VizNet — Dynamic visualization of networks and internet of things

Both the increasing complexity of networked devices and the sheer number of IoT devices raise the problem of proactively knowing when something goes wrong in their normal functioning. How do we know when there is a failure or a malfunction in the network? How do we know if the network is overloaded and how can we evaluate the infrastructure's performance? How do we pinpoint the cause of the problems? How do we organize and present this information to the user in a simple and intuitive way? We introduce here our prototype 3D visualization system for real-time monitoring of both the status of networked devices (wired, wireless, IoT devices) and the network's dynamics (“pulse”) (e.g. configuration, load, traffic, abnormal events, suspicious connections, failed IoT devices, etc.). The user can visualize the current status of the networks of interest, in a very simple and intuitive way, from anywhere on the Internet (even from a mobile device). He can also receive alerts whenever something significant happens in the network by means of short text or instant messages.