You can feed NetFlow data into Elasticsearch and visualize it in Kibana. It is overkill for a 10-person office, but glorious for a campus network.
There are dozens of collectors on the market, but three stand out for offering powerful free versions: , NfSen , and PRTG . netflow monitoring free
ntopng is a web-based tool that is aggressively maintained. It turns your server into a flow collector with a beautiful, real-time dashboard. You can feed NetFlow data into Elasticsearch and
Paessler PRTG is famous for its 100-sensor free license. One sensor can be a "NetFlow Sensor." ntopng is a web-based tool that is aggressively maintained
Install your chosen software (e.g., PRTG or NfSen). During setup, create a new "NetFlow Collector" listener. Ensure the UDP port matches what you configured on the router (usually port 2055 ).
: What applications (HTTP, DNS, etc.) are being used.
Start small. Set up a free collector, monitor your primary WAN link, and prepare to be surprised by what is actually flowing through your cables.