Selector Targets the Network Visibility Gap in Multi-Cloud Infrastructure

Key Takeaways

• Selector's platform provides enhanced visibility for multi-cloud networking, integrating on-premises and cloud environments.
• The new data hypervisor normalizes telemetry data, allowing for better analysis and troubleshooting.
• Generative AI is set to play a significant role in future updates, improving user experience and operational efficiency.

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, enterprises are not just shifting applications to the cloud; they are also migrating their entire networking infrastructure. This transition has introduced significant challenges in maintaining visibility and observability across both on-premises and multi-cloud environments. Selector, a NetOps vendor, has recognized this visibility gap and has introduced new capabilities to its platform aimed at addressing these challenges.

As organizations increasingly shut down their data centers, networking components such as BGP sessions, virtual firewalls, and transit gateways are now being integrated directly into the cloud. This shift necessitates a robust solution that provides network teams with a comprehensive view of their entire infrastructure, from branch locations to colocation facilities and public cloud resources. Kannan Kothandaraman, co-founder and CEO of Selector, emphasized the need for the same level of detail and observability in cloud networking as was previously available in traditional data centers.

Selector's latest update is positioned as an extension of its existing platform rather than a standalone product. This strategic move aims to empower network teams to trace connectivity issues across the entire hybrid path without the need to switch tools or contexts. The connectivity path can involve multiple components, including SD-WAN providers, service provider circuits, colocation interconnects, Direct Connect gateways, and VPC transit gateways, all leading to cloud-hosted applications.

Many Application Performance Management (APM) tools currently available do not delve deeply enough into network path analysis to provide the end-to-end tracing required for effective troubleshooting. Selector's platform has already demonstrated its capability to reveal previously hidden issues during early deployments. For instance, in one migration review, it uncovered an application flow that the customer was unaware of, highlighting the importance of comprehensive visibility.

The foundation of Selector's approach lies in a normalization layer known as the data hypervisor. This layer sits between the telemetry ingestion layer and the AI and machine learning engines, ensuring that incoming data is source-agnostic before it reaches the analytics layer. In cloud environments, data ingestion primarily occurs through APIs, allowing the platform to collect VPC flow logs and subscribe to hyperscaler event streams for infrastructure change data. It also integrates telemetry from various third-party tools, including virtual firewalls and load balancers.

On the on-premises side, traditional protocols such as SNMP and streaming telemetry continue to play a role. Selector's platform is designed to handle cloud-native constructs, including AWS transit gateways, Direct Connect gateways, and Google Cloud Routers, as well as virtual VRFs and BGP configurations. A unique capability of the platform is its ability to track changes on the hyperscaler side, correlating published change events with observed network behavior to identify potential issues on the customer side.

Kothandaraman noted that cloud telemetry is generally easier to normalize compared to on-premises data, which often suffers from significant vendor variation in data formats. In contrast, hyperscalers provide structured event data that can be consistently consumed by Selector's platform.

Looking ahead, the data hypervisor that normalizes telemetry across both on-premises and cloud domains serves as the foundation for Selector's future developments. The company has been building foundational AI models for network infrastructure since its inception, with plans to incorporate generative AI capabilities into the product. A major launch is anticipated in the fall, where Selector will unveil its full generative AI-based transformation, promising to deliver innovative solutions that enhance user experience and operational efficiency.

In summary, Selector's new platform capabilities represent a significant advancement in addressing the network visibility gap in multi-cloud infrastructures. By providing a unified view across diverse environments and leveraging advanced AI technologies, Selector is poised to empower organizations to navigate the complexities of modern networking effectively.

FAQ

• What is Selector's new platform capability?
  Selector's new platform capability enhances network visibility across multi-cloud infrastructures, allowing network teams to trace connectivity issues without switching tools.
• How does the data hypervisor work?
  The data hypervisor normalizes telemetry data, making it source-agnostic before it reaches the analytics layer, facilitating better analysis and troubleshooting.
• What role does AI play in Selector's platform?
  Selector is incorporating generative AI to improve user experience and operational efficiency, with a major launch planned for the fall.