Bake-Off: 3 Network Management Solutions Put To The Test

Bottom Line
To stay on top of network and system performance, administrators must be able to gauge the health of the network devices and services by monitoring status and performance. They also need a system to perform automated actions, such as notifying staff of the outage or restarting the downed system, when a critical network resource goes down.

With its strong feature set driven by its customizable dashboards and trending reports, Ipswitch edged out rivals with on the strength of its reporting capabilities. SolarWinds is a close second as LANSurveyor continues to set the standard for ease of network mapping, remote administration, and asset management, though it lost some ground due to its reliance on client probes. Engineers will watch how the company integrates LANSurveyor with Orion going forward. AdRem Software does well with its features but is just not powerful enough to match the other two more mature packages.

Each contender reviewed here has comprehensive partner programs. Solution providers will receive plenty of channel support from all three, though SolarWinds is still working to integrate the Neon Software channel.

Solution providers using any of these software packages will find additional revenue opportunities. For example, partners with asset management support contracts can take advantage of the reporting functionality to track and manage installed applications and devices. Remote-access tools could be used as part of network support activities, where files need to be deployed to each machine or traffic data collected from each device. Finally, trend reporting on network activity can supplement support contracts.

All-in-all, solution providers looking for a powerful network management solution that offers strong features, an ability to handle small and large networks, and integration capabilities with other solutions, should consider Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold Premium.

Shopping The Ingredients

VENDOR: AdRem Software New York (212) 319-4114 www.adremsoft.com • PRODUCT: NetCrunch 4.3 • LIST PRICE: Starts at $4,995 for a single station, goes up to $7,990 for unlimited Web access. • PARTNER INCENTIVES: 5% tp 10% discount; high-volume discounts available. • PROGRAM PARTNERS: 60 in U.S. • PROGRAM COSTS: Deteremined on a case by case basis. • DISTRIBUTORS: None in North America.

VENDOR: Ipswitch Lexington, Mass. (800) 793-4825 www.ipswitch.com • PRODUCT: WhatsUp Gold Premium v11 • LIST PRICE: Starts at $2,595 for 100 devices. • PARTNER INCENTIVES: Product discounts, sales collateral, technical and sale support. • PROGRAM PARTNERS: 200 in U.S. • PROGRAM COSTS: None. • DISTRIBUTORS: Ingram Micro, Tech Data.

VENDOR: SolarWinds Austin, Texas (866) 530-8100 www.solarwinds.com • PRODUCT: LANSurveyor 10 • LIST PRICE: Single-user license starts at $1,995; an enterprise bundle with responser clients is $16,995; additional responders are available starting at $625. • PARTNER INCENTIVES: Average margins of 30%. • PROGRAM PARTNERS: 50 in U.S. • PROGRAMS COSTS: None • DISTRIBUTORS: Tech Data