Root is not need.
Sniffer packet analyzer can:
1)Verify internal control system effectiveness (firewalls access control Web filter spamfilter proxy)
2)Analyze network problems
3)Detect network intrusion attempts
4)Detect network misuse by internal and external users
5)Documenting regulatory compliance through logging all perimeter and endpoint traffic
6)Isolate exploited systems
7)Monitor WAN bandwidth utilization
8)Monitor network usage (including internal and external users and systems)
9)Monitor data-in-motion
10)Monitor WAN and endpoint security status
11)Serve as primary data source for day-to-day network monitoring and management