BMC Puts Remedy Into Action

Remedy, a BMC business unit, built the Action Request System (AR System) as a development platform and as the foundation for Remedy's packaged applications for customer support, IT service management and disaster recovery. Its dual function enables Remedy channel partners to extend the features of the vendor's off-the-shelf applications as well as build new ones unrelated to Remedy's IT management business.

Brian Bell, senior director of worldwide marketing for Remedy, Sunnyvale, Calif., said more than 15,000 developers use the AR System to build or modify two to three applications per customer. Remedy had that audience in mind with its latest edition, version 6.0, which enables developers to lock their code to prevent copying. The new version also includes an application-licensing feature that lets developers monitor application usage among their customers.

"These features are aimed specifically at the channel, because 40 percent of our business comes through them," Bell said. "Many of our partners have built entire businesses around the AR System, often modifying our applications or building new apps, and they've been telling us they want help protecting their [intellectual property]."

One such partner is Adam Alonso, CEO of Enterprise Management Solutions, Clearwater, Fla. "The license monitoring helps us meet customers' on-demand license usage," Alonso said. "Before it was a guessing game. And being able to protect our code is very critical."

Pricing for the AR System starts at $20,000.