Congruity Opens Network Secrets

Company:

Headquarters: Boulder, Colo.

Technology Sector: Networking

Key Product: Congruity Inspector

Year Founded: 2002

Number of Channel Partners: 35 in North America

Ideal Channel Partner: Midmarket-focused solution providers

Why You Should Care: Businesses today are trying to get a handle on how their network resources are really being used, and Congruity Inspector provides managers with visibility into their networks they can't get otherwise.

The Lowdown: There are a lot of network management products out there. But despite all the rhetoric today about aligning IT resources with a company's needs, few products provide the kind of detailed information that managers need, said Scott Smith, co-founder and CEO of Congruity Technologies.

"Are we productive? Are we efficient? Are we secure? And are we compliant?" Smith said, rattling off the kinds of questions IT and network managers are trying to answer today.

Congruity's Inspector software generates business intelligence about how a company's network is being used and how it's performing. It logs communications and traffic data directly from the network rather than from devices attached to the network, providing managers with information about who is on the network, how much bandwidth capacity is being utilized and other detailed metrics and performance indicators.

Inspector also helps businesses determine whether their networking policies are working -- or not -- and whether they're complying with such regulations as the Federal Information Security Management Act, The Children's Internet Protection Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, among others.

All this helps businesses gauge whether they are under-spending or over-spending on their IT network without bringing in high-priced consultants, Smith said. "We provide a pretty good bang for the buck."

Nearly all of Congruity's sales are through the company's 35 channel partners in North America, with about 5 percent sold through the company's Web site. Most of Congruity's resellers focus on small and mid-size customers, according to Smith, and many channel partners have expertise in network security technology and practices.

Congruity's channel program provides lead generation and lead registration services: The latter offers partners full commissions for registered deals even if a customer goes with another reseller. Smith cites one case where a municipal government ended up purchasing Congruity's software through Dell's ASAP Software subsidiary, even though a channel partner had laid the groundwork for the deal. That partner got full credit for the sale, Smith said.

"We've created a very attractive model for our channel," Smith said, adding that the company pays "a very hefty, above average commission or margins" to channel partners.

In about a month, Congruity plans to launch a program under which managed service providers can install Inspector and provide services such as remote operation and reporting. Congruity also plans to debut a new release of Inspector shortly.