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The Risks of Clinging to Portable TAPs

Chris Bihary

Think back to the 1980s and 1990s, the early days of IT, when portable network analyzers were the talk of the town. These massive suitcase-sized analyzers might have been anything but portable, but they represented a simpler time when network analysis was merely temporary.

As network engineers soon realized, traffic demands would require a greater level of visibility, and network design required permanent data center rack solutions.

Forcing Portable TAPs to be Permanent

When the need for permanent network TAP (test access point) solutions emerged, some providers took their existing portable TAPs, stuck screw-on ears onto the box, put it in a rack mount and started calling it a data center solution.

This created a cabling nightmare when taking into account each copper gigabit TAP required two power sources (that's two power bricks for each portable network TAP that might be mounted in the data center). This might be acceptable if there was an isolated need for a TAP, but what about when there was a need to have 10, 20 or even more? Further, supporting numerous power cables resulted in the requirement of a power distribution unit, because plugging it into a Universal Power Supply wasn't an option.

HINT: When paying for a data center on the basis of space, cooling, and power consumption, try to avoid any infrastructure complications, and additional monthly charges.

Forget Portable

Whether you're building a new data center or upgrading an existing one, make certain you ask, "Why are you clinging to a portable network TAP variation or make-shift solution?"

Networking decision makers have relied on the idea of portable network TAPs for so long, they have grown accustomed to coping with make-shift solutions. So, while the mess of cables isn't all network administrators may have to contend with, they might also have to worry about power failure from accidentally unplugging a cable, or maybe even see the use of lithium batteries to ensure the power connectivity, but none of these are solutions, as they each introduce more problems.

It's Time to Forgo the Portable TAP Variations

Whether you're building a new data center or upgrading an existing one, make certain you ask, "Why are you clinging to a portable network TAP variation or make-shift solution?"

Data centers with extensive TAP needs require a chassis solution that can provide multiple TAPs in a 1U or 2U box; a modular chassis solution that can be built specifically for permanent data center placement and eliminates the cabling mess while providing reliable power to copper gigabit network TAPs. 

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In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

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The Risks of Clinging to Portable TAPs

Chris Bihary

Think back to the 1980s and 1990s, the early days of IT, when portable network analyzers were the talk of the town. These massive suitcase-sized analyzers might have been anything but portable, but they represented a simpler time when network analysis was merely temporary.

As network engineers soon realized, traffic demands would require a greater level of visibility, and network design required permanent data center rack solutions.

Forcing Portable TAPs to be Permanent

When the need for permanent network TAP (test access point) solutions emerged, some providers took their existing portable TAPs, stuck screw-on ears onto the box, put it in a rack mount and started calling it a data center solution.

This created a cabling nightmare when taking into account each copper gigabit TAP required two power sources (that's two power bricks for each portable network TAP that might be mounted in the data center). This might be acceptable if there was an isolated need for a TAP, but what about when there was a need to have 10, 20 or even more? Further, supporting numerous power cables resulted in the requirement of a power distribution unit, because plugging it into a Universal Power Supply wasn't an option.

HINT: When paying for a data center on the basis of space, cooling, and power consumption, try to avoid any infrastructure complications, and additional monthly charges.

Forget Portable

Whether you're building a new data center or upgrading an existing one, make certain you ask, "Why are you clinging to a portable network TAP variation or make-shift solution?"

Networking decision makers have relied on the idea of portable network TAPs for so long, they have grown accustomed to coping with make-shift solutions. So, while the mess of cables isn't all network administrators may have to contend with, they might also have to worry about power failure from accidentally unplugging a cable, or maybe even see the use of lithium batteries to ensure the power connectivity, but none of these are solutions, as they each introduce more problems.

It's Time to Forgo the Portable TAP Variations

Whether you're building a new data center or upgrading an existing one, make certain you ask, "Why are you clinging to a portable network TAP variation or make-shift solution?"

Data centers with extensive TAP needs require a chassis solution that can provide multiple TAPs in a 1U or 2U box; a modular chassis solution that can be built specifically for permanent data center placement and eliminates the cabling mess while providing reliable power to copper gigabit network TAPs. 

Hot Topics

The Latest

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...

Today, organizations are generating and processing more data than ever before. From training AI models to running complex analytics, massive datasets have become the backbone of innovation. However, as businesses embrace the cloud for its scalability and flexibility, a new challenge arises: managing the soaring costs of storing and processing this data ...