Network Perception, a Chicago-based vendor, has introduced a new version of its NP-View platform, aimed at providing valuable insights into industrial and other operational technology networks. The NP-View 4.2 comes with advanced features like improved parsing and more flexible lookup options, and an algorithm for access rules and object groups reports, faster parsing, higher performing tables, and object content lookup. As per Robin Berthier, the CEO of Network Perception, the improvements to the platform are focused on enabling the company’s core network mapping and diagnostic product to handle increasingly large and complex operational technology infrastructure.
The new product can offer robust network visibility and management while keeping the product’s footprint on the operating environment minimal. Unlike most other network visibility solutions that require an agent or sensor, NP-View reads configuration files — drag and dropped by the user — very quickly. Additionally, the platform can also use an API connector which performs periodic scans on its own. Overhead is a common issue for OT networks in sectors like utility and manufacturing, with hundreds of intricate network constructs like VLANs, different access tools, and routing, making the task of building a model complex for thousands of endpoints and tens of thousands of dataflows.
The algorithmic improvements in the NP-View 4.2 platform facilitate quick decision-making in security teams. For instance, tables detailing a few hundred rules used to be enough to make decisions, but the advanced version scales up the ability to parse even the most prominent files in minutes or seconds. Another exciting feature is the external path analysis, which can extrapolate information about devices on a network, even when they’re not mapped in a configuration file, providing users with a better understanding of what’s happening on their networks.
According to Robin Berthier, NP-View’s key customer base is the electric power industry, which has strict regulatory requirements. Compliance is a critical consideration in this industry because outages can cost millions of dollars per day. Network Perception’s purpose is to help its customers stay compliant while providing the best possible network visibility, management, and security for their operational technology networks.
The newly introduced features in NP-View 4.2 will not alter the platform’s pricing scale. Berthier stated that the new and improved product features are now available, and users can access them immediately. On a broader note, Network Perception has made significant strides in terms of facilitating better network visibility and management for the electric power industry. With strict regulatory requirements and compliance issues, it’s vital that companies operating in the power industry have access to such advanced technologies.