IBM Announces SMB Software Suite

The software, announced Friday, includes an identity manager, a storage manager, a provisioning manager and a monitoring manager. All aim to stay true to Tivoli's Express label, which requires that they be easy to deploy and configure, while containing features that make it easy for small businesses to meet best practice standards in their industries, without requiring large IT staffs.

The new software options are not just simplified versions of existing products; they were built by, designed for, and beta tested by small business partners, Bob Madey, vice president of strategy and marketing for IBM Tivoli, said during an interview Friday.

"It's a pretty broad portfolio, with extremely easy to use products for the SMB," he said.

Madey said the number of customers who beta tested the software (more than 100) was the most in IBM Tivoli's history. More than 45 businesses helped design it, he said.

The company also plans a big training and sales push as part of a larger plan to grow small and medium-sized business relationships and profits. Last year, IBM invested $500,000 million to enable sales and generate demand in the market, while gaining 26,000 new small business customers.

The new software aims to simplify IT operations. IBM Tivoli Identity Manger Express allows predetermined access for people in specific positions SMQ-8211-SMQ both internally and externally SMQ-8211-SMQ and automatically provides appropriate access and blocking, when employees leave or accounts are terminated. Storage Manager Express helps recover data after catastrophic events. Provisioning Manager Express maintains system information and automatically distributes software applications andpatches. Monitoring Express offers self-managing autonomic capabilities for managing online applications like email and bill paying with "self-healing" properties that correct IT service problems like hung applications. It can also tap additional servers to avoid overload.

Availability is staggered, with Identity Manager Express coming out next week and Monitoring Express coming out in April.