without their risks. Analysts at Nemertes Research advise companies to “pro-actively develop and enforce policies for employee use of public social networking sites that enables legitimate business use while minimizing risk to intellectual property.” Nemertes says more than 54% of respondents to its unified communications and collaboration research said their organizations uses, is planning to use, or is evaluating social networks for internal and external collaboration.

So it sounds like traffic and bandwidth management is going to be key as organizations drive up the use of social networks. And that’s where Scrutinizer comes in handy with its ability to identify bandwith-hogging apps and more.

* If you’re on Twitter, you can follow your Plixer friends Michael Patterson, Scrutinizer product manager, and Tom Pore, Plixer Field Engineer, Marketing Executive, and Network Administrator.

One of the many things that we pride ourselves in, is the outstanding support that we give for all of  our products.  In recent months we decided to  provide “One on One” chat support for both our evaluators and our tried and true customers.

“According to a Northstar Research Partners study commissioned by live chat vendor LivePerson, high-value customers who spend more than the average consumer are more likely to use live chat. The study says more people feel highly satisfied after receiving customer service via live chat (46 percent rate it 9 to 10 on a 10-point scale) than other forms of customer service such as a toll-free number (41 percent), e-mail support (31 percent), or online FAQs (24 percent).” – PC World

This type of thinking holds true in the Netflow world. The more we work with the person, the more comfortable they feel about Scrutinizer. It gives us the ability to understand what the person needs and how we can provide the solutions. This type of relationship is priceless.

Getting “One on One” support is easy.  If you don’t own the product and have some questions,  go to  www.plixer.com and click on the “Start Chat Now” option.  If you are having a hard time finding the link, just look for the handsome guy in the green hat.  PreSales chat is online from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm eastern.

If you own Scrutinizer you already  have the “One on One” support  link embedded in the  interface.  Just click on the small doctor icon  located in the upper right-hand side of the screen.  It’s like having your own netflow support department at your finger tips.

So the next time you have a question make sure to check out our live “On on One” support.

____________________________________
Jim Dougherty aka "Jimmy D"
Lead PreSales Support Engineer and
Netflow Evangelist for Plixer International!

Follow me on Twitter
http://twitter.com/jimmydnet
____________________________________

I have had quite a few people ask ‘who that guy is on the IM link of plixer.com and systax.com?’  I thought that I pass the info along to our readers.

My name is Jim D (jimmyd) and I am one of the Pre-Sales support reps here at Plixer. The green hat is a Cisco hat that we picked up from one the trade shows. How we got the pose is a cute story.

One day I was getting coffee and Mike wanted to talk to me about a customer that I had been working with. Trying to be funny I quickly  dawned the cap and replied “Lets rap” .  I also added a few “Yo Yo Yo” ’s to the mix to make it feel authentic.  Mike first looked puzzled but soon thought that it was a great idea for picture and asked me to do it again.  The rest was history.

So that is my 15 minutes of fame. I got my pic on the website and have had quite a few chuckles with customers. I guess  it’s a cool way to bring a bit of reality to the web.