ExtraHop raises $5.1M to manage your network

ExtraHop, a company that makes devices for application and network management, has raised $5.1 million in a first round of venture funding from Madrona Venture Partners, as well as well-known angel investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.

The Seattle company describes itself as “Google Earth for your network,” meaning that it provides IT managers and application delivery teams with a high-level view of what’s happening in their networks — allowing them to drill down into the details of specific problems. After a short 15-minute installation, the company claims it can increase uptime, cut IT costs and reduce time spent on troubleshooting. These are fairly generic claims, but you can see more specifics with the return on investment (ROI) calculator on the company’s site. It’s worth checking out this video demo as well.

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After launching its first product in late 2008, ExtraHop says it now has 20 customers, exceeding its initial estimates. These customers are mainly ecommerce, travel and transportation companies. Competitors include NetScout and NetQoS.

Speaking of Andreessen and Horowitz (the co-founder of Netscape and the former chief executive of Opsware, respectively), we can probably expect to see more investments from them soon, since the angel partners are also working together on a venture fund.