Riverbed launches Network 360 with AI observability

Riverbed has launched Network 360, a network observability product that combines network monitoring with agentic and generative AI. It is aimed at network operations teams working across hybrid, remote and cloud-based environments.

The launch adds Riverbed IQ and Riverbed Q to the company's AppResponse and NetProfiler products, while extending network visibility through NPM+, which covers remote users, Zero Trust architectures, data centres and public cloud systems.

Network operations teams often rely on multiple tools to investigate incidents, moving between dashboards, packet data and flow records to determine what failed. Network 360 is intended to bring those sources together and guide teams through troubleshooting with AI-based analysis and a conversational interface.

Richard Tworek, Chief Technology Officer at Riverbed, said the company was addressing the growing complexity of enterprise networks as applications stretch across on-premise systems, cloud platforms and software-as-a-service environments.

"For decades, network monitoring tools have surfaced the evidence, but network professionals have still had to manually connect the dots," Tworek said. "That model can no longer keep pace as applications span data centers, public clouds and SaaS environments, employees work from anywhere, and Zero Trust architectures add new visibility gaps across networks IT may not own or control. With Network 360, Riverbed is bringing agentic AI directly into network operations by turning deep network evidence from hybrid environments into contextual insight, faster root-cause identification, predictive awareness of emerging issues and recommended next actions. This is how we help NetOps teams move from tedious, reactive investigations that once took hours or days to guided, AI-driven workflows that accelerate resolution today and lay the foundation for increasingly autonomous action before disruptions impact users or the business."

What is included

Riverbed IQ acts as the intelligence layer in the new offering, applying causal, predictive, generative and agentic AI to operational data. Riverbed Q is the conversational front end, allowing staff to ask questions in natural language instead of navigating separate monitoring interfaces and queries.

AppResponse remains the source of packet capture and analysis in the portfolio, while NetProfiler continues to provide flow monitoring and analytics across larger network estates. NPM+ extends visibility into areas that are often harder to monitor directly, including remote endpoints and systems outside an organisation's direct control.

The combination is designed to help IT teams identify the source of performance issues more quickly, assess the impact on users and business operations, and spot risks before they become service disruptions.

Professional services are also included, with support for deployment and operational setup alongside AppResponse or NetProfiler.

Pricing move

Network 360 is available immediately and will initially be offered without a premium over existing AppResponse and NetProfiler pricing. That means current customers using those products can access the expanded AI and visibility functions without an increase in the base product price.

The pricing decision may help Riverbed encourage adoption among existing users at a time when many infrastructure software suppliers are adding AI functions as higher-priced add-ons. By bundling the new features into established products, Riverbed is positioning the launch as an operational update rather than a separate platform purchase.

Industry view

The launch also drew support from industry analyst firm GigaOm, which linked Riverbed's network operations work to a broader IT operations approach.

"Riverbed is in the upper echelon of companies redefining network operations through the application of AI," said Whit Walters, Field CTO & AI Category Lead at GigaOm. "What makes Riverbed's approach particularly compelling is that this intelligence isn't isolated to network operations. The same Riverbed IQ intelligence layer extends across Riverbed Aternity and the digital employee experience. Combining network and employee experience intelligence through a common AI foundation creates a powerful opportunity for enterprises to transform IT operations."

Riverbed added that it was recently named a Leader and Fast Mover in GigaOm's radar report for network observability, citing that assessment as further evidence of its standing in the observability software market.

The company has been expanding its focus on AIOps and observability as businesses contend with more distributed infrastructure, a larger volume of monitoring data and higher expectations for service availability. In that environment, suppliers are increasingly trying to use AI not only to present alerts but also to correlate evidence, suggest likely causes and recommend actions.

For network teams, the challenge is often less about collecting data than making sense of it quickly during an incident. Riverbed's latest product push is aimed squarely at that problem, using packet, flow and endpoint data in one system and adding AI tools that, in the company's words, help "pinpoint issues and speeds resolution-no additional infrastructure needed."