
ElastiFlow
Network detection and response (NDR) software
Network security software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is ElastiFlow
ElastiFlow is a network flow collection and analytics platform that ingests flow records (for example, NetFlow, sFlow, and IPFIX) and makes them searchable and visualizable for network operations and security monitoring. It is used by network and security teams to understand traffic patterns, troubleshoot performance issues, and investigate suspicious communications using flow telemetry rather than full packet capture. The product is commonly deployed with Elasticsearch/OpenSearch back ends and provides dashboards and enrichment to support investigations and reporting.
Broad flow telemetry support
ElastiFlow focuses on collecting and normalizing common flow standards such as NetFlow, sFlow, and IPFIX. This makes it suitable for environments where routers, switches, firewalls, and virtual network devices already export flow records. Flow-based visibility can cover large portions of the network without requiring inline deployment. It also supports use cases where packet capture is impractical due to cost or privacy constraints.
Searchable analytics via Elastic/OpenSearch
ElastiFlow is designed to store and query flow data in Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, enabling fast filtering, aggregation, and time-based analysis. This approach fits teams that already operate an Elastic/OpenSearch stack and want network telemetry in the same analytics ecosystem. It supports dashboards and visual workflows for traffic analysis and investigation. It can also integrate with existing log and observability pipelines built around the same back end.
Operational and security use cases
The platform supports both network operations (capacity planning, troubleshooting, application dependency mapping) and security monitoring (east-west visibility, unusual communications, beaconing patterns). Flow telemetry provides a consistent dataset across on-prem, cloud, and hybrid networks when exporters are available. This dual-use orientation can reduce tool sprawl for teams that want one flow analytics layer. It is particularly useful for baselining and retrospective analysis over longer retention periods than packet data.
Flow data lacks payload context
As a flow-based system, ElastiFlow does not provide full packet payload visibility. This can limit deep protocol analysis, content inspection, and certain forensic workflows compared with packet-centric NDR approaches. Investigations may require pivoting to other tools (for example, endpoint, DNS, or packet capture) to confirm intent. Detection fidelity can depend on the richness of exported fields and sampling settings.
Detection depends on rules and tuning
ElastiFlow primarily provides analytics and visibility rather than a fully managed, turnkey detection program. Organizations often need to build detections, thresholds, dashboards, and investigation playbooks that match their environment. This can increase time-to-value for teams without mature network security engineering resources. Ongoing tuning is typically required to reduce noise and align with changing network behavior.
Elastic/OpenSearch operational overhead
Running large-scale flow analytics can require significant storage, indexing, and cluster management, especially at high flow rates. Costs and performance depend on retention requirements, shard design, and hardware sizing. Teams without existing Elastic/OpenSearch operational expertise may face a learning curve. High-ingest environments may need careful capacity planning to avoid query latency and data loss.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | Up to 4,000 flows/sec; Up to 25 devices for SNMP polling + traps; 40+ out-of-the-box dashboards; 120+ ML detections; Metadata enrichment; Community Slack & Forum support. |
| Standard | Customized (contact sales) | All Basic features plus up to 1,000,000 flows/sec; No limit on deployments; Access to enterprise MIBs for SNMP; 8x5 support; Add-on professional services available. |
| Premium | Customized (contact sales) | All Standard features plus 1M+ flows/sec capacity; Cloud service & application enrichment; NetIntel threat feed; MITRE ATT&CK mapping; Non-production license; 24x7 support. |
| Enterprise | Customized (contact sales) | All Premium features plus ElastiFlow-assisted customizations (dashboards, enrichments, trainings); Dedicated 24x7 support representative; Professional services. |