Halting Network Disasters Before They Strike

Raritan Computer has recently released the CommandCenter NOC 250, a fully integrated management appliance that allows IT staffs to proactively monitor and maintain an IT environment against any type of network scrutiny.

The unit combines vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection and asset management into one fundamentally sound unit capable of supporting up to 250 client PCs, 25 servers and 25 network devices—all for $11,995.

The unit provides four levels of vulnerability scanning to assist network administrators in resolving security concerns and is used to identify devices on the network that are open to known vulnerabilities. Level 1 consists of port scanning, which is the least intrusive, while Level 4 provides a much more intense scanning engine. Administrators can set up periodic vulnerability scans to catch any weaknesses in the network before it is too late.

Intrusion detection is another preventative approach the NOC 250 uses to protect clients against inappropriate, incorrect or anomalous activity. However, intrusion detection is only as good as the signature list it uses, and integrators—through a partnership with Raritan—will maintain and update signatures to keep networks safe and sound.

The NOC 250 also provides administrators with the capabilities to collect statistics from every system on the network.

In other words, IT administrators can measure the licensing aspect of software within an organization and identify redundant items on the network. It also can provide hardware analysis.

Setup of the unit can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time as long as careful pre-installation steps are taken. For instance, integrators who install the unit in a rack should make a note of the serial number found on the underside of the system prior to securing it.

Once the unit is in place, connect a Cat5 cable from the LAN1 or management port into a switch; for testing purposes, CRN Test Center engineers used 3Com’s 4500 PWR 26-port stackable switch. A second Cat5 cable was plugged into a LAN2 port and then connected to a mirrored port or in this particular switch, the roving analysis port.

Network administrators use this method of monitoring network traffic to forward incoming and outgoing packets from one port of a network switch to another port where the packet can be studied.

Once all cables are properly connected and the unit is powered up, you need to wait approximately five minutes for the system to complete startup before moving forward.

To access the NOC 250, administrators should connect to the serial port with Hyper Terminal for initial setup. Additional configuration and setup all can be carried out through a standard Web browser that is JavaScript enabled.

The NOC 250 must have a static IP address and must know the DNS server(s) for host resolution. One thing to note is that the NOC 250 requires configuration of an external proxy but if using the NOC 250 in a distributed environment, the internal proxy will work.

All NOCs require a license key, which regional VARs will provide for their customers.

While setup is somewhat complex and detailed for the novice network administrator, most IT administrators should have no problems walking through it. Documentation is administrator-friendly and consists of a quick start card that points installers to pre-installation procedures as well as post-installation procedures.

No agents are required to be installed on any servers. The unit leverages WMI and SNMP, which already are loaded on the servers within the environment.

The biggest obstacle solution providers will experience when trying to sell an item like this is convincing their customers that they need it. Preventing a catastrophic event before it occurs, like a mail server going down, is one way to position the new management appliance. Another avenue the solution provider can take is by showing CFOs the enormous benefits of reporting and how it can offer statistical analysis to help make informed decisions. Raritan offers multiple partner levels to authorized resellers; each level is directly related to the product lines. For example, the CommandCenter NOC product line consists of two levels, Gold and Silver. Distributors handle sales and support for non-authorized resellers.

Partners can expect to have a dedicated local account rep, dedicated account team, price protection plans, deal financing/leasing options and go-to-market planning opportunities. The company is big on reducing conflict between the direct and indirect aspects of channel sales and therefore supplies deal registration and rules of engagement for managing direct/indirect channel overlap. The company offers both in-person and Web-based technical and sales training for partners. Raritan did not disclose margin levels but stated that its margins are competitive.