Using the Cisco Nexus Data Broker and Cisco Nexus Switches that support OpenFlow, Cisco provides a software-defined approach to aggregate copies of network traffic using network taps or Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) for monitoring and visibility. As opposed to traditional traffic monitoring solutions, this 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 efficient use of security, compliance and application performance monitoring tools.