In hybrid and multi-cloud environments, one of the biggest operational challenges is no longer infrastructure availability itself, but rather the lack of up-to-date knowledge about what is actually running in the network. Documentation quickly becomes outdated, active scans are performed periodically, and IT teams increasingly rely on incomplete or conflicting data.
Sycope addresses this problem through passive, continuous asset discovery based on actual network traffic — without interfering with systems and without risking disruption of their operation.
Traffic-based asset discovery
The discovery mechanism is based on the analysis of NetFlow, sFlow, and IPFIX collected from routers, firewalls, and switches. Instead of performing active scans, Sycope observes who communicates with whom and in what manner, and on this basis identifies hosts, devices, and their roles.
This approach:
does not generate additional traffic in the network,
works independently of device vendors,
allows detection of assets not included in documentation (e.g., shadow IT, temporary systems).
As a result, the inventory is not created “from time to time,” but continuously updates according to what actually operates within the infrastructure.
Visibility of dependencies instead of just a device list
Knowledge of which assets exist is not enough. Understanding how they are interconnected becomes critical.
Sycope maps dependencies between systems, applications, and users based on real communication flows. As a result, engineers see not only infrastructure elements, but also the relationships between them — both in on-prem and cloud environments.
This perspective is particularly important for:
change and failure impact analysis,
migration planning,
network segmentation and microsegmentation design.
Classification and business context
For asset data to be operationally useful, it must be placed in context. Therefore, Sycope enables automatic tagging and classification of devices based on their behavior, location, and membership in specific zones or business roles.
In practice, this makes it easy to distinguish, for example:
IoT and BYOD devices,
critical versus test systems,
assets assigned to specific locations or business units.
As a result, assets cease to be anonymous IP addresses and become elements of a consciously managed architecture.
Data consistency through CMDB integration
A common problem in organizations is the discrepancy between what actually operates in the network and what appears in the CMDB. Sycope eliminates this gap by synchronizing asset data with systems such as CMDBuild.
This allows organizations to:
automatically update records based on real traffic,
quickly detect discrepancies,
maintain a single reliable source of infrastructure information.
As a result, the CMDB stops being an “archive” and starts reflecting the real state of the environment.
Business value
What individual roles gain
| Role | Benefit |
|---|---|
| CIO / CTO | Gain full, up-to-date visibility of assets across the entire infrastructure, making it easier to plan IT development, optimize costs, and make fact-based decisions. |
| CISO / IT Security Manager | Receive a tool for identifying shadow IT and unauthorized devices, which realistically reduces the risk of security gaps and facilitates audits. |
| IT Operations / Service Manager | Gain a reliable inventory and dependency map that simplify change management, incident handling, and failure impact analysis. |
| Network and system engineers | Work with up-to-date data without the need to manually maintain documentation and inventories. |
What the organization gains
For the entire company, this means:
reduced risk resulting from lack of knowledge about assets,
fewer incidents caused by undocumented changes,
faster and safer deployment of new services,
better regulatory and audit compliance,
lower operational costs thanks to automation of inventory management.
