Review: Management With A Bite

The HoundDog dashboard is organized by sites. A site can refer to a physical location, as it was in the Test Center environment, or it can be a logical construct, with some machines within a network grouped together. For example, all the computers that belong to the accounting department can be grouped together as a site in HoundDog's view, regardless of where the machines are actually located. The dashboard is a central repository, displaying information about all the customers and their sites in one location.

Sites based on a logical grouping are very helpful for asset tracking and workstation monitoring. Domains and IP address ranges can be specified in the agent for asset tracking and workstation monitoring.

HoundDog offers several options for flexible dashboard viewing. WallChart provides a simplified view of the dashboard that refreshes continuously, which many companies project onto a large screen as part of a centralized command center. There's also MiniDash, designed for cell phones and PDAs.

Solution providers can brand every aspect of the application as their own if they choose to do so. This includes the dashboard, MiniDash, reports and the Advanced Monitoring Agent. As far as customers are concerned, the application comes directly from their solution provider. A simple DNS entry redirects the HoundDog dashboard to the solution provider's site to further the brand.

HoundDog offers multiple revenue opportunities. It is a great fit for solution providers offering network management services for SMB customers. Partners can also resell the solution to customers who want to manage their own networks. HoundDog claims that solution providers can expect up to 60 percent margins on services.

With HoundDog, customers pay monthly only for services used. There are no up-front license, maintenance or upgrade fees. The monthly service charge is based on the network checks being used and a flat $2.95 fee for the dashboard. Many of the checks cost only a dollar per month, although the Windows Service Check costs $3.45. A server checking only for antivirus and disk space would cost $7.40 per month, and the solution provider can offer the service for as low as $10 per month.

HoundDog reports help identify sales opportunities, highlighting new devices on the network and tracking software licenses. Monthly client reports also identify recurring problems that can lead to other revenue.

HoundDog treats the network holistically, where the system looks at servers, workstations, the cables connecting everything together to form a network and all the data. Solution providers can use the product in a multitude of ways, but the end result is always the same: the customer's network is up and running.