Net Optics, Inc., the leading provider of Intelligent Access and Monitoring Architecture, today announced that, after months of working closely with Microsoft's Hyper-V team, it is nearing finalization of the Net Optics Phantom Virtualization Tap Hyper-V support capability.

As a result of scrupulous teamwork, deep implementation in the Phantom Tap using the Hyper-V extensions is moving toward completion. Net Optics will announce a pre-release version at Cisco Live! (June 10-14) and Tech Ed North America 2012 (June 11-14). Microsoft describes its virtual switch as a solution to the management challenges of increasing server virtualization that arise with server deployments.

In devising its extensible virtual switch, Microsoft looked to create a public platform with open APIs, according to a program manager on the Windows Core networking team.

"Our relationship with Microsoft extends the monitoring capabilities of the Phantom Virtualization Tap across every hypervisor in the industry," said Ran Nahmias, Senior Director of Virtualization and Cloud Solutions. The benefit to customers is of a broadened spectrum of options in their monitoring strategies consistent with their technology, business needs and priorities.

As the only monitoring access solution to address both physical and virtual environments, the Net Optics Virtualization Tap has remained at the forefront of network traffic monitoring for virtualized and cloud computing environments since its introduction. The rich-featured Tap allows IT directors to streamline security, management, and compliance.

Tapping traffic between virtual servers (VMs) on a physical server delivers total visibility into traffic passing between VMs on hypervisor stacks. The Tap replicates traffic passing between virtual network interface controllers (NICs) and pushes it out to both virtual and physical monitoring devices for maximum coverage.