Cisco Nexus Data Broker (NDB) with Cisco Nexus Family switches is a software-defined, programmable solution for packet brokering (aggregating) network traffic mirrored using network/optical taps or Cisco Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) for monitoring and visibility. In contrast to monitoring solutions based on traditional packet brokers, the Cisco NDB packet-brokering approach offers a simple, scalable, and cost-effective solution well suited for customers who need to monitor higher-volume and business-critical traffic for security, compliance, and application-performance measurement. It also enables real-time traffic visibility with an event-based approach through northbound APIs.