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How Darktrace Enhances Automated Threat Detection with Network Critical’s SmartNA-PortPlus™ API Integration

 

Summary

DarkTrace

Darktrace leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to detect and neutralize cyber threats in real time. To maximize the effectiveness of its security tools, Darktrace needed a visibility solution that could automatically adapt to its AI-driven insights without manual intervention.

Network Critical’s SmartNA-PortPlus™, with its integrated API, provided the seamless machine-to-machine communication required for automated threat detection and response.

The Challenge

Traditional security tools rely on static configurations and manual adjustments to detect cyber threats. This approach limits responsiveness and increases the risk of undetected attacks.

Darktrace’s AI-driven Enterprise Immune System continuously learns what is normal within a network and identifies anomalies, even those that have never been seen before – the ‘unknown unknowns.’ However, for this intelligence to be effective, Darktrace needed a network visibility solution that could:

  • Automatically adjust traffic filtering and port mapping without human intervention
  • Ensure security tools receive only relevant data from network links
  • Scale to support high-speed, high-volume traffic flows

Without automation, security teams would need to manually update traffic visibility settings, slowing down response times and reducing efficiency.

 

The Solution

Darktrace selected Network Critical’s SmartNA-PortPlus™ as its network visibility solution. The SmartNA-PortPlus™ API enables seamless integration between Darktrace’s AI-powered security tools and the visibility layer.

Key Features of the SmartNA-PortPlus™ API Integration:

  • Automated Filtering & Port Mapping: Darktrace’s AI controls the SmartNA-PortPlus™ to select relevant traffic and discard unnecessary data.
  • Real-time traffic adaptation: The system automatically adjusts to new threats and traffic patterns without requiring manual reconfiguration.
  • Scalability and high-speed performance: Supports 1/10/25/40/100 Gbps speeds with up to 194 ports in a compact 1RU chassis.
  • Seamless AI integration: The built-in API enables software-driven adjustments for faster, more accurate threat detection.

With SmartNA-PortPlus™, Darktrace can dynamically filter and manage network traffic, allowing its AI system to focus on high-priority threats without being overloaded with irrelevant data.

A diagram of a network connection Description automatically generated

 

The Results

By integrating SmartNA-PortPlus™, Darktrace achieved:

  • Faster threat detection: AI now autonomously adapts traffic visibility, eliminating delays caused by manual adjustments.
  • Enhanced security tool performance: Only relevant network traffic reaches Darktrace’s security tools, improving processing efficiency.
  • Lower operational costs: Automation reduces manual configuration efforts, freeing up IT resources.
  • Scalable future-proofing: Supports expanding security needs as network speeds and traffic volumes grow.

Darktrace’s AI-driven security, combined with Network Critical’s SmartNA-PortPlus™ API integration, creates an autonomous security system that automates traffic filtering and port mapping. This enables real-time, hands-off cyber threat detection, enhancing efficiency and protection.

About Network Critical

Network Critical is an industry leader in network access technology. Our quality 1/10/25/40/100G modular TAP and Packet Broker solutions ensure that our customers have continuous network visibility. Network Critical products eliminate any concerns of downtime and our unique scale-out capabilities enable simple, cost effective expansion, as network and port density requirements grow. The health of your network is always secure with Network Critical products. Our fully flexible range of TAPs and Packet Brokers are used with IDS, IPS, network traffic monitoring tools, sniffers and many other mission critical appliances, to provide 100% network visibility with zero packet loss. With over 20 years experience, a number of industry “firsts” and a reputation for excellent customer service, Network Critical’s solutions are widely used in global networks across a wide range of sectors including Finance, Telco, Government, Energy and Healthcare.