Microsoft's MOM Fills A Void

olution providers are reacting positively to the debut of a Microsoft Operations Manager version designed and priced for the small-business market, but said clients will need a lot of educating before they can appreciate the value of the product.

On Oct. 1, Microsoft released Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 for the enterprise and Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Workgroup Edition. The new Workgroup Edition, priced at $499, offers most of the same features as the enterprise version but is designed for sites with fewer than 10 servers.

One partner said he plans to target MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition--formerly known as MOM 2005 Express--at his Small Business Server 2003 customers.

“This is long overdue. We have several clients that we will recommend MOM 2005 Express to immediately because it will, over the long run, save them money that would otherwise be spent on manually troubleshooting problems,” said Marc Harrison, president of Silicon East, Manalapan, N.J., who already has two customers interested in the MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition.

Another Microsoft solution provider said the release will expand his management practice. “It will be valuable for customers who have tighter budgets,” said Per Werngren, CEO of IDE, Stockholm, Sweden. “My company offers MOM-surveillance as a service with a monthly fixed fee, and MOM 2005 Express will widen the doorway for us.”

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While small-business customers need tools to improve operational efficiencies, it may not be an easy sale, said Jason Harrison, owner of Harrison Technology Consulting, Nashville, N.C. “A lot of customers aren’t familiar with this type of tool, but the need is definitely there,” he said.