Ixia Hawkeye vs Observer GigaStor comparison

Keysight Technologies and Viavi Solutions are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Keysight Technologies is ranked #82, while Viavi Solutions is ranked #83. Keysight Technologies holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to Viavi Solutions’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Keysight Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Viavi Solutions users who would recommend it.

Ixia Hawkeye

Read 4 Ixia Hawkeye reviews

1,944 Views
1,341 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Observer GigaStor

Read 7 Observer GigaStor reviews

2,083 Views
1,312 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Ixia Hawkeye

Observer GigaStor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Ixia Hawkeye and Observer GigaStor compete in the network performance monitoring category. Observer GigaStor seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive features, justifying its higher cost.

Features: Ixia Hawkeye provides real-time network performance insights, flexible deployment across diverse environments, and efficient performance monitoring. Observer GigaStor offers extensive data retention, in-depth packet analysis, and robust analytics features for comprehensive network visibility.

Room for Improvement: Ixia Hawkeye could enhance its data retention capabilities, add more extensive analytics features, and improve compatibility with certain network infrastructures. Observer GigaStor may need to streamline its deployment process, reduce the initial setup cost, and simplify its interface for easier use.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ixia Hawkeye offers a straightforward deployment process with customer-friendly support, allowing quick setup. Observer GigaStor focuses on customization and tailoring to specific network needs with commendable customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Ixia Hawkeye provides a more budget-friendly initial setup and focuses on maximizing ROI through performance monitoring. Observer GigaStor, although higher in setup cost, offers considerable ROI with its feature-rich packages, appealing to those needing extensive data analysis capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Ixia Hawkeye vs. Observer GigaStor Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Ixia Hawkeye vs. Observer GigaStor

April 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Ixia Hawkeye

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

82nd

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Unified Communications Monitoring (5th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (65th)

Observer GigaStor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

83rd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Troubleshooting (13th), Network Packet Broker (NPB) (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Ixia Hawkeye is 0.5%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Observer GigaStor is 0.5%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Ixia Hawkeye	0.5%
Observer GigaStor	0.5%
Other	99.0%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

José Enrique Cano Rodriguez

Assistant Consultant at Tata Consultancy

A valuable tool for optimizing network performance and security with comprehensive network monitoring capabilities, user-friendly interface, and flexibility for scripting

Distinguishing itself from network management systems like SolarWinds Orion and Dataminer, Hawkeye offers a distinctive feature. It empowers network administrators to access specialized and detailed views for specific tests, including video streaming and performance related to specific applications like video games. In contrast, SolarWinds and Dataminer typically offer a more general evaluation of network health. Hawkeye's unique capability enables a detailed analysis of network performance through specific tests, allowing administrators to identify areas in need of improvement and take precise actions to enhance network performance.

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Jeroen-Dubbelman

Director at Bitrate

Aids significantly in the threat-hunting process and provides a score-based evaluation of user experience

There are many valuable features, but understanding end-user response times stands out. It provides a score-based evaluation of user experience, helping customers quickly pinpoint whether issues originate from the network, server, client, or application. Additionally, it facilitates in-depth analysis of application dependencies. The retrospective network analysis capability of Observer GigaStor has been beneficial. It's a pivotal feature for network performance solutions. However, I prefer to consider the entire solution suite - GigaStor, along with GigaFlow and Apex - for comprehensive network visibility and monitoring. So, I prefer to integrate all three solutions to provide the best visibility. They complement each other well, with Apex aggregating and correlating data from both GigaStor and GigaFlow to enhance environmental understanding and troubleshooting efficiency.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It empowers network administrators to access specialized and detailed views for specific tests, including video streaming and performance related to specific applications like video games."

"Our customer was happiest with the price of this product."

"The most valuable feature is the deployment because it's very easy to deploy real flow through the network."

"The ease of setup is the most valuable aspect of this solution. It's easy to set up and run tests."

"I would recommend Ixia Hawkeye because there are some KPIs that are very useful."

"So far, this product is doing exactly what it is promised to do."

"If you have the opportunity, I would strongly encourage you to get it, because it makes the IT experience easier and more flexible, by providing the ability to see things in your networks like the directory packet label."

"The ability to capture packets. It is not only for monitoring. That is very important for a company that wants to keep an eye on the packets, the transactions, the flows..."

"I have no regrets using this product, I am very satisfied for what I paid for it and for the things I am able to do with the product."

"Go take a look at it. It's a great product and has great capabilities."

"This solution allows us to see exactly what is going on in the network and we can very quickly solve issues with users."

"It's able to capture packets and, after a long time, you can come and use that information; to check, to analyze - everything you would want to do. So it's very good and helpful if you want to protect your data. It is stored in a certain place where you can access it every time you want to analyze it."

"I also have the ability to see an application's performance, to see what's going on, why a network is slow, why this program for this user is experiencing a delay or some network issue"

"This solution allows us to see exactly what is going on in the network and we can very quickly solve issues with users."

More Observer GigaStor pros

Cons

"Ixia has one flaw, which is that they do not print the license code on the paper licenses that are shipped to the customers."

"Improvements in network performance are essential."

"The customization of tests and even the results can be improved."

"Ixia has one flaw, which is that they do not print the license code on the paper licenses that are shipped to the customers."

"The customization of tests and even the results can be improved."

"You can't delete more than one thing at a time. It would be great to be able to highlight three out of five things and delete them, whether it's a test or an actual report."

"GigaStor feeds into Apex. So, the area where there could be improvement would be in artificial intelligence. For example, the incorporation of more advanced machine learning or AI capabilities could enhance its functionality."

"Maybe the graphical user interface could be simplified to allow people to use it more easily. It's already good, but they can work more on it to make it even easier."

"There are some issues, in our environment that puts processing restraints on the Gigastor when turning on trending data to be sent to APEX."

"Maybe the graphical user interface could be simplified to allow people to use it more easily."

"The interface is pretty complex, so for the average user, it takes a while to get up to speed with it. I would like it to be more user-friendly."

"As of this moment, the graphics might need some improvement, because a lot of the information there must be input first to have full potential."

"I would like to have more than 4TB of storage available in the portable version of this solution."

More Observer GigaStor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It cost us approximately 25,000 for two years. This is cheaper than ThousandEyes."

"In larger networks, the costs for licenses tend to be more reasonable, but for smaller networks, it appears relatively costly."

"It's quite expensive."

"It depends on the requirements you have. There are three types of license. There's the updates license, the work group license, and the workstation license."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

13%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Government

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	3

Comparisons

Aurea CX Monitor vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 9% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 9% of the time

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 9% of the time

DX Unified Infrastructure Management vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 7% of the time

Zabbix vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 7% of the time

More Ixia Hawkeye Competitors

Wireshark vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 14% of the time

Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 8% of the time

IxChariot vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 7% of the time

Viavi Observer Platform vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 6% of the time

More Observer GigaStor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

April 2026

Download Ixia Hawkeye product report

Buyer's Guide

Observer GigaStor

April 2026

Download Observer GigaStor product report

Overview

Ixia Hawkeye provides network administrators with specialized tools for video streaming and application performance analysis, offering a straightforward deployment with efficient test scheduling and performance insights.

Ixia Hawkeye is a powerful tool for detailed network performance analysis, focusing on GPON and DOCSIS networks. It facilitates tests like traceroute, STP, and video streaming assessments crucial for proof of concept and service validation in industries such as telecom. Though cost-effective, there is potential for improving test customization, graph features, and making license codes more accessible. Users leverage its throughput test to gain insights into bandwidth, latency, and packet loss while also identifying areas needing improvements such as customizable outputs and enhanced comparison tools.

What are the most important features?

Specialized Views: Offers insights into video streaming and applications.
Performance Analysis: Provides detailed results on bandwidth, latency, and packet loss.
Graph Clarity: Easy-to-read visual data representations.
Cost-Effectiveness: Competitive pricing.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Efficiency: Simplifies test scheduling and execution.
Visibility: Enhances network and application performance insights.
Accessibility: Streamlined network performance assessments.
Verification: Validates internet services with real-world applications.

In the telecom industry, solution providers employ Ixia Hawkeye for enhanced network visibility and proof of concept. Network engineers and IT specialists utilize it for conducting performance tests and generating traffic, aiding clients in sectors like telecom with comprehensive performance assessments.

Keysight Technologies

Observer GigaStor provides detailed network visibility and data capture for efficient troubleshooting and analysis. It's a robust tool designed to manage today’s complex network environments, offering reliability and performance insights.

Observer GigaStor specializes in long-term network traffic capture, delivering comprehensive forensic analysis capabilities. It stands as a trusted resource for IT departments aiming to resolve network performance issues swiftly. By capturing and storing packets with high precision, it aids in identifying both current and past anomalies, ensuring network health and performance continuity through proactive monitoring.

What are the key features of Observer GigaStor?

Long-term Data Capture: Enables storage of vast amounts of data for extensive historical analysis.
Comprehensive Protocol Support: Offers support for diverse protocols, enhancing troubleshooting accuracy.
Retrospective Analysis: Provides the ability to trace issues back to their origin point, improving issue resolution speed.
Scalability: Adapts to network growth without sacrificing performance capabilities.

What benefits and ROI can be expected from reviews?

Increased Troubleshooting Efficiency: Provides quicker resolution times, reducing network downtime.
Enhanced Network Visibility: Improves understanding of network performance and traffic patterns.
Reduced Operational Costs: Limits the need for manual troubleshooting, saving on labor costs.
Improved Decision Making: Data insights aid in strategic planning for infrastructure improvements.

Observer GigaStor's implementation spans across various industries, from telecommunications to finance, where maintaining robust and secure network performance is crucial. Its ability to analyze and retrieve historical network data supports compliance and operational stability demands in these sectors.

Viavi Solutions

Sample Customers

EMA

Cisco Systems, Hawaiian Telecom, Renown Health, State of Nevada, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Allstate Insurance, Jack Henry & Associates, United States Airforce, US Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Chicago Board Options Exchange

Buyer's Guide

Ixia Hawkeye vs. Observer GigaStor

April 2026

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