Riverbed Technology announced new capabilities for end-user experience monitoring with the integration of Riverbed OPNET AppResponse Xpert BrowserMetrix and Stingray Traffic Manager application delivery controller (ADC) solutions.

This integration allows developers and application support teams to simplify and automate the process of gaining visibility into end-user experiences without modifying the application or deploying additional agents.

This integration was made possible by Riverbed's recent acquisition of OPNET Technologies, Inc.

A recent Gartner report states that as applications are consumed with different types of devices and via different types of connectivity, the monitoring of end-user experiences is critical to gauging the satisfaction of the delivery of the application to the user. According to the report, content optimization technologies should automatically profile and analyze the device being used and apply specific optimization techniques for the device. The report also notes that increasing infrastructure complexity demands automated monitoring and managing of infrastructures to provide reliable application delivery.

The integration of Riverbed's application performance management (APM) and ADC solutions automates the process of deploying and managing end-user experience (EUE) monitoring. Traditionally, this process required either the deployment of agents to end-user devices or modifying application code. Deploying agents is complex and challenging because of the great diversity of end-user platforms and not even possible for customers' application users who are outside the control of the IT team. Modifying application code involves lengthy deployment times and makes it difficult to keep pace with application changes. OPNET AppResponse Xpert BrowserMetrix and Stingray Traffic Manager work together to deliver the same visibility and data collection as agents or code modification without the corresponding challenges.

"Dynamic environments and the increasing demand for better application experiences require application delivery controllers and active management to ensure acceptable performance," according to Jonah Kowall and Joe Skorupa, authors of the Gartner report. "Operating this increasing scope of technology responsibilities requires a move toward tools that can correct and optimize the infrastructure."

OPNET AppResponse Xpert BrowserMetrix leverages lightweight JavaScript instrumentation to monitor the true end-user experience for web-based applications. Stingray Traffic Script enables the automatic injection of this JavaScript code, in mid-stream, without requiring modification to the application itself. As a result, Stingray Traffic Manager simplifies the deployment and management of instrumentation, allowing even applications that are frequently updated to be monitored without disruption.

"By leveraging the combined features of our application performance management solutions with our application delivery offering, enterprises can obtain a complete solution for analyzing and accelerating web application performance," said Eric Wolford, president of Riverbed Products Group. "This is another example of Riverbed's vision of the Performance Platform, where technologies work together to deliver the performance users demand with the insight and control that IT needs to be successful."